Journeys of Empowerment

In this conversation, I connected with Blanca Vergara founder of CoCreation Institute, a systems thinker and coach who brings together corporate structure and human depth to explore how we move from isolation into meaningful co-creation.Blanca’s journey begins in a childhood marked by emotional distance, perfectionism and the quiet survival strategy of withdrawing inward. Achieving became her way to belong. From top grades to a successful corporate career, everything looked aligned on the outside. But underneath there was loneliness, disconnection, and a life that felt increasingly empty. It was only when she faced the gap between what she loved and how she actually lived, that something shifted. That moment opened a path toward integration, where her individuality, creativity and longing for connection could finally coexist.Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 Isolation as perception: feeling alone even when surrounded by people;👉🏾 Survival and perfectionism: how early coping mechanisms shape identity;👉🏾 The illusion of success: external achievement without inner fulfillment;👉🏾 Embracing eccentricity: daring to be fully yourself within connection;👉🏾 Co-creation as the future: moving from control and consensus into creative tension;Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 Belonging should never come at the cost of losing yourself;🙌🏾 True connection begins where authenticity replaces performance;🙌🏾 The life you want is often on the other side of what you fear most;Blanca’s empowering view: 🙌🏾 “That thing that is so terrifying to you is exactly the door towards the happiness that you are longing for” Books mentioned:📚 Tuesdays with Morrie: a reflection on presence, meaning and what truly matters at the end of life;📚 The Five Regrets of the Dying: insight into the choices people wish they had made differently;And you?Where in your life are you still choosing safety over truth, even though something deeper is asking to be expressed?Connect with Blanca:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blancavergara Company: https://www.blancavergara.com Curious to learn more about the 60-day Clarity Intensify Trek?Visit ✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ | Let’s make space to see it clearly before you redesign anything!

A deep dive convo with Sharon Asscher, a health expert and founder of Voeding maakt je beter who turned years of chronic illness and inner instability into a deeply personal mission to help others reconnect with their body, their balance and their sense of safety.Sharon’s journey is one of resilience shaped in contrast. Growing up in an unpredictable environment while navigating 18 years of chronic kidney infections, she learned early to suppress pain, push through and perform. But her story doesn’t stop there. Through years of searching, experimenting, and rebuilding her health from the ground up, she began to understand that true healing is not just physical. It is emotional, relational and deeply personal. Today she helps others connect the dots between body and life, moving from control toward harmony.Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 Reclaiming health through awareness: understanding the body instead of fighting symptoms;👉🏾 Harmony and safety: creating spaces where everything can be expressed without judgment;👉🏾 From survival to sensitivity: learning to feel after years of pushing through pain;👉🏾 Control and letting go: navigating the balance between discipline and self-compassion;👉🏾 Boundaries and balance: the ongoing work of protecting your own energy while serving others;Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 Your body is not the problem, it is the messenger you were never taught to listen to;🙌🏾 True harmony begins when you feel safe enough to be fully yourself;🙌🏾 Strength is not just pushing through, it is knowing when to pause and care for yourself;Sharon’s empowering view: 🙌🏾 “Understanding what your body is doing and what signals it gives, that is what gives me confidence"And what about you?What if the signals your body is giving you right now are not interruptions, but invitations to finally listen?Connect with Sharon:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-asscher/ Company: https://voedingmaaktjebeter.nl Curious to learn more about the 60-day Clarity Intensify Trek?Visit ✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ | Let’s make space to see it clearly before you redesign anything!

In this episode, I connected with Claudia Kratzheller founder of Body-Linguistics, a body intelligence expert and former professional dancer who now brings her deep embodied wisdom into corporate environments to help people reconnect with what is true for them.Claudia’s journey is one of returning to the body as a place of truth. From early life shaped by loss, to years of introspection, to finding freedom through dance and later translating that into her work with leaders, her path reveals how deeply our inner world shapes how we show up. What stands out is her commitment to helping people not just understand themselves intellectually, but to truly feel and live their truth through their body, voice and presence.Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 Courageous inner expression: moving with fear instead of waiting for it to disappear;👉🏾 The body as compass: learning to trust sensation and intuition as guidance;👉🏾 From control to allowing: shifting from linear thinking to embodied awareness;👉🏾 Vulnerability in systems: why showing up fully human still feels unsafe in many environments;👉🏾 Integrating duality: balancing analytical strength with emotional depth;Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 The body often knows before the mind understands, the question is whether we dare to listen;🙌🏾 Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the willingness to move while fear is present;🙌🏾 Real connection begins when we stop performing and allow ourselves to be seen;Claudia’s empowering view: 🙌🏾 “When you relearn to listen to your body, the truth is evident” How about you?How often do you override what your body is quietly telling you, in order to fit, perform or stay in control?Connect with Claudia:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claudiakratzheller/ Company: https://body-linguistics.com Speakerfootage on the Amsterdam Abundance Summit on Wealth and Finance: https://youtu.be/MSNNjgc3uwU?si=5-mmX7I05onEWcpe Stay connected with ✨Journeys of Empowerment✨for a new story each week and let this one invite you to listen a little closer to what is already within you!

#73: From survival to shared belonging!A conversation where the script is flipped...2,5 hour (🫣) deep dive with me ✨Michiel Sujeet Reith✨this time not as the host, but as the one opening up my own story. Guided by my friend, community builder, role model and mentor Kemo Camara, this episode becomes something rare. 👉🏾Not performance.👉🏾Not positioning..👉🏾But presence!!What unfolds is not a linear journey, but a lived one. From abandonment and survival, to identity shaped through achievement, to the quiet realization that none of it fills what was never met.And then… something shifts. Not through force, but through awareness!Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 flipping the script: from holding space for others to allowing your own story to be seen;👉🏾 survival and identity: growing up in abandonment, shaping identity through “if-then” validation;👉🏾 the search for belonging: from teddy bears, to strangers at Utrecht Central, to conscious community;👉🏾 success without fulfillment: achieving everything that should work, yet feeling nothing inside;👉🏾 the breaking point: choosing truth over a life that no longer fits, despite the cost;👉🏾 fatherhood and guilt: facing emotional absence and finding ways to reconnect beyond perfection;👉🏾 awareness as turning point: discovering that healing starts not by fixing, but by finally seeing;Empowering nuggets (hopefully..):🙌🏾 what you build to survive can become what blocks you from living;🙌🏾 belonging is not found in places or roles, but in being seen without conditions;🙌🏾 awareness does not erase the past, but it changes how you meet it;An empowering reflection after the most powerful question of Kemo:🙌🏾 “What centers me… is the life I was given, the chance I was given and the life force I carry”Books mentioned:📚 Business Model You: a page turner that became a turning point...;📚 The Body Keeps the Score: as starting point for the Trauma Stress Studies of the Trauma Research Foundation;My question for you: What if the life you built to prove your worth…was never meant to hold who you truly are?Connect with me:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michielsujeetreith/ Company: https://journeysofempowerment.com 

#72 : Learning yourself through change!What a deep dive with Ilze Spigule-Buijtenweg, a community builder and VP of events at PWN Netherlands (Professional Women's Network), coach and someone who has learned to meet herself again and again through life’s many transitions!Ilze’s journey moves across countries, roles and identities. From growing up in Latvia with a strong sense of responsibility, to navigating career shifts. Entrepreneurship, motherhood and multiple periods of depression, her path is one of constant movement. Not away from herself, but slowly toward a deeper understanding of who she is. Through change, loss, reinvention and courage, she continues to rediscover what it means to truly be present with herself and others.Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 learning yourself through change: embracing life transitions as mirrors for deeper self-understanding;👉🏾 the inner critic and self-worth: recognizing the voice that clouds your truth and learning to work with it;👉🏾 navigating depression and asking for help: moving from self-reliance to allowing support;👉🏾 identity through roles and reinvention: motherhood, migration and career shifts shaping a fluid sense of self;👉🏾 connection as a lifeline: building communities and spaces where belonging becomes possible;Empowering nuggets: 🙌🏾 sometimes growth is not about becoming more, but about remembering what was already there;🙌🏾 the voice that doubts you is not the truth, it is just a thought waiting to be questioned;🙌🏾 asking for help is not giving up control, it is choosing to move forward differently;Ilze’s empowering quote:🙌🏾 “Remember, you are made of stardust just like the rest of us” How about you?What if the changes you resist are actually the invitations that bring you closer to who you are becoming?Connect with Ilze:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilze-spigule-buijtenweg/ Company: https://www.pwnglobal.net/c/pwn-netherlands 

Rebellion does not always shout!Sometimes it quietly refuses to accept what everyone else has normalized...#71: Reclaiming the essence of therapy!In this very first episode of the 𝗕𝗶-𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗙𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀: Vassia Sarantopoulou, therapist, founder of AntiLoneliness and The Therapy Business Circle and someone who is no longer willing to accept a system that forgets the human it was built to serve!Vassia’s journey is rooted in lived experience, personal healing and a deep commitment to care that goes beyond protocols. From navigating her own path into therapy to building a practice grounded in awareness, she now stands at a turning point. Questioning not just how therapy is practiced, but what it has become. Her work is a call back to essence, where connection, responsibility and self-awareness are no longer optional.Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 the lost essence of therapy: moving from human connection to rigid systems, procedures and protocols;👉🏾 therapist identity and self-awareness: why you cannot guide others deeper than you have gone yourself;👉🏾 supervision and personal therapy: the missing foundation for ethical and effective practice;👉🏾 systemic pressure and broken care: long waiting lists, overdiagnosis and treating people as cases instead of humans;👉🏾 reclaiming agency for clients: shifting from passive waiting to empowered choice and responsibility;Rebellious nuggets: 🙌🏾 you cannot create safety for someone else if you are not safe within yourself;🙌🏾 when care becomes transactional, we lose the very thing people come for;🙌🏾 awareness is not a luxury in this profession, it is the foundation;Vassia’s empowering quote:🙌🏾 “You cannot help somebody go deeper if you haven’t gone deeper with yourself”Lets ask ourselves:If the systems we trust to support us lose their humanity, who do we choose to become inside them?Connect with Vassia:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vassia-sarantopoulou/  Therapy Business Circle: https://www.therapybusinesscircle.com Antiloneliness: https://antiloneliness.com 

#70 : Honoring truth through rebellion!A fascinating deep dive with Caroline Williams, a systems challenger, founder of WE Make Trouble and someone who refuses to look away from what does not feel right.Caroline’s journey is shaped by a lifetime of not fitting in. Growing up between cultures, constantly moving and learning early that belonging would not come from adapting, but from choosing herself. From navigating identity, loss and rebellion to building ventures that challenge inequality in the startup ecosystem, her path is one of radical honesty, deep self-inquiry and creating spaces where others can rise without shrinking.Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 honoring truth through rebellion: choosing not to look away and standing for what feels right, even when it disrupts;👉🏾 identity through not fitting in: growing up between cultures and learning early to define herself instead of conforming;👉🏾 from armor to awareness: shifting from defensive independence to emotional honesty and self-responsibility;👉🏾 breaking unhealthy patterns: recognizing imbalanced friendships and choosing solitude to rebuild self-trust;👉🏾 building systems that include: creating We Make Trouble to shift access, opportunity and capital for women-led ventures;Empowering nuggets: 🙌🏾 sometimes the bravest thing is not the outcome, but the act of speaking up when it matters;🙌🏾 making new mistakes is often more alive than living safely inside old fears;🙌🏾 you do not need to earn the right to feel what you feel;Caroline’s empowering quote:🙌🏾 “I would rather make new mistakes than live my life afraid to live”Books mentioned:📚 Brave Not Perfect | fear less, fail more and live bolder: on releasing expectations and choosing courage over perfection;How about you?What if the rebellion is not in changing the world overnight, but in refusing to abandon your truth, one moment at a time?Connect with Caroline:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cf-williams/ Company: https://www.wemaketrouble.biz 

#69: Identity evolution through awakening!A convo with Eslyn Olivia Barends, founder of Luminary Leadership and a South African changemaker who helps visionary leaders step into their next evolution with courage and clarity.Eslyn was born during the apartheid era in South Africa and grew up in a family rooted in generosity, service and community. At 25 she experienced what she calls her first awakening, a quarter life crisis that forced her to ask one piercing question: will my life matter? That question shifted her from autopilot success into purpose driven impact. Since then her path has moved through corporate leadership, founding Dream Girls Academy, navigating burnout and radical reinvention and ultimately relocating to Amsterdam to embody what she now calls luminary leadership. Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 awakening through crisis: from corporate autopilot to asking whether her life truly matters;👉🏾 radical honesty: choosing alignment over societal expectations of success;👉🏾 navigating the unknown: learning to trust liminal seasons instead of resisting them;👉🏾 reclaiming identity: changing her name back to Eslyn and reclaiming softness as power;👉🏾 empowering the next generation: building Dream Girls Academy and passing the baton to the young women it raised;Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 the question “will my life matter?” can interrupt a lifetime of unconscious living;🙌🏾 sometimes success is not about adding more, but about releasing what is no longer aligned;🙌🏾 the unknown is not a void to fear, it is fertile ground for reinvention!Eslyn’s empowering quote:🙌🏾 “What is the real conversation you need to have with yourself?” Books mentioned:📚 The body keeps the score: on how misalignment and stress show up in the body;📚 Atomic habits: on incremental shifts that compound into transformation;Over to you: Where in your life are you not free, and what would change if you answered that question with radical honesty?Connect with Eslyn:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eslynoliviabarends/ Company: https://linktr.ee/eslynoliviabarends    Learn more about our sponsor:https://reinforcer.ai helps leaders turn everyday feedback into measurable behavior change, right where work actually happens

#68: The Home Within!A deep dive convo with Nina Aziz Justin, author of The Home Within and a woman who has walked through cultural shifts, identity fractures and profound motherhood challenges. Only to discover that belonging was never a place, but a practice!Nina grew up between cultures, constantly adapting, constantly reinventing. A cultural chameleon by survival. But when her youngest daughter was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition, life stopped negotiating. Drive could not fix it. Achievement could not solve it. What remained was the raw meeting between who she thought she was and what life actually asked of her. Out of that rupture emerged something deeper: radical ownership, self-belonging and a quieter strength.Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 Self-belonging as a northern star: what it means to become the co-creator of your own life;👉🏾 When ambition meets reality: how drivenness can both build you and break you;👉🏾 Parenting through uncertainty: navigating a rare condition and the grief of unmet expectations;👉🏾 Amor fati in practice: learning to love your fate instead of resisting it;👉🏾 The spiral homecoming: carrying your resting place within, no matter how the world shifts!Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 You cannot come home to yourself using someone else’s map. Your journey requires your own cartography;🙌🏾 The same trait that makes you powerful can also be the one that wounds you. The work is not to erase it, but to understand it;🙌🏾 Resistance creates more suffering than reality itself. When you meet life in peace, something inside you settles;Nina’s empowering quote:🙌🏾 “The teacher will appear when the student is ready.” Books mentioned:📚 The Home Within: A soulful memoir of self-belonging across cultures and change!How about you: What if belonging is not something the world grants you, but something you learn to carry even when life reshapes every expectation you once had?Connect with Nina:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ninaazizjustin/ Company: https://theresiliencementor.com Learn more about our sponsor:https://reinforcer.ai helps leaders turn everyday feedback into measurable behavior change, right where work actually happens

#67 curiosity as personal agency!In this episode, I connected with Minna Taylor, author of The Confident Body and a performance coach who blends philosophy, voice work and embodied practice to help people get out of their own way.Minna grew up on a farm in southwest Virginia, an identical twin in a small visible world shaped by religion, order and expectation. From there she moved straight to New York City and into conservatory training at NYU Tisch, where anonymity, play and radical expression cracked something open. What followed was not rebellion for the sake of rebellion, but a long disciplined return to presence. Her journey moves from overcorrection and effort toward surrender, embodiment and agency rooted in awareness. Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 identical twin identity: extracting individuality from being known as “the twins” and finding a personal voice; 👉🏾 farm to New York: from constant visibility to anonymity and the freedom of experimentation;👉🏾 authority and expression: early tension between curiosity and imposed structure;👉🏾 confidence as behavior: moving from trying to appear confident to embodying body breath and voice;👉🏾 YES and as life practice: acknowledging elevating and advancing instead of reacting or defending!Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 when you make it about you, tension rises. when you make it about we, space opens;🙌🏾 confidence is not an archetype. it is a body free of unnecessary tension.🙌🏾 curiosity is not a trait. it is a disciplined practice of noticing how you are being while you are doing;Minna’s empowering quote:🙌🏾 “No one gives a s***. Get over yourself.” Books mentioned:📚 Drive: autonomy mastery and purpose as a lens on intrinsic motivationHow about you?....where in your life are you holding tension because you think it matters more than it does? and what might shift if you allowed your voice to be as easy as your breath?Connect with Minna:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/minnafoundereyv/ Company: https://www.minnataylor.com  Learn more about our sponsor:https://reinforcer.ai helps leaders turn everyday feedback into measurable behavior change, right where work actually happens

#66: Reclaiming agency through consciousness!Fascinating deep dive with Eva Luna Poorthuis, founder of Eva Luna Lifestyle and a passionate advocate for women’s health who is not only challenging systems but helping women reconnect with themselves from the inside out.Eva Luna’s journey began with her own symptoms at 18: mood swings, headaches, bloating and a deep sense of not feeling like herself. When the medical response was heavier medication and stress reduction, she felt something was missing. That moment sparked a personal deep dive into hormones, cycles and lifestyle. What started as self inquiry evolved into coaching other women who felt out of tune with their bodies and lives. Alongside that, grief and loss sharpened her awareness that life is short and should not be lived on autopilot. Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 women’s health and slow change: why research and systemic shifts are still lagging and why prevention matters;👉🏾 symptoms as signals: moving beyond fixing symptoms toward understanding the body’s language;👉🏾 identity and body image: unlearning unrealistic standards and reconnecting with self worth;👉🏾 relationships and communication: how self awareness improves connection with partners and family;👉🏾 mortality as mirror: how loss reframed her priorities and deepened her commitment to conscious living;Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 awareness of your body is not a luxury. it is a foundation for agency;🙌🏾 pushing through is often praised, but pausing is where clarity begins;🙌🏾 when you understand yourself better, your relationships shift naturally!Eva Luna’s empowering quote:🙌🏾 “Life is too short to live it on autopilot!” Books mentioned:📚 the five regrets of the dying: on perspective and what truly matters at the end of life;How about you?If you paused this week and truly listened to your body, what might it be trying to tell you?Connect with Eva Luna:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eva-luna-poorthuis-a8108b83/ Company: https://evalunalifestyle.nl Learn more about our sponsor:https://reinforcer.ai helps leaders turn everyday feedback into measurable behavior change, right where work actually happens

#65: Reclaiming the Body’s Wisdom!In this episode, I connected with Emilia Villegas, founder of Flow With Emilia, women’s health coach and hormone advocate. And a woman who turned her own health crisis into a mission for collective change!Born and raised in Mexico and shaped by life across seven countries, Emilia built a successful corporate career in tech before her body forced her to pause. Back surgery, burnout and hormonal imbalance. Dismissal in a five minute doctor’s appointment. What could have remained a story of frustration became a turning point. Instead of silencing her symptoms, she chose to listen. What followed was not just healing, but a reclamation of voice, purpose and power.Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 From corporate to calling: how a back injury and chronic stress cracked open a deeper truth about alignment;👉🏾 The loneliness of health struggles: why pain can isolate us even when we are surrounded by love;👉🏾 Hormonal imbalance and dismissal: what happens when the healthcare system tells you to Google your own answers;👉🏾 Self-compassion as strength: moving from self-criticism to body literacy and understanding;👉🏾 Reclaiming the body’s wisdom: learning to go within instead of constantly searching outside!Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 Your body is not your enemy, it is communicating. The moment you stop fighting it, you start learning from it;🙌🏾 Self-compassion is not softness. It is a radical shift from punishment to partnership with yourself;🙌🏾 When you feel dismissed, that can be the beginning of self-leadership. Not because you should be alone, but because you realize your voice matters!Emilia’s empowering quote:🙌🏾 “Our bodies are always on our side.” What about you:What if the symptoms you are trying to silence are actually invitations to slow down, to listen and to trust yourself more deeply?Connect with Emilia:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emiliavillegas/ Company: https://flowwithemilia.com Learn more about our sponsor:https://reinforcer.ai helps leaders turn everyday feedback into measurable behavior change, right where work actually happens

#64 Stillness as a turning point!A fascinating convo with Monika Matuszewska, certified professional coach at LaMatu and a sharp, curious mind who has lived many lives inside one life: four master degrees, sixteen years in international corporate environments and a gradual transition into coaching where nuance matters more than performance.Monika grew up in Poland with books and encyclopedias as a kind of home base and later built her adult life across borders, languages and communities. What moved me was how clearly she speaks about belonging, identity and the moment she realised she was being called to a quieter way of life, not as an escape but as a deeper alignment. Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 vipassana and contrast: 12 days of silence followed by instant overload and what that revealed about her nervous system and her life;👉🏾 belonging across circles: living between countries and communities and learning to belong in many places without needing to be central in all of them;👉🏾 learning as a life stance: curiosity through books, travel and people and why people may be our biggest source of learning;👉🏾 the shift from doing to being: from corporate achievement to depth, presence and real human conversations;👉🏾 decisions, fate and family echoes: the strange ways “mistakes” can become your path and only make sense in hindsight;Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 your body often knows before your mind can explain it. if something feels off repeatedly, that is not drama. it is data;🙌🏾 the quiet life is not smaller. for some people it is the most honest life;🙌🏾 belonging can be a mosaic. you do not need one place to hold all of you to feel at home in yourself;Monika’s empowering quote:🙌🏾 “I belong in so many places!”Books mentioned:📚 Stillness is the Key: Ryan Holiday, an ancient strategy for modern life!If your life has been loud for a long time, what might change if you stopped treating quiet as absence and started treating it as guidance?Connect with Monika:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matuszewska/ Company: https://lamatu.com Learn more about our sponsor:https://reinforcer.ai helps leaders turn everyday feedback into measurable behavior change, right where work actually happens

#63: A decent life and ripple effects!Fascinating convo with Anna Fedusiv, CPCC, ACC, founder of Empowerment LAB and a Ukrainian coach and community builder who brings clarity, depth and lived experience into conversations about work, identity and what it means to live well.Anna grew up in post soviet Ukraine in a time of scarcity, hustle and emotional absence, shaped by entrepreneurial parents and a culture focused on survival. Her journey moved through a corporate marketing career, leadership roles, motherhood, burnout, grief, war and a deep inner reckoning. What stood out in our conversation was her honest inquiry into success, her courage to redefine it on her own terms and her commitment to live a decent life that creates ripple effects for others.Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 a decent life: redefining success beyond performance, expectations and status;👉🏾 growing up in scarcity: how survival shaped ambition, validation seeking and burnout patterns;👉🏾 burnout and leadership: the shift from individual contributor to team responsibility;👉🏾 grief and war: putting the oxygen mask on first to remain human and of service;👉🏾 empowerment in practice: from marketing to coaching and building spaces for awareness and agency;Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 success without meaning quietly empties you, even when everything looks right on paper;🙌🏾 awareness is not weakness. it is the moment you reclaim choice;🙌🏾 your history can be heavy and still be a source of strength when you stop diminishing it;Anna’s empowering quote: 🙌🏾 “i’m a badass”Book mentioned:📚 Drive | Daniel Pink: autonomy, mastery and purpose as a lens for motivation and meaningful work;Question for you:What would shift if you allowed yourself to define a good life on your own terms, without borrowing expectations from others?Connect with Anna:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annafedusiv/ Company: https://www.annafedusiv.com Learn more about our sponsor:https://reinforcer.ai helps leaders turn everyday feedback into measurable behavior change, right where work actually happens

#62: You’ve got the key!A fascinating deep dive with Krystal Wu 吴漾 wu, founder of WayBeyond Coaching and an intercultural strategy partner who supports managers to lead across differences with more clarity and care and who is also building a platform and community where coaches and clients can find each other through real connection.Krystal’s story begins in southeast china in 1995, shaped by the one child policy and the hidden reality of being born as a second child. She was moved between caretakers from the age of one and grew up carrying questions about home, belonging and identity. What stayed with me is how she names the shift from living inside victimhood to stepping into agency. Not by erasing the past, but by inviting it to the table without letting it run her life.Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 crystal 3.0 and the courage to upgrade: why change matters more than familiarity;👉🏾 context and identity: how early life shaped her sense of home, belonging and “being different”;👉🏾 grief and continuity: losing her mother in november 2024 and the way love keeps living through us;👉🏾 anger as culture and privilege: how cultures shape what we are allowed to express and what we suppress;👉🏾 healing tools that grounded her: self trust, therapy, expressive writing and a circle of support!Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 familiarity can feel safe, but safety is not always what we already know;🙌🏾 your past may shape you, but it does not get to define you;🙌🏾 you do not need a savior, but you do need the courage to take the hand that helps you step back into your own power!Books mentioned:📚 between us: how cultures create emotions📚 coco: a story about remembering, grief and how love stays present through memoryHow about you:Where in your life are you still holding a story that defines you, and what becomes possible if you let it shape you instead?Connect with Krystal:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krystal-wu/ Linkedin company page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/waybeyond-coaching/  Learn more about our sponsor:https://reinforcer.ai helps leaders turn everyday feedback into measurable behavior change, right where work actually happens

#61: Diagnosis is the start!In this episode, i connected with Yann Ghisalberti, a former it project and program manager who rebuilt his life after a fifth burnout led to an adult diagnosis of adhd and later autism and who now supports others as a coach and founder of Coach4ADHD in amsterdam, with a special focus on neurodivergence, trauma and belonging.Yann grew up learning how to cope with being different before he had language for it. He carried years of stress, control and self-blame, until his body finally forced a stop. What moved me in our conversation was how honestly he spoke about guilt, the hidden cost of “functioning” and the slow return to self-trust. Not as a sudden breakthrough, but as a long walk of understanding, acceptance and choosing support.Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 burnout and breakdown: what his fifth burnout revealed when he could not push anymore;👉🏾 diagnosis as a beginning: relief first and then the wave of looking back and connecting the dots;👉🏾 guilt and emotional dysregulation: knowing what to do and still being unable to do it in the moment;👉🏾 relationships under pressure: how adhd and autism showed up in partnership and parenting and what helped them shift;👉🏾 purpose after survival: leaving it behind and building a coaching practice and a french-speaking support group in Amsterdam!Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 awareness does not change your life by itself, but it can finally give you a doorway that is real;🙌🏾 coping strategies can look like personality, until you meet the part of you that is just trying to survive;🙌🏾 asking for help is not weakness, it is how the cycle breaks and how the next generation breathes easier;What about you:If you have been holding it together for years, what is one small place where you could let support in before your body forces the stop?Connect with Yann:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yann-ghisalberti-adhd-coach-netherlands/ Company website: https://coach4adhd.nl/ The French Speaking ADHD Support Group: Café TDAH: https://www.impulsenwoortblind.nl/adhd-cafe-francais & https://coach4adhd.nl/cafe-adhd.html Learn more about our sponsor:https://reinforcer.ai helps leaders turn everyday feedback into measurable behavior change, right where work actually happens

#60 Courage in motion!Fascinating deep dive with Senneh Kamara, a young man whose life changed overnight and who chose courage instead of collapse. Born in Sierra Leone and now living in the Netherlands, Senneh lost his hand in a severe car accident at a young age. What followed was shock, grief, isolation and a long road of physical and emotional recovery. Rather than hiding, he learned to speak up, to be seen and to rebuild confidence on his own terms. Today he is stepping into education, community and voice, not defined by what he lost but by what he is becoming. His story is raw, honest and quietly powerful. Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 sudden trauma: losing a hand and waking up to a new reality;👉🏾 courage and self belief: choosing to move forward;👉🏾 visibility and identity: when to speak and when not to;👉🏾 solitude and healing: learning to stand on your own;👉🏾 purpose ahead: education, medicine and impact;Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 courage starts with believing yourself;🙌🏾 solitude can be a teacher, not an enemy;🙌🏾 you earn your own crown;Senneh’s empowering quote:🙌🏾 “Nobody gives you the crown. You give it to yourself”Books mentioned:📚 Courage: seven choices for living a life without regretClosing reflection:Where in your life are you waiting for permission that you could give yourself today?Connect with Senneh:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/senneh-kamara-259899356/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/official_caspper_/    Learn more about our sponsor:https://reinforcer.ai helps leaders turn everyday feedback into measurable behavior change, right where work actually happens.

#59 Owning life now!In this episode, I connected with Gabriela Alvarez Burgardt, a global inclusion leader now Global Senior Director People & Culture at House of Inclusion, whose life was reshaped by moments she never chose, yet chose to meet with intention.Raised in Brazil and long successful in international corporate roles, Gabriela’s life changed radically during pregnancy when she temporarily lost her sight, followed years later by a near-fatal Covid experience. Those moments forced a reckoning with time, values and agency. Instead of retreating, she chose to move forward consciously. Today she lives in the Netherlands, working at the intersection of inclusion, leadership and lived experience, helping people and organisations move from survival to dignity, from comfort to courage. Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 living with urgency: choosing intention over waiting;👉🏾 disability and dignity: navigating a world not built for everyone;👉🏾 identity and work: reclaiming agency after life disruption;👉🏾 inclusion beyond labels: belonging as a human need;👉🏾 courage in action: showing up fully, even when it hurts;Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 life is now, not later;🙌🏾 discomfort can be a doorway, not a threat;🙌🏾 owning your story changes how you live;Gabriela’s empowering quote:🙌🏾 “I didn’t choose what happened to me, but I chose what I did with it”Books mentioned:📚 Courage: seven choices for living a life without regret (referenced as a resonant lens on regret and intentional living)Closing reflection:If time were no longer guaranteed, what choice would you stop postponing?Connect with Gabriela:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriela-alvarez-burgardt/ Website: https://www.house-of-inclusion.com  Learn more about our sponsor:https://reinforcer.ai helps leaders turn everyday feedback into measurable behavior change, right where work actually happens.

#58 Living without regret!A deep dive with Christopher O.H. Williams, NACD.DC, a writer of C.O.U.R.A.G.E: 7 Choices for Living a Life Without Regret, thinker and former global corporate leader who has spent much of his life wrestling with one quiet but persistent question: What does it really take to live without regret?Born in Sierra Leone and educated in the United States, Christopher built an impressive international career. Yet somewhere along the way, success stopped feeling like alignment. In 2018, that inner tension became impossible to ignore. What followed was a deep personal reckoning that led him to step away from corporate life and write his book Courage, not as theory, but as lived inquiry. His journey moves through identity, power, silence and responsibility, and always returns to agency. Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 Courage versus fear: why knowing is not the same as acting;👉🏾 Regret: the quiet cost of postponing what matters;👉🏾 Agency and identity: reclaiming ownership of your life;👉🏾 Leadership and integrity: doing well without losing yourself;👉🏾 Joy and resilience: why courage needs lightness to last;Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 Courage needs something meaningful to work for;🙌🏾 Silence often becomes regret;🙌🏾 Joy reduces risk more than we realise;Christopher’s empowering quote:🙌🏾 “I wish I’d had the courage to live the life I wanted, not the life expected of me”Books mentioned:📚 Courage: seven choices for living a life without regretClosing reflection:Where in your life do you already know what needs to change, yet still hesitate to act?Connect with Christopher:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherowilliams/ Website: https://www.christopherowilliams.com/book  Learn more about our sponsor:https://reinforcer.ai helps leaders turn everyday feedback into measurable behavior change, right where work actually happens.

#57 Unapologetically becoming self!In this episode, I connected with Rumailah Burden-Tuuk, a woman whose life has been shaped by courage, responsibility and an unwavering commitment to stay true to herself. We met in a crowded room at Microsoft NL and something in her presence stood out immediately. This conversation reveals why :)Rumailah grew up as the daughter of Filipino immigrants, became a mother at nineteen and was underestimated more times than she can count. Instead of shrinking, she chose to play big. Today she works as an AI advisory solution consultant at ServiceNow, translating complexity into clarity while holding a deep ethical compass around technology, leadership and human dignity. Her journey is one of survival turning into purpose, ambition grounded in gratitude and success shaped by values rather than titles. Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 becoming a mother young: responsibility as a catalyst for growth;👉🏾 unapologetic selfhood: refusing to play small to fit in;👉🏾 intuition and courage: knowing when to walk away;👉🏾 women in tech: navigating power, credibility and voice;👉🏾 ethical AI: engineering with integrity and care;Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 your starting point does not define your ceiling;🙌🏾 intuition is a skill you can learn to trust;🙌🏾 success means nothing without peace;Rumailah’s empowering quote:🙌🏾 “I am becoming my truest self”Book mentioned:📚 The rhythm of life: living intentionally and in gratitudeClosing reflection:Where in your life are you still dimming yourself to belong, and what might change if you chose yourself instead?Connect with Rumailah:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rumailahburden/ Website: https://www.servicenow.com  Learn more about our sponsor:https://reinforcer.ai helps leaders turn everyday feedback into measurable behavior change, right where work actually happens.

#56 What if it all works out?In this episode, I connected with Mirjam Heldmann, a trail ultrarunner and deep democracy facilitator whose life bridges intensity, intuition and the steady work of becoming fully herself. Raised in the German Alps and adopted as a baby, Mirjam grew up with loving Buddhist parents and a deep sensitivity she could feel long before she understood. Running entered her life at fourteen as a way to regulate her nervous system and return to herself, and it grew into both a physical practice and a spiritual anchor. Today she combines her work at Oxfam Novib with Vox Agora, where she facilitates conflict resolution and cultural transformation through deep democracy.Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 Becoming fully herself: following yearly themes like self love and what if it all works out;👉🏾 Adoption and identity: the unseen layers of trust, belonging and the complexity of both;👉🏾 Deep democracy: learning to work with what is said and unsaid in groups;👉🏾 The body as compass: running, breath and ice baths as pathways back to presence;👉🏾 Love and safety: how a deeply safe relationship changed her inner landscape;Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 The body often knows long before the mind understands;🙌🏾 Belonging begins within when no place feels fully yours;🙌🏾 Trust grows when you stay with the discomfort instead of checking out;Mirjam’s empowering quote:🙌🏾 “What if it actually all works out....”Mirjam’s story invites a quiet shift:What would change in your life if you allowed yourself to trust the possibility that it might all work out?Connect with Mirjam:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mirjam-heldmann/ Website: https://www.voxagora.org Learn more about our sponsor:https://reinforcer.ai/home/ helps leaders turn everyday feedback into measurable behavior change, right where work actually happens.

#55: Standing strong in the light!This time I sat down with Susan Vrolijk, whose story carries both the softness of island life and the weight of a childhood marked by silence, survival and a long road toward healing. Born in Curaçao to Aruban parents, Susan grew up between cultures languages and expectations, with a childhood shaped by warmth and family rituals and also by one of the deepest wounds: sexual abuse at a very young age. What followed was years of independence, imagination as escape and the instinct to protect her mother by staying strong. Only much later did she find the words for what had happened and the courage to begin her healing.Susan speaks with clarity, honesty and an unwavering sense of faith. Therapy, family constellations and her spiritual walk brought her to a place where she can now speak about forgiveness without bitterness and about pain as a place of formation, not definition. Today she is focused on connection, happiness at work and helping others find the freedom to stand in their own light.Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 Growing up in Curaçao: color, culture, language and early responsibility;👉🏾 Survival and imagination: creating inner worlds to cope with trauma;👉🏾 The long path of healing: therapy, family constellations and rebuilding safety;👉🏾 Faith as anchor: finding identity and stability through spirituality;👉🏾 Becoming who she was designed to be: from fear to freedom;Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 Healing is not linear, but every layer brings you closer to your true self;🙌🏾 Pain can shape you without owning you;🙌🏾 Standing in your light is an act of courage, not comfort;Susan’s empowering quote:🙌🏾 “I’m becoming the woman I was designed to be”Books mentioned📚 Tale of Three Kings: lessons on leadership and humility;📚 Tears by Dr. Michael Williamson: the forming power of pain;Susan’s story invites a quiet question: where have you been dimming your own light and what becomes possible when you let it shine?Connect with Susan:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-vrolijk/  Learn more about our sponsor:https://reinforcer.ai/home/ helps leaders turn everyday feedback into measurable behavior change, right where work actually happens.

#54: The art of meaningful connection!My conversation with Belén Hein unfolded as a quiet exploration of identity, movement and the inner compass that guides us through change. Born in Argentina, shaped by Germany and the United States, and now rooted in Utrecht, Belen carries a life marked by transitions. Those shifts taught her to build home from within and to meet the world with openness and curiosity rather than fear.Belén spent seven years as co-founder of Neurolytics, where she blended psychology, technology and a deep belief in human potential. Leaving her own company was a heartbreak but also a turning point. It led her back to the core of what energizes her: building, aligning teams, turning strategy into action and making workplaces more human through honest interaction. Her story carries the tension between ambition and loss, motherhood and identity, vulnerability and determination!Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 Building Neurolytics: translating science into a fairer recruitment process;👉🏾 Leaving her startup: grief, clarity and learning to trust the next step;👉🏾 The power of meaningful connections: how her late mother shaped her understanding of presence and care;👉🏾 Tools for inner clarity: writing as reflection and conversations as mirrors;👉🏾 Adaptability across cultures: choosing home and learning to accept what is and what isn’t;Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 Clarity rarely arrives by itself. You create it through reflection and honest conversation;🙌🏾 Adaptation is not about losing yourself. It is about finding the version of you that meets life as it is;🙌🏾 The smallest interactions can carry the biggest impact when you bring presence into them;Belen’s empowering quote:🙌🏾 “You can be fine and happy wherever you are. You just have to accept what is and what isn’t”Belén’s journey invites a gentle question:Where in your life can you slow down long enough to really be present with another human being?Connect with Belén :Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/belenhein/ Learn more about our sponsor: https://reinforcer.ai/home/ helps leaders turn everyday feedback into measurable behavior change, right where work actually happens.

#53: Leading with heart in a world built on head!An open conversation with Jamila van de Voort, founder of ChangewithJamila, whose journey moves from early survival into a grounded vision for a more human way of working. After more than a decade in change and transformation roles she saw how strategy fails when people feel unseen. Her own life taught her what fear instability and hypervigilance do to a child and how resilience becomes a way of navigating the world. All of that shaped The Love Strategy: a framework built on empathy openness resilience and collaboration.Jamila grew up between cultures and homes, often carrying responsibilities far beyond her age. That sensitivity became both her burden and her gift: the ability to walk into a room and sense exactly what is happening beneath the surface. Later she walked the long path of infertility and IVF, found her own way through it, and became a mother of two daughters she now sees as her greatest joy. Her work is not theoretical. It is lived experience translated into a way of leading that honours emotion, truth and human connection.Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 The Love Strategy: a human-centred way of working built on empathy openness resilience and collaboration;👉🏾 Survival and sensitivity: how instability shaped her ability to read people and patterns;👉🏾 Infertility and resilience: reclaiming her path after years of IVF;👉🏾 Turning wounds into leadership: transforming hypervigilance into grounded presence;👉🏾 Heart-to-heart conversations: why safe connection is the real catalyst for change;Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 You can rise from survival into creation when you learn to listen to your body🙌🏾 Hardship shapes you, but your response is where your power begins🙌🏾 Empathy is not soft, it is courageous and transformativeJamila’s empowering quote:🙌🏾 “If our world had even one percent more empathy, we could create a whole new planet”Books mentioned;📚 Bob de Wit: Strategy an international perspective;📚 Frederic Laloux: Reinventing Organizations: human-centred ways of working;Where in your work or life are you still leading from the head and what might open if the heart was allowed in?Connect with Jamila:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamila-van-de-voort-77996a2/ Company website: https://www.changewithjamila.nl A word from our sponsor:Great strategies don’t fail because of process they fail when behavior doesn’t align. Neotopia helps teams turn awareness into lasting change through behavior that moves people forward: https://neotopia.nl      

#52 Returning to the true you!In this episode, I connected with Bea Salomma, whose path moves from corporate leadership into a life shaped by intuition creativity and the courage to rebuild identity from within. Bea began her career in advertising but stepped into an entirely new chapter when a layoff pushed her toward fashion and later toward guiding women to express their true selves through style. Her journey holds themes of identity rebirth motherhood playfulness and the slow return to who she always was beneath the labels.She grew up in Poland and built her first life there until she moved to the Netherlands at thirty six. In that new chapter she studied fashion began a fresh career and shaped the Icon Framework, a method that blends psychology color energy and deep listening. Her story is grounded and human and reminds us that you only need one step to begin again.Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 Identity without labels: how she moved from defining herself through roles to owning the simple answer I am;👉🏾 Motherhood and selfhood: navigating the identity shift that arrives with becoming a mother and finding a bridge back to herself;👉🏾 The ICON Framework: guiding women to dress their vision and claim their visibility;👉🏾 Empowering beliefs: why everything is possible became her internal North Star;👉🏾 Playfulness rediscovered: how style helped her reconnect with the parts she had hidden;Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 Returning to yourself asks for courage and also for softness;🙌🏾 Your style can be a bridge between who you were who you are now and who you are becoming;🙌🏾 Change begins the moment you trust the quiet yes inside your body more than the fear in your mind!Bea’s empowering quote:🙌🏾 “Everything is possible”Bea’s story invites one simple question:Where in your life are you still wearing the safe version of yourself and what might open if you allowed something more truthful to take its place?Connect with Bea:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bea-salomma-brand-stylist/ Company website: https://www.beasalomma.com  🎁 A gift for listeners: https://beataimagecoach.lpages.co/million-dollar-style-elements-evergreen/An exclusive masterclass on refining your personal brand style so your presence matches your next-level impact and positions you as the obvious choice for high-stakes opportunities:A word from our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl                   Great strategies don’t fail because of process they fail when behavior doesn’t align. Neotopia helps teams turn awareness into lasting change through behavior that moves people forward.And to all Men who want to be part of the next Women’s Health at Work session on December 3rd can find all details and registration here:👉🏾 https://luma.com/e7z1sxbv           

#51: When dedication meets vulnerability!In this episode, I connected with Sabine Bakkum CEO and founder of VitsAll®, whose journey moves between high performance, resilience and a very human search for balance. From growing up in a family of doctors to pursuing elite gymnastics from the age of four to becoming an entrepreneur at twenty three, her path carries both discipline and vulnerability.She trained more than twenty hours a week, broke bones, chased perfection and still believed she wasn’t good enough. Leaving gymnastics pushed her into a long stretch of identity searching. At the same time her own endometriosis was dismissed as stress for years. Through it all she built VitsAll with the same drive she had in sport, but now with a deeper understanding of what vitality really asks of us!Deep dive talking points:👉🏾Movement and meaning: how elite sport shaped her drive and her blind spots;👉🏾 Vitality at work: why habits, fun and maintenance matter more than quick fixes;👉🏾 Endometriosis: speaking up after years of not being heard;👉🏾 Identity beyond achievement: quitting gymnastics and rebuilding from zero;👉🏾 Building VitsAll: turning personal experience into purpose driven entrepreneurship;Nuggets of empowerment🙌🏾 Sometimes the bravest step is simply saying this is my limit and choosing a different path;🙌🏾 Strength without softness collapses, strength with softness becomes sustainable;🙌🏾 You can dream big and still take small steps every day. They are not opposites, they are the way forward!In Sabine’s empowering words:"Everyone has a story and it is okay to be not fine and to speak about it"Sabine’s story is a reminder that dedication can take you far, but honesty with yourself will take you deeper. Maybe the question to sit with after listening is this: 👉🏾 where in your own life is it time to stop pushing and start listening to what your body has been trying to tell you?Join Journeys of Empowerment and stay close to these weekly stories of resilience and purpose!Connect with Sabine:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabine-bakkum/ Company website: https://vitsall.com A word from our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl                  Great strategies don’t fail because of process they fail when behavior doesn’t align. Neotopia helps teams turn awareness into lasting change through behavior that moves people forward.And to all Men who want to be part of the next Women’s Health at Work session on December 3rd can find all details and registration here:👉🏾. https://luma.com/e7z1sxbv              

#51: What if joy was never meant to be postponed?In this episode, I sat down with Lara Ferreira 🍄, founder of Mindful Experiences, a platform that helps individuals and organizations rediscover balance, purpose and joy through mindfulness, embodiment and conscious microdosing. After more than a decade in global corporate roles across LATAM and Europe, burnout forced Lara to pause and realign her life. Her journey is one of unbecoming, letting go of the roles and beliefs that no longer served her.And learning to live from presence rather than performance!Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 Unbecoming and alignment: releasing the parts shaped by expectations and rediscovering her true self;👉🏾 From burnout to balance: how her body became the first messenger that change was needed;👉🏾 The role of microdosing: how psilocybin helped quiet mental noise and restore inner clarity;👉🏾 Feminine and masculine energy: learning to flow and receive after years of chasing and achieving;👉🏾 Joy as a practice: designing life and work around playfulness, purpose and mindful presence!Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 Sometimes unbecoming is the bravest path to becoming whole;🙌🏾 Healing begins when we stop performing and start listening to what life is asking from us;🙌🏾 Joy is not a reward for success, it is the compass that shows the way!Lara’s empowering quote:🙌🏾 “Be the star of your own life show and not a guest in others”Books mentioned:📚 Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl: exploring purpose, suffering and the inner will to live.📚 Inner Mastery, Outer Impact by Hitendra Wadhwa: a guide to leading from mindfulness and self-realization.👉🏾 Lara’s story reminds us that balance is not found by slowing down but by tuning in. It invites us to ask: what if fulfillment isn’t about doing more, but allowing ourselves to simply be.Connect with Lara:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ferreiralara/  Company website: https://mindfulexp.com A word from our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl                  Great strategies don’t fail because of process they fail when behavior doesn’t align. Neotopia helps teams turn awareness into lasting change through behavior that moves people forward.And to all Men who want to be part of the next Women’s Health at Work session on December 3rd can find all details and registration here:👉🏾 https://luma.com/e7z1sxbv      

#49: Can happiness be rebuilt after everything falls apart?In this episode, I connected with Nuthan Manohar, a happiness researcher, two-time TEDx speaker and founder of Me Met Me and The Happiness Tour.Once a corporate strategist leading global projects across Asia Pacific, Nuthan’s world came undone through depression, anxiety and chronic insomnia. What emerged is a life devoted to helping others reconnect with joy and resilience through science-backed, sensory-rich experiences.Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 The anatomy of happiness: why joy is not a mood but a practice rooted in awareness and physiology;👉🏾 Falling apart to awaken: how burnout and insomnia became Nuthan’s teachers;👉🏾 Embodied science: the bridge between neuroscience, Ayurveda and lived experience;👉🏾 Designing happiness: creating immersive experiences that transform well-being at work and in life;👉🏾 Courage to be gentle: redefining strength through compassion and self-trust;Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 True happiness is not found in intensity but in consistency;🙌🏾 Gentleness can be the most radical form of strength;🙌🏾 Healing begins the moment we stop performing wellness and start living it!Nuthan’s empowering quote:🙌🏾 “When your nervous system feels safe, happiness becomes your default state”Books mentioned:📚 The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor: exploring how positive psychology fuels performance and success;📚 The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk: a foundational work on trauma and the wisdom of the body;👉🏾 Nuthan’s story reminds us that happiness is not the absence of pain but the presence of safety. It asks each of us: what does your body need to finally feel at home!Connect with Nuthan:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nuthanmanohar/ Company website: https://www.thehappinesstour.nl A word from our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl                 Great strategies don’t fail because of process they fail when behavior doesn’t align. Neotopia helps teams turn awareness into lasting change through behavior that moves people forward.And to all Men who want to be part of the next Women’s Health at Work session on December 3rd can find all details and registration here:👉🏾 https://luma.com/e7z1sxbv        

#48: What if coming home means returning to where your story began?In this episode, I connected with Hartini Kandari, a Dutch-Indonesian therapist, author and musician whose journey moves between loss and belonging. Born in Indonesia and adopted to the Netherlands at four months old, she lost her cultural identity overnight only to spend decades finding her way back. Today, as she prepares to remigrate to Bali, her story bridges healing, heritage and faith.Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 Adoption and identity: how language, smell and ancestry shape belonging beyond nationality;👉🏾 The body remembers: early loss expressed through tension, skin and voice before words could catch up;👉🏾 The therapy of music: violin as her first language of connection and resilience;👉🏾 Writing through wounds: creating her book 𝗔𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 to help adoptees reflect, heal and feel seen;👉🏾 Faith and homecoming: rediscovering God, roots and rest after decades of inner restlessness!Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 Healing isn’t about fixing what’s broken it’s about remembering what’s whole;🙌🏾 Sometimes our restlessness is a compass pointing us back to where our story began;🙌🏾 Real connection starts when we stop performing and begin allowing ourselves to feel!Hartini’s empowering quote:🙌🏾 “With ACT therapy we don’t aim to heal what’s broken because we are not broken we learn psychological flexibility”Books mentioned:📚 Adoptie Impact: invites adoptees to pause, embrace both gratitude and grief, and gently reclaim their place by giving every feeling the space to exist!📚 The Primal Wound by Nancy Verrier: a foundational work on the separation trauma experienced by adoptees.👉🏾 Hartini’s path invites a question that lingers beyond adoption: What happens when we finally return physically emotionally spiritually to the place that once felt lost? Sometimes the journey home is less about geography and more about remembering who we’ve always been.Connect with Hartini:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hartini-kandari-75105844/  Company website: https://www.hartini.nl   A word from our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl                Great strategies don’t fail because of process they fail when behavior doesn’t align. Neotopia helps teams turn awareness into lasting change through behavior that moves people forward.And to all Men who want to be part of the next Women’s Health at Work session on December 3rd can find all details and registration here:👉🏾 https://luma.com/e7z1sxbv         

#47: What if loving yourself could become an act of service?In this episode, I've had an amazing convo with Samantha V.P. Noten, a Dutch-Surinamese artist whose Ikigai-inspired creations bridge art, self-love and soulful connection. Her journey has moved through loss, anger and awakening, from corporate life and caretaking roles to a deeper calling as a visual guide who helps others remember they are enough. Through her intricate pen-and-ink symbols, Sam translates emotion into reflection, creating art that reminds people to return to their essence.Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 The language of symbols: how each drawing becomes a mirror for self-awareness and healing;👉🏾 Art as a compass: tracing her path from corporate structures to intuitive creation;👉🏾 The ripple effect of self-love: how one person’s inner alignment can inspire change in others;👉🏾 Guidance and ancestry: being led by unseen wisdom from her roots and nature;👉🏾 People first leadership: why empathy and emotional intelligence redefine what management can be!Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 Self-love is not selfish. It is the foundation that allows you to love others freely;🙌🏾 What you create through alignment ripples far beyond your intention;🙌🏾 Every act of gentleness toward yourself is a quiet revolution against the noise;Sam’s empowering quote:🙌🏾 “You are enough. My art is a reminder to be kind to yourself and to love who you are"Books mentioned:📚 Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles: exploring the intersection of purpose, joy, and contribution.👉🏾 𝗦𝗮𝗺’𝘀 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴: it is the beginning of connection. When we dare to see our own light, we help others remember theirs!Connect with Sam:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samnoten/  Company website: https://samnoten.com/over-mij/   A word from our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl               Great strategies don’t fail because of process they fail when behavior doesn’t align. Neotopia helps teams turn awareness into lasting change through behavior that moves people forward.And to all Men who want to be part of the next Women’s Health at Work session on December 3rd can find all details and registration here:👉🏾 https://luma.com/e7z1sxbv  

#46 Isabel’s journey of becoming: what if leadership begins when women reclaim their own voice and redefine success on their terms?In this episode, I connected with Isabel Fonseca: leadership coach, founder of Nextfem Leaders School, and a someone who has turned loss and transition into a powerful mission of empowerment. Born in Uruguay and with a career that began in finance, Isabel’s journey has woven together corporate strength and spiritual depth. Her story is one of grief transformed into growth, of intuition reclaimed, and of helping women in corporate spaces lead with confidence, clarity and authenticity.Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 Becoming her: exploring the constant evolution of self, holding both presence and vision;👉🏾 Women in leadership: redefining what it means to lead as a woman, not as a man;👉🏾 Grief as alchemy: turning life’s hardest moments into a deeper love of life;👉🏾 Friendship as chosen family: redefining who shows up in both highs and lows;👉🏾 Courage and compassion: navigating the liminal stage between who we are and who we are becoming.Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 Embracing discomfort is often the doorway to growth, not something to avoid;🙌🏾 True empowerment begins when we learn to have our own back and become our own best fan;🙌🏾 Putting ourselves first is not selfish but an act of service to the world we want to shape;Isabel’s empowering quote:“Cultivate the courage and the compassion to go through that in-between that we are now”Books mentioned:📚 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho: a reminder to pursue dreams and transform challenges into gold;📚 Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza: sometimes the right book arrives when we are ready;📚 Warrior Goddess Training by HeatherAsh Amara: integrating masculine and feminine energies;📚 Playing Big by Tara Mohr: for women who want to speak up, stand out and lead;Isabel’s story invites us to look at the liminal spaces in our own lives—the in-betweens where change brews quietly and discomfort holds possibility. What might shift if you fell a little more in love with that in-between?Connect with Isabel:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabel-fonseca-coaching/ Company website: https://www.isabelfonseca.com   A word from our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl          Great strategies don’t fail because of process, they fail when behavior doesn’t follow. Neotopia helps teams turn change into lasting action, through positive reinforcement that actually sticks.   

#45 Veroniek’s quest for presence: what if real success begins when you stop ticking boxes and start listening within?In this episode, I connected with Veroniek Vermeulen, founder of Silatha, who turned her own search for meaning into a mission to bring more psychological safety into workplaces. Moving from a career in engineering and corporate leadership to meditation retreats and entrepreneurship, Veroniek is reshaping conversations around taboo topics and creating cultures where people can show up as their full selves.Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 Breaking taboos: why topics like menopause, monthly cycles, and men’s emotions belong in the workplace;👉🏾 Psychological safety: the invisible Wi-Fi every organization depends on;👉🏾 From ticking boxes to presence: leaving the picture-perfect life behind;👉🏾 Meditation and monasteries: lessons from sitting with pain and living in the now;👉🏾 Leading with respect: why dignity and connection must guide change.Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 Real change begins when you dare to sit with discomfort instead of avoiding it.🙌🏾 Psychological safety is not a one-off workshop, it is a cultural foundation that requires ongoing care.🙌🏾 Presence is not found in achieving more but in learning to let go and simply be.Veroniek’s empowering quote:“I would love we really treat every human with dignity and respect”Books mentioned:📚 Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl: a timeless reflection on freedom and response to life.📚 Go Figure by Lisa Falco: a powerful exploration of women’s bodies through science and storytelling.📚 The Female Body Bible: understanding and living in tune with the female body.📚 The Authority Gap: uncovering gender bias and pathways toward equity.📚 Humankind by Rutger Bregman: a hopeful case for the goodness of people.What if the freedom you seek isn’t in proving yourself but in allowing yourself to simply be human?Connect with Veroniek:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veroniek/ Company website: https://silatha.com   A word from our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl          Great strategies don’t fail because of process, they fail when behavior doesn’t follow. Neotopia helps teams turn change into lasting action, through positive reinforcement that actually sticks.   

#44 Alexandra’s leap into entrepreneurship: what if trust was the missing bridge between promise and product?In this episode, I connected with Alexandra van Viegen, founder of Onboardly, a company reimagining how SaaS businesses keep momentum after the sale. With a background in mathematics and machine learning and as a mother of three, Alexandra made the leap from corporate stability into the unpredictable world of startups. Her journey is rooted in resilience and fueled by an intrinsic drive to build not only a business but a model of trust, relationships and self-care that her children can look up to!Deep dive talking points:👉🏾 Onboarding as the bridge: why customer success begins the moment a deal is signed;👉🏾 Breaking the chain: fixing the trust gap between sales handover and customer success;👉🏾 Habits and relationships: embedding human connection into scalable SaaS growth;👉🏾 Taking the leap: moving from corporate stability to the unknown of entrepreneurship;👉🏾 Extreme self-care: showing her children that choosing yourself can make you a better parent.Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 Growth starts with trust not with automation;🙌🏾 A successful day is defined by taking action that opens the next door;🙌🏾 Extreme self-care is a foundation for serving others fully.Alexandra’s empowering quote:🙌🏾 “I think I would be most proud 20 years from now that my children say their mother chose for herself”Book mentioned:📚 The Lean Startup by Eric Ries: the spark that turned reflection into action.Connect with Alexandra:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vvalex/ Company website: https://onboardly.tech A word from our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl    Great strategies don’t fail because of process, they fail when behavior doesn’t follow. Neotopia helps teams turn change into lasting action, through positive reinforcement that actually sticks.   What if the real key to sustainable growth isn’t in more technology but in honoring the promises we make to one another?

✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ - Episode 43What if showing up exactly as you are is the most powerful thing you can offer?In this episode, I had the honor of sitting down with Salmaan Sana, facilitator, trainer and infinite student of connection and purpose. His story is a gentle yet profound invitation to shift from performance to presence, from doing to being.In our conversation, we explored the small but powerful moments that shape our lives and work, from picking up your child while moderating a big event, to letting go of ego just before stepping on stage.What we explored:👉🏾 Authenticity in action: redefining professionalism through human presence;👉🏾 Parenting with purpose: letting our kids shape who we become;👉🏾 Community and connection: building spaces for non-transactional relationships;👉🏾 Worthiness and ego: trusting that you are enough, exactly as you are;👉🏾 Spiritual growth: finding meaning through books, belief and self-compassion;Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 "Presence is more powerful than performance. True impact comes from being real, not perfect"🙌🏾 "You don’t need to earn your worthiness. It’s already within you"🙌🏾 #Slow is not weak, It’s where the real listening, living and growing happens;Books mentioned:📚 The Alchemist | Paulo Coelho📚 Conversations with God | Neale Donald Walsch📚 The Untethered Soul | Michael A. Singer📚 The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People | Stephen Covey📚 The Power of Now | Eckhart Tolle📚 A New Earth | Eckhart Tolle📚 Humankind | Rutger BregmanConnect with Salmaan:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/salmaansana/ Company website: https://salmaansana.com A word from our sponsor:Great strategies fail without the right behavior.See how positive reinforcement turns change into measurable results.Learn more: https://neotopia.nl  What might happen if you showed up this week with more presence than pressure?

#42 Vassia’s work to normalize loneliness: what if loneliness wasn’t a sign that something is wrong, but a signal that something deeper is ready to be seen?In this episode, I connected with Vassia Sarantopoulou, founder of Anti Loneliness, a practice that’s grown from a solo effort to a thriving team of 12 psychologists supporting internationals around the world. Through her own journey as a therapist and expat, Vassia is reframing the narrative around loneliness, burnout and the high cost of perfectionism.What we explored:👉🏾 Loneliness as signal: breaking stigma and naming what so many silently feel;👉🏾 Perfectionism & performance: the inner toll of conditional self-worth;👉🏾 Therapy for therapists: why healing the healer is part of the work;👉🏾 Building Anti Loneliness: scaling a mission from pain to purpose;👉🏾 The human side of helping: boundaries, supervision and running a heart-led business!Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 “You can be high-functioning and still feel like you’re failing especially when perfection is your standard”🙌🏾 “Healing isn’t fixing it’s remembering who you were before you thought you had to earn love”🙌🏾 “Loneliness doesn’t make you broken. It makes you human!”Book mentioned:📚 “Locked in work mode” (upcoming), Vassia’s forthcoming book on perfectionism, self-worth and reclaiming authenticity!Connect with Vassia:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vassia-sarantopoulou/ Company website: https://www.antiloneliness.com A word from our sponsor:Great strategies fail without the right behavior.See how positive reinforcement turns change into measurable results.Learn more: https://neotopia.nl   What if your need to be perfect is actually a call to be more fully yourself?

#41 Elisa’s Journey to integration: some people walk through fire. Others learn how to turn the ashes into meaning.In this episode which marks the 🥳1 year anniversary🥳 of ✨Journeys of Empowerment✨, I sat down with:Elisa Viaud, organizational psychologist, therapist and someone who knows what it means to carry complexity and create from it. From growing up as a cultural outlier to navigating burnout at Tesla and personal healing from early trauma, Elisa's story is a rich tapestry of dualities: pain and hope, intellect and emotion, light and dark. Her work is about weaving them together.What we explored:👉🏾 Pain as catalyst: transforming personal wounds into creative power;👉🏾 Belonging vs. fitting in: why embracing your outlier identity matters;👉🏾 Cognitive diversity: how multiple perspectives fuel real innovation;👉🏾 Integrity in complexity: standing in truth without polarizing others;👉🏾 Spiritual grounding in a corporate world: what she carried from Uber and Tesla into her own practice;Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 “Awareness is half the work once you see clearly, you begin to heal”🙌🏾 “Pain doesn’t disappear when ignored, it transforms when acknowledged”🙌🏾 “You don’t have to become someone else to be accepted. You have to become more of yourself”Books mentioned:📚 The Body Keeps the Score | Bessel van der Kolk📚 It Didn’t Start with You | Mark Wolynn📚 The Courage to Be Disliked | Ichiro Kishimi & Fumitake Koga📚 Happy Oysters | Rubem AlvesConnect with Elisa:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisaviaud-orgpsychologist/ Company website: https://elisaviaud.com A word from our sponsor:Great strategies fail without the right behavior.See how positive reinforcement turns change into measurable results.Learn more: https://neotopia.nl  Which part of yourself are you still trying to hide or fix, when it might be the very thing that holds your pearl?

✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ - Episode 40Simone’s rebellious rise in tech: some careers follow a roadmap. Others are built by those who dare to redraw the map entirely.In this episode, I had the chance to speak with Simone Mink, Product Operations Lead at Mendix and a self-described “rebel with a cause” Her path from leisure management to tech leadership is anything but linear and that’s exactly what makes it powerful. Her story invites us to embrace discomfort, show up fully and redefine success from the inside out.What we explored:👉🏾 From leisure to low-code: how a creative thesis at the zoo opened a door to tech;👉🏾 Reframing burnout: what it taught her about boundaries, energy and self-worth;👉🏾 Vulnerability as strength: the power of showing emotion, even on a keynote stage;👉🏾 Neurodivergence & advocacy: creating space for difference in tech and leadership;👉🏾 Redefining success: letting go of external validation and embracing her own pace!Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 “You don’t need permission to take up space. You already belong”🙌🏾 “Self-worth grows when you stop outsourcing it”🙌🏾 “Discomfort isn’t a warning sign, it’s often the path to growth!”Connect with Simone:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonemink-lowcode-digitaltransformation/ A word from our sponsor: Great strategies fail without the right behavior.See how positive reinforcement turns change into measurable results.Learn more: https://neotopia.nl   Where in your life are you still seeking approval you no longer need?

✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ - Episode 39Angligène’s path to inner freedom & self-leadershipWhat if the truest version of leadership doesn’t come with a title but with the courage to be fully yourself?I had the pleasure of speaking with Angligène Servania-Woods, founder of The Bridge and co-founder of The Lead In. Her journey of resilience, empowerment and transformation is a true testament to defying expectations and creating meaningful change. In our conversation, we explored key challenges, turning points and the moments that reshaped her path to success.What we explored:👉🏾 Letting go of titles: moving beyond the limits of identity defined by profession;👉🏾 Mental emancipation: breaking free from systemic and societal expectations;👉🏾 The power of presence: learning to hold space and connect without fixing;👉🏾 Self-leadership: creating frameworks for deep, personal transformation;👉🏾 Community & co-creation: building spaces that nurture authenticity and mutual growth;Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 “Holding space for others begins by being truly present with yourself”🙌🏾 “You’re not your profession, you’re the person beneath the title”🙌🏾 “Sometimes freedom starts by giving yourself permission to change your story!”Connect with Angligène:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angligène-servania-woods-b1383b31/ Company website: http://thebridge.amsterdam A word from our sponsor:Great strategies fail without the right behavior.See how positive reinforcement turns change into measurable results.Learn more: https://neotopia.nl  If no one were watching, who would you allow yourself to become?

✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ - Episode 38From pulpit to platform, Daan’s call to speak..again..What if the story you’ve been living quietly is the one that could set others free?I had a fascinating conversation with my friend Daan Schmidt, founder of StoryBrand Nederland and Buzzlytics. His journey from pastor to purpose-driven entrepreneur shows how transformation doesn’t erase your past...it gives it new meaning!In our convo, we explored the defining moments, inner pivots and unshakable values that continue to shape how Daan leads, lives and now prepares to speak from the stage again!What We Explored:👉🏾 From pastor to entrepreneur: rewriting identity without losing soul;👉🏾 Transparency in business: building trust through “They Ask You Answer”;👉🏾 Living with purpose: how near-death clarity fuels present-day action;👉🏾 Generosity and excellence: leading with heart in business and life;👉🏾 Speaking again: why he’s returning to the stage with a deeper story!Nuggets of Empowerment:🙌🏾 Excellence isn’t perfection: "it’s presence and intention”🙌🏾 Trust starts by answering the questions people are afraid to ask;🙌🏾 Your calling is often hidden in what nearly broke you!Connect with Daan:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dtschmidt/ Website Story Brand Nederland: https://storybrand.nl Website Buzzlytics: sthttps://buzzlytics.nl Struggling to improve organizational behavior?Discover how Positive Reinforcement can help you inspire and motivate with real impact!Check out our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl        What story have you been holding back, while the world might be waiting to hear it?

✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ - Episode 37Behind the Mask, Marie’s movement to humanise the workplace..What if taking off your mask at work was the most radical leadership act of all?I had the pleasure of speaking with Marie Chaproniere, founder of the Behind The Mask Community, an invaluable movement reimagining what it means to be authentic in professional spaces. Her path shows how personal adversity can be transformed into a platform for collective healing and workplace change!In our deep dive aka learning XP on steroids (at least for me), we explored key challenges, turning points and the moments that redefined what success truly means!What We Explored:👉🏾 Authenticity at work: unmasking as a practice of courage and connection;👉🏾 Burnout & boundaries: how misalignment led Marie to rediscover her voice;👉🏾 Neurodiversity & ADHD: embracing different ways of being and processing;👉🏾 Cultural identity: weaving her Spanish roots into personal empowerment;👉🏾 Community & safe spaces: why transformation starts with shared vulnerability!Nuggets of Empowerment:🙌🏾 Unmasking is not weakness, but courage: "true leadership is rooted in truth";🙌🏾 Resilience means knowing when to pause: "strength is also found in stillness";🙌🏾 We don’t heal in isolation: "change happens through collective reflection!"Connect with Marie:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariechaproniere/overlay/contact-info/ Website Behind The Mask: https://behindthemask.info Struggling to create lasting behavior change?Discover how Positive Reinforcement can help you inspire and motivate with real impact!Check out our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl       What part of yourself have you been taught to hide—when it might just be your greatest source of connection?

✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ - Episode 36From conflict to code, Khaled’s mission to rebuild through tech..What if your refugee story became the blueprint for empowering an entire generation?An open conversation with someone I deeply admire: Khaled Shaaban, Syrian refugee, social entrepreneur and founder of Subul Impact Outsourcing. His journey of resilience, empowerment and transformation is a true testament to defying expectations and creating meaningful systemic change. In our deep dive, we explored key challenges, turning points and the moments that reshaped his path to success!What We Explored:👉🏾 Subul’s mission: creating remote tech job pathways for youth and women in Syria and the Middle East;👉🏾 Economic empowerment: measuring impact by how income changes communities;👉🏾 Identity as power: turning refugee status into a badge of leadership and resilience;👉🏾 Trauma & drive: channeling the pain of war into a force for rebuilding;👉🏾 Funding for impact: raising €1M to match 10,000 talents with European tech roles!Nuggets of Empowerment:🙌🏾 This is a duty, not a choice: "when mission becomes bigger than self";🙌🏾 Success is never self-made: "it takes a community to rise";🙌🏾 We can solve one problem by solving another: "tech as a tool for systemic change!Connect with Khaled:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/k-shaaban/   Amazing video on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/k-shaaban_europe-syria-right-activity-7338471309531643904-GQwl  Website Subul: https://subul.org Struggling to improve organizational behavior?Discover how Positive Reinforcement can help you inspire and motivate with real impact!Check out our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl        If purpose could rise from rubble, what could you build with the pieces of your own story?

✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ - Episode 35Lighting the Way, Kimberly’s Path from Grief to GrowthWhat if the most painful loss of your life became the spark that illuminated your purpose?Feeling privileged to have had a deep dive with Kimberly Fuqua, Microsoft's EMEA Director CX, transformation lead, DEI advocate and founder of Luminous Leaders. Her journey of resilience, empowerment and transformation is a true testament to defying expectations and creating meaningful change. In our convo we explored the grief that shaped her, the mission that drives her, and the leadership philosophy rooted in empathy, courage and action!What We Explored:👉🏾 Restoring trust through empathy: rebuilding customer relationships with active listening and integrity;👉🏾 From Microsoft to mission-driven: a career evolution from recruitment to transformation and now coaching;👉🏾 Inclusion as daily practice: championing diversity, equity and neurodiversity across continents;👉🏾 Healing through purpose: transforming the loss of her son into light and legacy;👉🏾 Empowering the next generation: mentoring Gen Z to lead with authenticity and impact;Nuggets of Empowerment:🙌🏾 Empowerment starts within: "you don't give power to people; you help them unlock what they already carry";🙌🏾 Grief is not the end: "loss can shape your leadership, your priorities and your purpose";🙌🏾 Leadership is human: "vulnerability, presence and listening are more powerful than any title"!Connect with Kimberly:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-fuqua-842381152/    Website Kimberly: https://kimberlyfuqua.com    Struggling to improve organizational behavior?Discover how Positive Reinforcement can help you inspire and motivate with real impact!Check out our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl    What would change if we treated leadership not as a destination, but as a practice of lighting the path...for ourselves and for others?

✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ - Episode 34Leading with kindness: Neil’s mission to humanize work and lifeWhat if the most disruptive leadership tool of the future… is kindness?I had the pleasure speaking with Neil Schambra Stevens, founder of Mercury Jam Coaching and former CMO for brands like Vans and Polaroid. His journey of resilience, empowerment and transformation is a true testament to defying expectations and creating meaningful change. In our conversation, we explored key challenges, turning points and the moments that reshaped his path to success!What we explored:👉🏾 Kindness as a leadership practice: moving from performance-driven to people-driven cultures;👉🏾 Burnout & self-care: how personal loss and exhaustion led to a new philosophy of balance;👉🏾 Corporate to coaching: why leaving global brands was the start of something more human;👉🏾 The science of kindness: its link to innovation, retention, and psychological safety;👉🏾 Technology with heart: building an AI-powered kindness & self-coaching app;Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 “Kindness isn’t fluffy, it’s a strategic act of leadership”🙌🏾 “You can’t pour from an empty cup...self-care is the foundation of service”🙌🏾 “What we do with our 90,000 working hours matters. Let’s use them meaningfully”Connect with Neil:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-schambra-stevens-mercuryjam/ Website Mercury Jam: https://www.mercuryjam.com  Struggling to create lasting behavior change?Discover how Positive Reinforcement can help you inspire and motivate with real impact!Check out our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl   What’s one small, intentional act of kindness you can offer today, to someone else or to yourself?

✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ - Episode 33From drivenness to depth: Alisher’s mission to rethink hiring with purposeCould a billion-euro business problem be solved by asking better questions of ourselves first?I had the pleasure of speaking with Alisher Jafarov, founder and CEO of Avery, a B2B SaaS company revolutionizing how companies hire. His journey of resilience, empowerment and transformation is a true testament to defying expectations and creating meaningful change. In our conversation, we explored key challenges, turning points and the moments that reshaped his path to success.What we explored:👉🏾 The talent crisis in europe: how misaligned hiring is costing companies more than they think;👉🏾 AI for good: using technology to match people, purpose and performance;👉🏾 From corporate to startup life: why leaving a successful career can be a leap toward deeper impact;👉🏾 Drivenness vs. presence: the tension between ambition and being fully in the moment;👉🏾 A vision beyond business: building an island for great minds to change the world!Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 “Purpose isn’t a luxury...it’s a compass when everything feels uncertain”🙌🏾 “Being driven is powerful, but not if you forget to stop and breathe”🙌🏾 “The future of hiring isn’t just faster, it’s more human!!”Connect with Alisher:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisherjafarov/ Website Avery: https://www.getavery.ai Struggling to create lasting behavior change?Discover how Positive Reinforcement can help you inspire and motivate with real impact!Check out our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl  When’s the last time you paused not to plan the next move, but to truly acknowledge how far you’ve already come?

✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ - Episode 32Procurement with Purpose: Peter’s Path to Inclusion & AuthenticityWhat if your professional role became a gateway to create systemic change in business and in society?I had the honour of speaking with Peter Zerp, Inclusive procurement strategy expert at Accenture, ESDP board chair and NGO board member. His journey of resilience, empowerment and transformation is a true testament to defying expectations and creating meaningful change. In our conversation, we explored key challenges, turning points and the moments that reshaped his path to success.What we explored:👉🏾 Inclusive procurement: making supplier diversity a strategic priority in global business;👉🏾 Authenticity at work: the courage to bring your whole self into professional spaces;👉🏾 Overcoming bias: the daily effort it takes to unlearn assumptions and open doors;👉🏾 Redefining success: moving from status and titles to meaning and fulfillment;👉🏾 Personal reflection & growth: why looking inward might be the most radical act of all!Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 “Diversity isn’t a ‘nice-to-have’...it’s a necessity for real progress”🙌🏾 “Authenticity means being honest with yourself first and then with the world”🙌🏾 “Everyone has something special. We just need to create space for it to be seen”Connect with Peter:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterzerp/ Learn more about ESDP | Empowering ethnic minority businesses: Website: https://esdp-org.eu Struggling to create lasting behavior change?Discover how Positive Reinforcement can help you inspire and motivate with real impact!Check out our sponsor:  https://neotopia.nl When was the last time you looked inward, not for flaws but for the quiet brilliance that makes you...you?

✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ – Episode 31Visibility, vulnerability & angel investing: Tessa’s Journey of Empowering Women! How do you go from structured boardrooms to backing bold founders all while staying true to your own story?I had the pleasure of speaking with Tessa de Flines, co-founder of Nearwater Consultancy, angel investor and former board member of Female Ventures. Her journey is a masterclass in combining business strategy with emotional depth, showing how personal and professional transformation go hand in hand.In our conversation, Tessa shared how years in the corporate world led to a conscious pivot toward purpose-driven entrepreneurship, angel investing and supporting the next generation of female leaders.What we explored:👉🏾 From corporate to consultancy: realigning career and purpose after nearly two decades in banking;👉🏾 Empowering female founders: visibility, access and long-term advocacy;👉🏾 Sharing grief publicly: how losing her cat Nava opened space for connection and compassion in her network;👉🏾 The power of fractional roles: offering structure without the full-time burden;👉🏾 Angel investing with heart: treating ideas and people with the respect they deserve;Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 “Visibility isn’t vanity, it’s a vital leadership skill”🙌🏾 “Great ideas are sacred. Angels are here to help them grow”🙌🏾 “Let your story speak especially in the spaces where you feel most professional”Connect with Tessa:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessadeflines/ Website AtVenture Platform: https://www.atventureplatform.com Struggling to create lasting behavior change?Discover how Positive Reinforcement can help you inspire and motivate with real impact!Check out our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl What part of your story are you still keeping hidden and what might happen if you let it be seen?

✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ – Episode 30From pain to purpose! Trishanka’s journey of healing, identity & unconditional Love.Some stories don’t just inspire, they shift your entire perspective.I had the pleasure of speaking with Trishanka Smaal, a powerful voice of resilience, transformation and self-acceptance. Her journey rising from the depths of abuse, violence and rejection to healing, wholeness and empowerment is nothing short of extraordinary!In our conversation, we explored raw moments, bold choices and the sacred process of becoming who you truly are.What we explored:👉🏾 Identity & authenticity: embracing gender identity and living beyond societal expectations;👉🏾 Healing & inner Work: the multi-layered process of facing trauma and building self-love;👉🏾 Family & ancestry: breaking toxic cycles through Family Constellation and spiritual tools👉🏾 Love & compassion: the power of unconditional love, especially when directed inward;👉🏾 Spiritual growth: navigating twin flames, shamanism and the deeper energies of life!Nuggets of empowerment:🙌🏾 “Healing begins when we dare to accept all parts of ourselves even the ones we fear the most"🙌🏾 “Every layer of pain uncovered is a layer of power waiting to be reclaimed”🙌🏾 “We are all essential to the world especially when we feel lost, broken, or unseen"Connect with Trishanka:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheyenne-smaal/ Struggling to create lasting behavior change?Discover how Positive Reinforcement can help you inspire and motivate with real impact!Check out our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl     Have you ever had a “Trishanka moment"...a turning point where someone else’s truth helped awaken your own?

✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ – Episode 29When healing meets code...building an AI therapist called Amber-mind!What if the therapist you needed as a teenager...was the one you built as an adult?So much enjoyed speaking with Kuhu Singh, founder of Amber-mind, an AI-powered mental health companion designed to offer 24/7 support. Her journey of resilience, empowerment and transformation is a true testament to defying expectations and creating meaningful change. In our conversation, we explored how personal pain became purpose and how technology is now helping to democratize access to mental health care!𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱:👉🏾 The birth of Amber: from teenage diary entries to 500+ users in a growing mental health startup;👉🏾 Affordability & access: why therapy must be accessible especially in cultures where it’s still taboo;👉🏾 Personal struggles as fuel: Kuhu’s raw journey through depression, burnout and healing;👉🏾 Cultural sensitivity in AI: how Amber is designed to “get you,” no matter your background;👉🏾 Entrepreneurship & evolution: the pivot from Expresso to Amber and the power of starting over!𝗡𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:🙌🏾 Start where it hurts: the most powerful ventures often begin with personal wounds;🙌🏾 You don’t need to be perfect to build something meaningful: you just need to be real;🙌🏾 Technology can hold space: when designed with empathy, even AI can support healing!Connect with Kuhu:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kuhu-singh-li/ Website Amber-mind: https://www.ambermind.ai   Struggling to create lasting behavior change?Discover how Positive Reinforcement can help you inspire and motivate with real impact!Check out our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl    

✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ – Episode 28Bicultural by design...not by defaultWhat if your deepest strength is the part of you that never fully fit in?I had the honour speaking with Kemo Camara, founder of Omek, a global community built to empower biculturals of African descent. His journey of resilience, empowerment and transformation is a true testament to defying expectations and creating meaningful change. In our conversation (for me education on steroids), we explored how bicultural identity, when embraced consciously, becomes a superpower for navigating our complex world.𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱:👉🏾 From Guinea to global citizen: Kemo’s personal migration journey shaped by resilience, community and purpose;👉🏾 The origins of Omek: how a spark of belonging grew into a 75-country movement;👉🏾 Conscious biculturalism: turning inner conflict into cultural integration and leadership;👉🏾 Diaspora as a catalyst: why global communities hold the key to local transformation;👉🏾 Legacy and values: how Kemo is teaching his children to stand tall in their cultural heritage;𝗡𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:🙌🏾 Your identity is a toolkit: use it to connect, lead and build bridges across cultures;🙌🏾 Community is not a nice-to-have...it’s a must: belonging fuels transformation!🙌🏾 Vision demands stewardship: real change happens when we think beyond ourselves and our time;Connect with Kemo:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kemo-camara-diaspora-expert/Website Omek: https://myomek.com   Struggling to create lasting behavior change?Discover how Positive Reinforcement can help you inspire and motivate with real impact!  Check out our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl 

✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ – Episode 27Becoming Emily the courage to be who you areWhat if the bravest thing you could ever do…is simply be yourself?I had the pleasure of speaking with Emily van Putten founder of SheUnfolds, speaker, activist and tech professional whose deeply personal journey of gender transition, emotional resilience and purpose-driven advocacy is nothing short of transformative!! Her story is one of confronting pain, embracing truth and becoming whole in her own words, by following her ❤️.𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱:👉🏾 Growing up in disguise: navigating childhood in a gender that didn’t align with her inner truth;👉🏾 Drag as a doorway: how expression sparked self-awareness and the courage to transition;👉🏾 The power of support: why loving partners, friends and colleagues can make or break a transition journey;👉🏾 Mental health & identity: from suicidal ideation to healing and the ongoing emotional challenges;👉🏾 Creating change: emily’s bold plans for a children’s book on consent and a women-in-tech retreat;𝗡𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:🙌🏾 You don’t need permission to be you: the world might resist, but your truth is yours to claim;🙌🏾 Vulnerability is power: Emily’s raw honesty shows that emotional openness fosters real connection;🙌🏾 Small gestures matter: a colleague’s quiet support can echo louder than public applause;Connect with Emily:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyvanputten/ Website: https://emilyvanputten.com Struggling to create lasting behavior change?Discover how Positive Reinforcement can help you inspire and motivate with real impact!Check out our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl