More than fifty years ago, I built an airplane in my parents’ garage with a wingspan of five meters. Big enough, I believed, to take four of us into the sky. Three friends joined me in my dream. With great precision, we hammered nails into plywood sheets, fastened to thin wooden beams that formed the structure. We saw ourselves taking off from Copijnlaan in Groenekan, heading for the horizon.
The plane never left the ground. Alongside the disappointment, something else took root in me: the urge to achieve and to win. But was that drive truly mine? Or was it shaped by my environment and the belief that winning would earn me love and recognition?
I threw myself into achievement: competitive sailing, skating, skiing, hockey, golf, piano, cello. Studies in Rotterdam and Michigan. Careers at Sara Lee | Douwe Egberts and Endemol Entertainment. Successes and failures alike. Looking back, I see: it could all have been so much lighter had I stayed true to my real strength: creating, inspiring, moving people, and guiding them to realize their own dreams.
In 2001, I chose to make that strength my profession: storytelling & imagination. I was part of the creative foundation of the themepark attraction Pandadroom (Efteling / World Wildlife Fund) and developed many concepts for museums and brands. I helped my clients bring their dreams to life, creating experiences that revealed the essence of their organizations and touched their audiences deeply.
I still work with the same passion, but today my focus is different: no longer for brands or institutions, but for individuals who want to (re)discover their own essence and live it fully.
As a mentor in self-development, I guide entrepreneurs, professionals, and performers through a journey of self-awareness and transformation. To reconnect with their authentic power and to create a life that truly fits. A life where you feel fully in your element, where things flow naturally, and where you marvel at what life has in store. Think of it as your own private Pandadroom: an immersive experience of your life’s dream.
My mentorship programs are deep journeys of 6 to 12 months through every layer of your being: social, personal, physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.
Together, we follow 4 steps toward authenticity:
- Awareness – gaining clarity about who you’ve become and who you are at your core
- Transformation – letting go of what holds you back from being your authentic self
- Integration – anchoring your inner strength into daily life
- Creation – shaping and manifesting a life that truly aligns with who you are
Do you want to come home to yourself, live your passions, and manifest your dream life?
Send me a DM. I’d be glad to take the time to explore whether mentorship is the right path for you. You are warmly welcome.