about me

You’ll find I have a masters in Educational Sciences, I was a presenter on Dutch National television for 10 years, and from 2001 I’ve been working successfully as a conference moderator, facilitator and trainer.

That is the formal introduction. But is this how you get to know people?
I’d never start a group session by asking people to share their resumes. They would share meaningful images, tell a little story about their childhood home or share their dreams.

So in order to be credible, I’d better do something alike….

Where I’m now…

I’m 48 years old, I’m very experienced, balanced and energetic and aspiring an international career. The world is a fascinating place and I’d love to feel and experience how professionals in other countries are working and learning. My English is near native, my children have grown up, so why not?

I’ve been working as an independent moderator, facilitator and trainer for 11 years now. But I build on a much longer and broader experience. This work is a logical consequence of everything I did before. It combines a deep interest in – and knowledge about how people learn, with a passion for performing and interaction with an audience. And then there is the wonderful School of Life (not finished yet)….  If you’re interested, here’s a little more of that story…

Follow the head or the heart?

Many young people face the same dilemma when they have to choose a profession or higher education: Shall I do what I like, or should I be sensible? To follow the head or the heart?

I had that same dilemma. I was very interested in education and psychology. And I loved to perform. At that time I was confronted with the first economic crisis in my short life. Getting a job was no guarantee. Surely not as an artist. And as a young modern woman, financial in-dependency was crucial to me. So I chose to be sensible. I chose university. Educational sciences. Enjoyed it, got my masters and got a job as a curriculum developer.

Television

But… when I was offered a job as a Dutch representative for a London based tv-channel, I didn’t hesitate and grabbed the opportunity. Within two years, I appeared as a presenter on Dutch national television. There you go. Back to performance, back to the heart.

For 10 years I did loads of tv work. Big entertainment shows for kids, live talk shows, game shows. I had so much fun, and loved presenting. Meanwhile I became a mum. In 1992 our daughter was born, in 1995 our son. Just when I was getting bored, a new CEO arrived. And I got sacked.
Off you go.

All for the best

Every loss marks a new beginning, and so it did for me. I was freed from the golden comfort cage. That was 2001, and I went into business. I could build on my presenting work and slowly added training, facilitation and coaching. My work now is a rich combination of my educational background, my creative work for television and my presenting skills. And off course, all the personal challenges I faced, taught me a lot about myself, people and life.

30 years after my post-highschool dilemma, it all turned out for the best.