My style of coaching is tantalizing.

By asking stimulating, appreciative questions and by digging deeper (continuing to ask questions),  I enable you to break through resistance and fear, thereby finding the courage to look at yourself and your situation differently/with new eyes. This insight, together with the realization that you can take charge of your life,  that you can make choices that suit who you are, gives you a sense of freedom and expansion.

I coach on solutions and possibilities, with humour and sensitivity. Appreciating the things that are already going well, enjoying and being proud of what you have already achieved, encourages self-confidence and positive energy to take the next step, no matter how nerve-racking. 

What is the difference between indoor and outdoor (hiking) coaching?

Outdoor coaching is a form of experiential learning. By observing nature, you learn to observe yourself. You consciously perceive and feel what you think. Because we are walking outside together and aren’t sitting opposite each other in a room, we don’t always have eye contact. There are casual silences and there is plenty of time to muse and wonder. This has a relaxing effect and provides you with the peace/tranquility to listen to yourself and to experience what is happening within.

Walking in nature relaxes and reduces stress. Your heart rate drops and this allows you to be in the here and the now.

I start every session with a mindful walk. A bodyscan that allows you to experience yourself in the moment. Out of your head into your body.

While walking in nature you notice that you are naturally drawn to an object,  such as a fallen tree on the path. This often symbolizes a personal issue or a dilemma. By being present with it, and by describing the symbol, you describe your situation. Nature as your mirror. By literally overcoming this obstacle on your path or walking around it and seeing other views,  answers to your questions will naturally arise. It gives you that self-confidence which leads to actual change.

Walking in nature gives you a sense of peace and the space for new perspectives and growth.

The Camino called me for many years. It was that special pilgrimage about which others enthusiastically shared their stories; an adventurous trek of reflection and joy.

During my first Camino I consciously decided to walk alone. I was physically well prepared and I looked forward to finally having the time and space for myself. I felt that the geographical distance would help me gain clarity about why I kept falling into the same pitfalls, and why I hadn’t been able to change that.

In the little church of Saint Jean Pied de Port I affirmed my intention, hoping to receive the answers to my questions. Expectantly, I departed the next morning, across the Pyrenees. At the time, I was a manager of a large team in a constantly changing organization. I had a lot of responsibilities, I worked overtime, and in my private life, I also had too many balls in the air. My motto was: “Don’t complain, keep having fun, and just keep going”; a mechanism that had always helped me along in my life. As an innately optimistic person, I had underestimated the years of overload. Besides, I didn’t want to dig too deeply, afraid of the insights that would potentially force me to change my life.

And there I was, walking that famous path. However, I wasn’t walking the way I had intended; present in the here and now, and enjoying nature. I was running at a high pace from stage to stage. I was still “on”, focused on the outside world. And then something miraculous happened.

I had gotten up early again, ready for the next stage, and I was walking through the streets of a still awakening Logroño. Once I was outside the city, my left leg blocked itself. I was in so much pain, I couldn’t set another foot. I sat down on the next available bench and waited, hoping that the pain would decrease so I could keep walking. I only had one thought: keep going! In this way, I dragged myself from bench to bench, until I, deeply sad and disappointed, had to conclude that walking any further wasn’t an option.

The next day nothing changed. The pain persisted. In the end, I decided to stop and to go home earlier than I had hoped. A massive disappointment!

The next day I traveled to Bilbao, awaiting my flight home, and again something miraculous happened: the pain spontaneously disappeared, and I could suddenly walk normally again. Frustrated and confused, I flew home.

Once I got back to Amsterdam, I quickly wanted to leave this experience behind me. The memory was too painful and I was ashamed that I couldn’t offer any explanation. I resumed my hectic life.

Three months later I was hit with a heavy burnout. I hadn’t seen it coming… My body was literally put into a standstill while my brain was still running at full throttle. I had forced myself to keep going. I couldn’t just drop all my responsibilities. I had ignored all the signs.

It would’ve helped me so much if I had had a coach on the Camino. Someone that had prodded me and stimulated me to gain insights. Someone that had helped me to really open myself up to receive the answers to the questions I had posed in that little church… Because the answer did come quickly, only not in the desired way, but in the message of a blocked leg. During my burnout I literally had to sit still to think about how to move further.

I found coaches that facilitated many “aha” moments and who gave me the courage and trust to change things. Who helped me to throw the weight that no longer served me out of my backpack, and to shape my life in a way that suits me.

I now walk my hero’s path. I quit my job, and created The Hero’s Path.

Because what is more delightful than doing what naturally suits you? To throw on a backpack and go towards adventure, and to accompany you for a while on your Hero’s Path?