Coaching Transformation with Curiosity and Consciousness – Exclusive Interview with Ilke Atasel
- Brainz Magazine
- Aug 25
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 26
Ilke Atasel’s journey from the gaming industry to coaching is one of transformation, resilience, and curiosity. With over a decade of experience as an Agile Coach, she now integrates Integral Coaching and additional medicine to help professionals and teams embrace growth, build self-awareness, and create lasting change. In this exclusive interview, she opens up about her career, insights, and personal philosophy on authentic transformation.
Ilke Atasel, Agile and Integral Coach
Who is Ilke Atasel? Introduce yourself, your hobbies, your favorites, you at home and in business. Tell us something interesting about yourself.
My family has roots in different countries, and during my grandparents’ journey, they chose to immigrate to Türkiye, where I grew up and later majored in Computer Engineering. My decision to study Computer Engineering came from my passion for video games. I began my career as a Test Engineer before transitioning into the gaming industry, where I spent more than 10 years as an Agile Coach and Project Manager on titles such as League of Legends and Candy Crush.
During the pandemic, I came across a self-paced course on Integral Theory, where Ken Wilber explained its concepts and elements. I was fascinated by the insights and felt inspired to pursue Integral Coaching. That journey began in 2022 and continues today. Now, I combine Agile Coaching practices with Integral Coaching methodology to bring greater value to both teams and individuals in their personal development.
In 2019, I moved to Germany, built a family, and adopted a mistreated dog. Providing him with a safe home remains one of my greatest joys.
Alongside my professional journey, I have a deep curiosity about human psychology and neuroscience. I integrate these interests into my coaching, supporting professionals working with Agile methodologies in their career growth, as well as non-agilists in areas such as setting healthy boundaries, overcoming imposter syndrome and self-limiting beliefs, turning ideas into actionable steps with proper prioritization, building self-awareness and confidence, and creating long-lasting transformation.
More recently, I’ve also explored additional medicine and became a certified Usui Reiki II practitioner, adding another dimension to how I support people on their journeys.
What inspired you to merge Agile Coaching with Integral Theory in your professional practice?
When coaching clients and co-creating practices, I realized that Agile methods can have a profound impact, helping people shift mindsets, build self-awareness, make conscious decisions, and take confident actions toward their goals. Witnessing this impact sparked a question for me: Why not use Integral Coaching lenses to deepen Agile practices? By doing so, we can better understand the needs and dynamics of teams and organizations, create inclusive and safe spaces, and adapt processes in ways that collectively unlock their full potential.
In your experience, what are the most common misconceptions about assertiveness in the workplace, and how can they be addressed?
There is a fine line between assertiveness and aggressiveness. Assertiveness means standing up for your needs and opinions with confidence and respect, both for yourself and for others, in a way that is clear, calm, and fair. Aggressiveness, on the other hand, crosses that line by disregarding others’ feelings, rights, and opinions, often through forceful or hostile language. In the heat of the moment, it’s easy to forget this distinction. Assertiveness comes from presence, while aggressiveness is a reaction. Social biases also influence how we perceive and respond to both.
In the workplace, assertiveness fosters trust and collaboration, whereas aggressiveness harms relationships and morale. In my view, addressing this difference starts with individuals and their level of consciousness. While company trainings can be valuable and already create a positive impact, they should not be the main focus. The real focus should be on individuals, understanding where they are, cultivating presence, self-awareness, compassion, and building stronger communication skills through personalized development. All of these elements begin with the individual. By getting to know ourselves, our triggers, and our reactions, we create space to make different choices, build stronger relationships, and ultimately foster better collaboration, results, and performance.
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?
When it comes to Agile Coaching, I would actually like to rethink the word “change.” As Agile Coaches, we are often tasked with driving change, yet as humans, creatures of habit, the word itself can trigger resistance. It can unintentionally undermine the value teams and organizations already deliver with their existing dynamics and processes. Instead of forcing change, I believe we should shift our focus toward improvements, approaches that respect how a team or organization currently operates. This creates curiosity and motivation, making it easier to embrace new ways of working with far less resistance.
For Individual Coaching, I see a similar pattern. Many clients arrive with the wish to “change” themselves, which can unintentionally dismiss or even devalue their life journey as it is. In coaching, the goal is not to replace who they are, but to support transformation, an alignment and integration of the whole self. When approached this way, transformation unfolds more naturally, sustainably, and effortlessly.
Can you share a specific instance where non-violent communication significantly improved a team's dynamics or performance?
Throughout my career, I’ve worked in organizations that placed a strong emphasis on a feedback culture. Yet, giving and receiving feedback often leads to uncomfortable conversations that end without solutions, shared understanding, or actionable steps. Feedback can be challenging for both sides. The receiver may feel as if they’ve taken a punch to the gut, while the giver may feel uneasy, unsure how their words will be received.
To navigate these situations, I’ve relied on a simple framework that I encourage others to use when handling difficult or crucial conversations:
Share the situation or observation based only on facts, without assumptions or judgments.
Explain the impact it had on you, your work, or the team, without placing blame.
Express clearly what needs to change for better collaboration and results.
Request possible solutions and explore how we can make that change together.
Take responsibility for the feedback you’re giving and offer support if needed.
This approach helps individuals build healthier conversations, safe spaces, and stronger collaboration, ultimately shaping more self-organizing teams. Of course, I should emphasize that this applies to everyday challenges, not to toxic behaviors or zero-tolerance matters, which require a different response.
Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today.
When I look back, I can’t point to a single pivotal moment. Where I am today is the result of countless small decisions and actions, many of which felt insignificant at the time. Together, they shaped my journey, my achievements, my failures, and the lessons I’ve learned along the way.
If I had to give an example, leaving everything I had built behind and moving to another country was the biggest turning point of my life. It transformed me in ways I could never have imagined. Yet, even that wasn’t the result of a single moment or decision; it was the outcome of a series of choices that, collectively, led to one of the most defining steps in my life.
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