Helena Demuynck, founder of oxygen4leadership Ltd., helps women leaders break free from systemic limitations to lead authentically.
In a world where women often find themselves navigating a corporate landscape built on male-dominated frameworks, Helena Demuynck, a transformation catalyst, has made it her life’s work to help exceptional women lead on their own terms. Her journey from executive search to executive coaching didn’t just change her career—it changed the trajectory of countless women leaders in C-suites and boardrooms across the world.
At the heart of this mission sits Dialogues with Helena, her groundbreaking AI-powered coaching space. More than an app, it is a private, always-accessible partner in reflection—designed specifically for women leaders who want to align their ambitions with their identity, access powerful prompts and insights on demand, and grow in a way that fits seamlessly into their lives. It complements Helena’s one-to-one and group work, offering a confidential digital environment for continuous growth.
Helena’s story begins with two decades of experience placing brilliant women into executive roles, only to realize that the women she was helping weren’t succeeding on their own terms. Instead, they were forced to mold themselves into pre-existing leadership frameworks that never fully embraced their unique qualities, their values, and their identities. She witnessed women walking into boardrooms as the only woman in the room, struggling to find their footing, constantly proving themselves worthy, and always battling invisible barriers.
“Seeing women fragment themselves to fit into systems that weren’t designed for them sparked something in me,” Demuynck reflects. “I realized that women didn’t need more skills; they needed permission to lead from their own inner architecture. The problem wasn’t that they weren’t capable, it was that they were trying to embody leadership styles that required them to abandon themselves at the door.”
With this realization, Demuynck transitioned from executive search to coaching. Fifteen years ago, she founded oxygen4leadership Ltd., a company dedicated to helping women step into authentic leadership. She pioneered a transformative approach to leadership development, designed specifically for women, that addresses the unique challenges they face. Her coaching philosophy centers on reclaiming power from within, making peace with personal identities, and leading authentically without having to perform competence.
The Rise of oxygen4leadership Ltd.
Helena’s work is grounded in real-world experience. Her client portfolio includes senior executives from Fortune 500 companies like Microsoft, KPMG, Johnson & Johnson, and EY. These accomplished women, often between the ages of 38 and 60, had already achieved significant career success but found themselves at a crossroads. They were disconnected from their authentic leadership style and trapped in cycles of perfectionism, proving their worth, and navigating a system that was not designed for their success.
Demuynck’s unique methodology challenges the traditional leadership development programs that have typically been built around male frameworks. “While most leadership development adapts male-designed frameworks for women, I reverse-engineered approaches specifically for how women’s brains work and the systemic challenges they face,” she explains. “I don’t teach women to succeed in the system; I help them create their own.”
This perspective is what sets oxygen4leadership apart. Demuynck does not focus on helping women improve their performance within an existing system. Instead, her coaching focuses on identity excavation. She helps women remember who they were before they learned to perform leadership, guiding them to embrace their authentic selves and lead from that place of true authority.
Overcoming Key Challenges Faced by Women Leaders
The challenges women leaders face are numerous and complex, and Demuynck has seen them all. From the emotional labor of carrying organizational culture work to the perfectionism trap where women over-deliver to prove their belonging, the obstacles are systemic and deeply ingrained.
One of the most pervasive issues she addresses is the Likeability-Respect Trap, the forced choice between being liked and respected. Women often find themselves navigating a precarious balance between being likable and assertive, a challenge that can be debilitating to their sense of self. Demuynck empowers women to move beyond this dichotomy and claim their space as leaders without sacrificing their authenticity.
Another significant barrier is the Succession Ceiling, where even highly qualified women find themselves passed over for promotion or leadership opportunities despite their credentials and accomplishments. Women in executive roles often carry the additional burden of representing all women leaders, which places undue pressure on them to perform at an even higher level, further complicating their leadership journey.
As a coach, Demuynck’s work focuses on breaking through these ceilings. Her philosophy does not focus on how to “lean in” to systems that don’t work for women. Instead, she teaches women to lead with power from within, crafting strategies for success that are not defined by the same outdated models that have held them back for so long.
The Power of Identity-Ambition Alignment
The women Demuynck works with often describe feeling as if they’ve been holding their breath for years, trying to fit into leadership models that don’t serve them. Her mission is to help them exhale into their own power.
This is where Demuynck’s concept of the Identity-Ambition Bridge becomes crucial. It is the space where deep personal values meet professional aspirations, and it’s where true transformation occurs. “What I do isn’t about giving women more tools or skills,” Demuynck says. “It’s about guiding them to embody their authentic leadership style, making decisions from inner knowing instead of external validation.”
Helena’s coaching includes a range of services, from individual coaching sessions to masterminds and VIP retreats, all designed to help women discover their authentic selves as leaders. She integrates multiple methodologies, including legal training, systemic coaching, NLP, and embodiment work, understanding that authentic transformation requires diverse entry points.
A New Model of Feminine Leadership
Beyond individual coaching, Demuynck is creating something larger, something that will leave a lasting impact on future generations of women in leadership. She cultivates platforms like The Boundary Breakers Collective and Power Talks for Remarkable Females, which provide a space for women to come together and redefine leadership on their own terms.
Her mission is clear: to build a new model of feminine leadership that doesn’t require women to abandon themselves as the price of admission. This model is grounded in the belief that women don’t need to prove their worth in systems not designed for them. They need to re-center their identity, claim their narrative, and lead from the inside out.
The Lasting Impact of Demuynck’s Work
The impact of Demuynck’s coaching is profound. Her clients report subtle but life-changing shifts: they begin making decisions from a place of inner knowing, communicate with authority without performing it, and shape organizational culture from a place of authentic presence. These changes don’t just benefit individual women; they also create ripple effects in their organizations, leading to more inclusive, empowered leadership environments.
Through oxygen4leadership Ltd., and now through Dialogues with Helena, Demuynck is changing the face of corporate leadership—one woman at a time.
Ready to step into your authentic leadership? Discover how Helena Demuynck’s transformative coaching can help you lead from within. Visit oxygen4leadership.com or dialogueswithhelena.app to explore her services, or book a consultation. Join the movement to redefine leadership for women everywhere.
