My Change Story - Nicole Roettele

It all began with curiosity.

What inspires a young Canadian university graduate to move to Prague? Not the reason you would expect - the Czech Republic was transitioning from communism to capitalism and I had to learn more. It led me to work and study at a former communist training center turned business school, and this passion for understanding change and helping organizations and individuals transition through change has never wavered.

A New Adventure

This same curiosity led me to Amsterdam where I worked in the European headquarters for a silicon-valley based Fortune 500 semi-conductor company as an internal consultant during the tech boom. I managed international change and technology projects in virtually every HR and employee related process. The pace of change was rapid and standards high, so I had to hone my skills to keep up with fast paced business demands.

Going Deeper

With a relocation to the UK, I continued to deepen my experience and learning and then graduated with an Master’s of Science in Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations from the London School of Economics. I became a management consultant in the People and Change practice for a multinational technology and consulting company. Working on large scale transformations projects and managing change initiatives gave me the chance to work with and support clients with such differing needs. This solidified my resolve to continue to widen my toolbox to be ready and able to solve problems that best suit the client and their unique circumstance.

Life Changes

My desire to take on new challenges, even during the midst of significant personal change, brought me to live and work in the United States and France.

Not all changes have been easy, positive or willingly embraced. The loss of a loved one, family heath concerns and a major change in identity (becoming and mom and taking a career break) meant that I had to get up close and personal with change for the first time.

New Tools

I learned it was far easier being the leader or implementer of change than it was to be the recipient! As a result, I dug deeper, learned more, and took on additional tools, techniques and methodologies to help me move through change and embrace these challenges. I turned to coaching and yoga - and they were so helpful for me that I became certified in both to bring these additional tools to my clients.

New Company

This beautiful and challenging journey has led me here to create ALIGN TO CHANGE so I can share my experience and learnings to help clients initiate, facilitate, and embed long term positive change in their lives and organizations.

I am now based in New York but being globally connected is an imperative as I continue to support the incredible businesses and individuals I have met along the way. Having lived and worked in these 6 amazing countries and managed international teams and programs, ensures that I bring a global mindset and my cross-cultural experience to everything I do.

Every change story is different and I am looking forward to hearing yours!