My life story

I grew up as the second youngest in a family of five children. As a village doctor, my father ran a busy general practice and my mother managed the family. I was a dreamer, but connected to the world around me and closely engaged with the life of my family. From an early age, I tried to find answers and give meaning to what I see, experience and feel.

My inquisitive and curious mind helped me when, driven by love and a spirit of adventure at the age of 21, I set up a health post “in the middle of nowhere” in Africa (Rwanda). I met people who think, feel and interpret events in a completely different way from what I was used to.

It turned my view of many things in life upside down. I discovered that who you are and how you perceive yourself is very closely related to where you come from; to the standards and values that you get from home, the culture you grow up in and your living conditions.

A great loss in my life then taught me what it means to have to let go. It made me intensely aware of what I find important in life. I was able to weave loss, mourning and grief into my “being”. Again, I looked at life differently. A few years later, a new challenge presented itself: we left for Africa again with our family, this time to Kenya. My experiences with other backgrounds and cultures became more profound.

After returning to the Netherlands, I decided to do what I enjoy, what I am good at and what is right for me: guiding people in their development. In this way, I can use my (life) experience to the benefit of others. At the time, the coaching profession was still new and I had clear ideas about what coaching was and how best to learn it. Having developed a flourishing coaching practice, I then put my ideas about the coaching profession into practice more broadly and, together with five colleagues, I developed a professional coaching programme for the Alba Academy.

The incredible ability of people to grow and develop still fascinates me every day. The complexity and the flexibility of the human psyche never ceases to intrigue me. This is why I am constantly developing my knowledge of the human mind, human nature, science and non-duality.

I continuously experience life as a mystery, a fascinating journey, which has become lighter and lighter for me over the years.