My journey to freedom and connection.
My story
Life is beautiful.
And yet often that felt out of reach.
For most of my life, I searched for freedom, without knowing exactly what that meant.
Coaching, therapy, training, (countless) books, reflection, meditation and retreats,
all of these have helped me, step by step, to move beyond the familiar and come closer to myself.
If I’ve learned one thing, it’s this: my pain and adversity were always a call for more love.
A cry for change. An invitation to meet life in its fullness.
I discovered that many of my problems stem from a longing for connection, warmth and love.
For a long time, that felt conditional to me: meeting expectations, being strong and, above all, performing.
I felt very lonely. It felt as if I had to do everything on my own.
Gradually, I realised that true connection is always possible because it begins within.
When I started to relate to myself with more kindness, patience and understanding, something began to shift.
However, the biggest step towards freedom was to realise who I am, and especially who I am not. That I may be a witness to my life instead of controlling everything (or at least, I tried to…). My body has been a great teacher in that. Subtle but huge.
The desire to accompany others on their journey led me to life coaching and somatic therapeutic work.
Walking alongside someone and seeing what can emerge within them gives me a deep sense of fulfilment.
I am a PCC-coach (Professional Certified Coach) with the International Coaching Federation (ICF), and I have completed training in leadership coaching at TPC and in systemic team coaching at AOeC.
I am currently taking part in a four-year programme at the Aumm Institute, focused on body-oriented psychotherapy.
From my interest in consciousness, personal development, and inner work, I have participated in several 10-day Vipassana silent retreats, completed Inner Child Work at the Aumm Institute, followed a year-long course in meditation and spirituality with Jan Geurtz, and am currently deepening my practice with a non-dual teacher.
I live in Apeldoorn, in the heart of the Veluwe, together with my wife from Argentina and our wonderful son.
I’ve lived in Kenya and worked extensively abroad, including in Africa and South Asia.
I speak Dutch, English, Spanish, and, not to forget, Frisian.
