From Soul Searching to Self-Management: A Journey that Redefine's Leadership

In this week’s episode of Make it Thrive, I had the privilege of chatting with Natacha Neumann, the innovative founder of children’s health food brand – erdbär Freche Freunde. As one of our ‘Maverick Founders’ in this season, I was eager to understand why Natacha had chosen the journey of self-management, and of course, how she became a founder in the first place. 

In this feature, I detail Natacha’s journey, and the evolution of erdbär Freche Freunde. From leaving a corporate ladder that left her uninspired to embracing a new approach to leadership, Natacha’s journey to creating a self-managed company offers profound insights for founders and aspiring leaders alike. Let’s unpack her path from tradition to transformation and explore the challenges, revelations, and eventual successes she encountered along the way.

Natacha’s journey into the world of entrepreneurship began during her university years at the London School of Economics. In a reflective activity called a ‘Life Pilot’, she was asked “what do you want to achieve in your life?” 

From this deep question Natacha set a 10-year goal: to make a positive impact on the world, no matter how small. 

After years of working in various roles across different countries, Natacha realised that climbing the corporate ladder was not fulfilling this ambition. Despite friends and family thinking she was “crazy” for leaving a steady role, she felt a calling to forge her own path. After much soul-searching and multiple business plans, Natacha co-founded erdbär Freche Freunde with a focus on healthy nutrition for children—a mission that aligned perfectly with her desire to contribute meaningfully to society.

In the early years of erdbär Freche Freunde, Natacha and her husband structured their business traditionally. After all, as Natacha shared, “I didn’t know any better – most management books say this is the way it’s done!” 

As the team grew, however, frustrations began to emerge. Natacha noticed a divide forming between management and the rest of the team, with little transparency and trust in decisions made behind closed doors. Additionally, she felt that many core company values, like trust, respect, and flexibility, weren’t being fully realised under the rigid structure.

Natacha herself began to feel the strains and frustrations many founders feel. No matter how much trust she gave to others she was still problem-solving everyone else’s problems all day long. For Natacha, the hierarchical approach was failing her and the team—a problem she couldn’t ignore. Natacha began to question, “is there a better way?”

Determined to find a better way, Natacha began exploring alternative organisational models. After reading Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux, she was struck by the potential of self-management and became convinced that this was the change her company needed. In her words, she “was converted.” 

Now Natacha’s curiosity had peaked she began a search for more answers. Natacha couldn’t believe that despite having a management degree and two masters, nobody had ever told her about this form of organisational structure. As she declared, “I hope they’re teaching this in universities now. But back then they weren’t!” 

Enthusiastically, she introduced the new vision to her team, informing them that they would no longer have a hierarchical structure but would instead take full responsibility for their own roles. However, her passion and urgency to implement this change led to a steep learning curve, both for herself and for her team. Natacha openly shares that the way they started back then would not be the way she would do it now.

As Natacha began introducing self-management, the team’s reaction was mixed. Some were ready for the shift, expressing a sense of “about time,” while others felt confusion, anxiety, and uncertainty. Without managers to guide their daily tasks, some team members struggled to understand what self-management truly entailed. Questions around paychecks, roles, and responsibilities arose, and Natacha realised that simply removing hierarchy wasn’t enough. The company needed a framework to help guide this new way of working.

To create a foundation for self-management, Natacha implemented Holacracy—a structured approach to self-management that includes defined roles, responsibilities, and decision-making processes. This helped her team transition from traditional expectations into a more flexible, adaptable model. However, as time went on, it became clear that strict adherence to Holacracy was not always practical. Natacha’s team began to adapt its principles to suit their unique needs, creating a bespoke system that balanced structure with the freedom they needed to thrive.

Many people often assume that self-management is structureless, but the reality is that this way of working is much more structured. A more structured approach to culture can put off founders who are used to feeling unbounded by their ways of working, but as Natacha eloquently puts it, “there is so much freedom in structure, and people don’t realise that.” 

Natacha describes the first two years of this transition as “very, very hard,” likening it to personal growth that would typically take decades compressed into a short span of time. The change was taxing, filled with moments of doubt and frustration as she wondered if they’d made the right choice. She faced challenges that tested her resolve as a leader—team members who struggled to adjust, and growing pains as roles and relationships were redefined. Yet, she persevered, clinging to small successes that kept the vision alive.

After two challenging years, Natacha finally reached a tipping point where more than half of the team embraced self-management fully. This shift marked a turning point; as more team members began to take responsibility and support one another, the company’s culture transformed. Instead of Natacha bearing the weight of leadership alone, the team collectively held each other accountable, helping new members to adapt and reinforcing the self-managing model. The structure and values she had fought to establish were now part of the team’s DNA, and the vision of a truly self-managed company was coming to life.

Transitioning into a self-managed structure was not only a shift for the company but a transformative personal journey for Natacha. She candidly shared that the hardest part was letting go of the need to control everything. Moving from a mindset of “my company, my baby” to collective team ownership, required a deep personal shift. For Natacha, this meant taking “radical responsibility” for her own emotions, thoughts, and actions. She had to model the values of trust and respect that she wanted to see within the team, which was a challenging but necessary step to fostering a culture of self-leadership.

As Natacha so openly shared, “The first phase of this journey was working on myself. I wanted self-management, but if I’m honest, I wasn’t prepared for what I needed to do, or who I needed to be. I needed to let go.” 

Natacha Neumann’s journey from a traditional leader to a champion of self-management is a powerful testament to the potential of transformative leadership. By challenging conventional hierarchies, she built a company culture that values autonomy, trust, and shared purpose. Her story is one of resilience, introspection, and faith in her team’s ability to thrive independently. As Natacha continues to refine her leadership and inspire others, her experience is a reminder that true leadership isn’t about holding the reins—it’s about letting go, trusting, and giving others space to lead alongside you.

Natacha’s story underscores a vital truth: the path to meaningful impact and innovative leadership is rarely straightforward. But for those willing to embark on it, the rewards—both personal and professional—are transformative.