From an early age on I have been interested in health, human movement, nutrition and psychology. After my study Human Movement Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, I stepped into the corporate world: At first as an ergonomic researcher at KPN Research and later I moved on to Marketing and Management jobs at KPN, Atos Origin and TNO. As a Research Manager at TNO, colleagues approached me on a regular basis with questions such as: I have trouble presenting myself, I find it hard to set my boundaries, I get bogged down in my work, etc. I enrolled in the training Professional Coaching (by Karen Walthuis, Yclectica) and was one of the founders of the internal coach pool of TNO. I discovered that by coaching people they could be challenged and motivated to take a next step instead of leaving the company disappointed.

For me coaching is the perfect job after 25 years in the corporate world, so it is no surprise that I made the switch to full-time coach. My approach is that we work together for a short time, during which your coach question is the starting point. Through reflection and confrontation, we search for new paths to break through fixed patterns and limiting beliefs. Sometimes the coaching is totally focused on the work situation and sometimes it expands to broader vitality questions. Everyone must find his/her own path and every path is unique. Since I spent a part of my childhood in the USA, I am at ease with coaching in the English language.

My core values

Trust: Coaching is not always pleasant and fun, it can be tough, painful and sometimes downright sad. Only through mutual respect, trust can develop, which is a strong basis for making real progress.

Grit: Why don’t we always do what we want to do? We experience perceived boundaries and we make assumptions about what other people are thinking about us. These limiting beliefs often keep us from being who we want to be and doing what we want to do. Exploring and challenging these beliefs and assumptions, overcoming them and changing them into supporting beliefs can be really rewarding. Every time again I am impressed by the enormous amount of willpower and grit that people can tap into, to make these changes happen.

Resilience: In general, our body strives to maintain a healthy balance, both physically and mentally. When pushed off balance, for instance by stress inducing factors, healthy people succeed faster and better in regaining their balance. However, when the stress persists too long or too severe, sufficient time to recuperate is lacking which can lead to burn-out related symptoms. Gaining insight on what triggers the stress and improving your resilience are crucial factors in regaining your balance.

Education

• Human Movement Sciences, Physiology and Functional Anatomy - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
• Result driven Coaching - PDC TNO
• Coaching for Professionals - Yclectika, Amsterdam
• Coach Practitioner (HBO+) - Alba Academy

Member of the NOBCO (Dutch Association of Professional Coaches)