Gemma Odena Bulto is an entrepreneur, leadership coach, and transformation expert whose journey is rooted in self-discovery, authenticity, and empowering individuals to embrace both their strengths and identity. From beginning her career in technical and engineering environments where she was often the only woman in the room to guiding senior leaders, entrepreneurs, and organizations toward meaningful transformation, Gemma’s work focuses on unlocking human potential and redefining leadership. Humans of Fuzia is featuring Gemma for her powerful perspective on balancing feminine and masculine energies in leadership and creating inclusive spaces where individuals can thrive. Her story inspires our global community of 5 million members working toward empowerment, inclusion, and collective progress through the spirit of He for She and She for She.
Tell us about yourself and your journey.
Who I am is something I’m still discovering. My journey has been about self-discovery and advocating for authenticity. I started in very technical roles focused on engineering, and most of the time I was the only woman in the room.
Over the years, I realized I had strong analytical and technical skills that helped me succeed in structured environments. At the same time, I also had a deep sense of empathy and connection with people. I began recognizing the importance of balancing action-oriented energy with emotional intelligence and relationship-building.
This realization led me to pivot from purely technical roles into leadership, management, and entrepreneurship, where I could bring both perspectives together. I continue to explore how to balance these energies while building businesses in environments that are often highly competitive and fast-paced.
What inspired your focus on empowerment and leadership transformation?
I come from a first-generation, low-income family, and throughout my career I continued growing within organizations. Over time, I realized it wasn’t normal to constantly be the only woman in the room.
Whenever I saw women who were talented but held back by societal conditioning or bias, I felt compelled to support and empower them. This led me to explore differences in leadership styles and energy dynamics.
For many years, I felt misaligned because I relied heavily on one way of operating. But when I began embracing different perspectives and supporting others to do the same, everything changed. I experienced personal growth, moved into senior leadership roles, and found greater fulfillment.
What I initially saw as a challenge became my strength. Being different in a room became my differentiator and ultimately my superpower.
How did your professional experience shape your approach to coaching and transformation?
During my consulting experience in business transformation, I realized that even the best strategies or recommendations only succeed if people are ready to implement them. A person’s mindset, emotions, and personal circumstances influence how they respond to change.
This made me shift from providing advisory services to supporting individuals directly through coaching. I wanted to help leaders unlock their potential and create meaningful change from within.
I work primarily with leaders, entrepreneurs, founders, and senior executives on building organizations, scaling businesses, and navigating complex decisions. Leadership involves setting boundaries, making difficult choices, and managing organizational change — all of which require personal growth alongside professional expertise.
Who do you typically work with and how do you create impact?
My work mainly focuses on senior leaders, directors, CEOs, founders, and organizations. I believe meaningful transformation often begins at the leadership level because decisions at the top influence the entire organization.
I support leaders in building and scaling companies, reorganizing teams, making strategic decisions, and strengthening leadership capabilities. Once leaders grow and feel supported, they often bring these changes into their organizations, creating broader impact.
My work is also about helping individuals connect with their own potential and discover the best way to lead authentically.
What are your goals and vision for the future?
My goal is to continue finding balance between instinct and action. For a long time, success in competitive environments required me to operate in a highly structured and driven way. Now I want to strengthen my connection with intuition and authenticity.
For me, the focus is understanding when to act, when to rest, and when something truly aligns with my values. I believe that by following instinct and staying authentic, I will attract meaningful relationships, opportunities, and impact.
The guiding words for my future are instinct and authenticity.
“What once felt like a limitation became my greatest strength — real leadership begins when we embrace who we truly are.”
Connect with Gemma Odena Bulto:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemma-odena-bulto
Want to be featured?
If you’d like to be featured in the Humans of Fuzia series, email us at fuziatalent@fuzia.com.
