And here's my lifestory, if you are in for a read.


YOUTH
I was born on a spring day in 1973, child of a soft, grumpy father and a charming, worried mother. I had an older sister who kneaded dreadlocks in her hair with soap, and who was the only one in the lyceum having a rat gnawing on her shoulders from her lunch bread.

90's
In my adolescence I changed from an energetic and cheerful child into a chubby, philosophical teenager who looked restlessly for the meaning of life at the theatre school in Utrecht and the University of Humanistics.
Because the meaning of life was not revealed to me in any of these schools, I moved to Namibia for life at it’s raw. In addition to writing my final thesis, I got a job as a manager and theatre-director of an educational theatre group. This meant that I had to try to get my fraudulent boss behind bars and sometimes had to hide in the desert if he was very angry about that.

0's
Fortunately, I maintained a 'challenging' relationship with a detective who always slept with an AK-47 under his pillow. And I realised that I loved living an outdoor life under the African sun.
The fraudulent boss died, but I stayed: I worked as a Theatre Arts teacher at the International School, and developed myself as an actress, singer and director in various African and International theatre projects.
After 3 years I returned to the Netherlands and co-founded the NPO Theatre Embassy. For 7 years I led the foundation, and I developed and directed theatre projects and workshops in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
 

In 2007 I was done with traveling. I came to rest in Hawaii, gave birth to twins and bought a huge, dilapidated farm just above Amsterdam. There I drove my partner out of the house, set up a guesthouse, and started looking for new forms to connect my three passions:

Making stuff. Trying to understand life. Enlivening others; and learning that I could only do that by enlivening myself.
 

10's

I started making autobiographical comics with highschool-friend & gifted artist Dilys de Jong. We create cartoons, books & illustrations.In 2007 we got a permanent spot in the Dutch daily newspaper the Telegraaf with our strip Jong&Frij, which we owned up to spring 2019. Books, cards & calenders appear.

I continued working as a theatre director, and created theatre projects in Turkey, South Africa as well as in Holland, two of them about one of my then favorite topics: love!

I created my own short solo-show in the cute Casablanca theatre in the heart of Amsterdam.
I expanded my coaching-work which I started around the millenium, and starting specialising in stage presence, communication, and: living a liberated life. I trained thousands of scientists, leaders & entrepreneurs. I learned to build bridges between deep spiritual insights and practical, physical & communicational tools.

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The STEP UP! retreats were born; not with yoga but a stage, supporting people to step up and live their lives according to their soul's calling, in one wonderfully crazy, immersive week.
The non profit organisation Soul Service saw the light, that I founded to give way to my need to create projects & theatre-events focussing on bridging the gaps between polarised groups in society, and supporting people, specifically disadvantaged women, to step up their game. 

 

20's

Besides the (corona-restricted) continuation of the above, I am following the urge to start whispering in public.

With a serie of online programs, podcasts and theatershows, I want to give way to wise and loving views & solutions for our crazy worldly problems.

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I am very grateful that in all parts of my work, I am allowed to journey with people into the areas where things truly matter; where it feels wild, powerful, vulnerable, and real. And then start to manifest and create exactly from that spot. Unraveling what is in between us and our greatest joy, has become the most inspiring journey of all. And this also definitely includes my own journey, bumpy as it has been. if you feel inspired, drop me a line. And otherwise; I can always coach you:)