Esther Sels is a singer with her own live music concept. She is frequently booked for exclusive events such as company parties, corporate events, and weddings. She handles the vocals, of course, but also provides the technical support and backing of a professional band or DJ.

Esther started her own business in 2013. But she had known her whole life that she wanted to pursue music full-time. As a teenager, she won the VTM Soundmixshow, and in 2007 she appeared on national television as a finalist on Idool. Still, it took years before Esther quit her job in education to focus entirely on singing and performing, on her own terms. Looking back on it now, she realizes she stood in her own way for a long time. She didn’t trust herself.

Turning Knowledge into Action
That realization sank in even deeper when Esther joined Straight-Line Leadership in 2022. She discovered that she was still standing in her own way—even though she had already been a successful independent artist for several years.

“When I first stepped into the world of self-development, it meant a lot to me,” Esther begins. “I started working on myself, which helped me see where my unproductive patterns came from. I also knew exactly what I wanted and what I stood for. Eventually, I understood all of that and was very aware of it. But then it was a matter of turning that knowledge into action. I thought: how do I let this go and just take the steps I need to take? I kept getting stuck in what I’d always done, and that was so frustrating.”

From a strong woman to a shadow

Esther knew she wasn’t living up to her full potential. “I felt like there was so much more inside me, but it just wasn’t coming out,” she says. “I had so many ambitions, so many goals. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life, but I just couldn’t seem to get a handle on it.”

For example, Esther wanted to write and release her own songs. She got started on that during the pandemic. “The writing came easily to me, but… then those songs were just sitting there. What was the next step? What was I going to do with them? I didn’t have an answer to that, so I backed off. There was always something holding me back. Now I know it was me,” she says with a laugh.

“I have plenty more examples like that, including in my relationships. I kept running into the same issues and didn’t know how to deal with them. For example: whenever my relationship wasn’t going well, I lost a lot of strength and energy. And even though I could perfectly explain what was going on in my head, I couldn’t seem to break free from it. I’d see myself transform from a powerful woman into a shadow of my former self.”

No coincidence
That’s when Straight-Line Leadership came into her life. “It was almost magical,” according to Esther. “At the time, I had such a desperate need for help in taking those steps. It was as if it was meant to be.” In 2022, Esther was asked to perform at The Night of Spectacles, an exclusive event organized by the company. But the singer didn’t fully understand the nature of the work at the time. “I was inspired by what was shared that evening. I found it interesting, but didn’t immediately realize what it could mean for me.”

That evening, she shared the stage with Kristof Cuppens, Straight-Line Coach and Managing Partner of the company. “Kristof approached me and said we’d see each other again in a few weeks. Straight-Line Leadership had booked a table at GenkerFolies, where I was scheduled to perform. And sure enough, on the day of the event, there was a large table right in front of my stage that had been reserved for them.” Afterward, Esther spoke briefly with Kristof again. “I found him to be an intriguing man. He had a striking strength and energy, and I thought it was cool to get to know him and the organization. But that was the extent of it.”

A few weeks later, Esther found herself at another event, where her sound engineer suddenly started talking about the company. “He told me that Straight-Line Leadership had asked him to handle the sound for a live event for their members. He started talking about it with such enthusiasm. He said, ‘You have to experience this! It’s so valuable. It’s pretty intense, but if you take what they share there to heart, you’ll really make rapid progress.’ Then I thought: this can’t be a coincidence anymore.”

The greatest gift

The next day, Esther picked up the phone and called Kristof. She wanted to know exactly what Straight-Line Leadership did and if she could attend a live session. Unfortunately, Kristof explained, it wasn’t possible to just drop in on a live session. He invited Esther for a personal meeting, during which they discussed the options and, above all, what the work could mean for her.

After some hesitation about the investment required, Esther finally decided to sign up for a membership. “I felt in my heart of hearts that I had to do this, so I took the plunge. And to this day, I’m incredibly grateful for that decision. There really is a life before and a life after Straight-Line Leadership.”

Straight-Line Leadership helped Esther build confidence—in herself, her goals, life, and the people around her. “That’s the greatest gift they could have given me. Because for me, that’s what it’s all about. If I don’t have confidence in myself and others, I won’t be able to achieve what I set out to do. I’m very aware that I need others to be able to create. You can’t get anywhere on your own.”

’s Appeal Esther is now getting more bookings than ever before—even during a time of year when things are usually slow. “I’m on stage in a completely different way now. It’s a world of difference. I’m no longer reserved, which I used to be to a huge extent in every area. Of course, I still have room to grow in that regard and need to keep reminding myself of it. But the big difference is that I can now make adjustments when I see it happening. This applies to my personal relationships as well.”

This has an impact on the way she interacts with clients and prospects—and how they respond to her. “I strike up conversations with people much more quickly after performances. Not just right after the show, but also in the days that follow. The conversations I have have become more impactful. As a result, I’m booked much more often now, have better connections, and have a top-notch team of musicians around me. Because I’m able to attract the right people.”

’s Self-Sabotage Esther wishes she’d had the insights and tools she has now back in 2007. “My time on Idool was a wonderful experience,” she says. “For more than six months, everything revolved around what I love doing most. That’s how I knew for sure that this was what I wanted to do with my life.” Thanks to her talent and beautiful voice, Esther stayed in the competition until the end of Idool. But she was also insecure, which ultimately cost her the win.

“I was facing Dean Delannoit in the final: a handsome, talented guy with a huge fan base behind him,” she explains. “He stood on that stage with incredible confidence. I kept telling myself the whole time: I know I’ll never be able to win this—and that’s okay. That’s how I approached that final, and that’s how I experienced it.”

Esther now realizes that she had spoken her second-place finish into reality back then. “I do look back on that with regret,” she admits. “If I’d had confidence in myself and my performance, I could have won. Because I had plenty of fans. And I probably would have gained even more. That realization is hard to face.” Since she joined the show six months ago, she’s started to see more and more where she was holding herself back. And also what she’s truly capable of.

So recently, Esther set herself a new goal. “I followed this year’s Eurovision Song Contest very closely, because Belgium had a strong entry. In the end, the Swedish entry won, which was also incredibly good. That’s when I thought: we have so many incredibly talented musicians in our country; surely Belgium should be able to win too. That’s why, over the next two years, I’m going to assemble a rock-solid team around me, with the goal of representing Flanders at the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest.”