Some years ago, I turned to career coaching myself, initially not to change jobs – I enjoyed working as a coordinator of a crisis team in drug treatment services –, but to know whether I was actually in the right place and what again were my challenges and capabilities. It helped me so much! I discovered that I wanted to give trainings and courses myself, to deploy my own coaching skills more. It still took some years before I dared to take the leap to start my own practice on a self-employed basis.
Among other things, I followed the ‘Inspirational Coaching’ course and loved its goal-oriented and future-oriented aspects. Those were also a part of my own coaching: it was all very clear, and I could clearly imagine how I would feel if I were to start my own practice. That’s what finally convinced me.
When I am coaching, I don’t follow a fixed pattern, but rather work with the client’s own story: together, we explore wishes, goals, and dreams, and try to turn them into reality. I often hear that I’m a great listener and really work with what the client brings to the table. I’ve worked for 21 years in the field of addiction treatment and am currently head nurse of a psychiatric unit as my main job. That knowledge and experience also comes in handy, and I use it intentionally. I notice that the coaching conversations are incredibly rewarding to me, and I want to continue to use and expand my passion for Inspirational Coaching.
No-frills conversations
In my career, everything went smoothly for quite some time. A nice trajectory with interesting offers, successful job …
A support and push at the same time
After 5 years of working, I reached out to a coach through VDAB. I was stuck. I felt reluctant to go to work …
Exploring a range of possibilities
In my own career, I often turned to coaching myself. The common thread running through these conversations …
Supporter of people
Some years ago, I turned to career guidance with Captain & Stoker, because I was curious about what I still wanted to achieve professionally. I had a fun job …
Peeling back the layers with care
During the first few years of my career, I found myself navigating rather blindly. I did my best, very much so, but I lacked feedback or a mirror. I kept going and worked in teams …
Our professional facilitator
Birte Kooken is our final team member. As a professional facilitator and coach, she helps us brainstorm about the direction in which we cycle, our approach, and …
Daring to leap, with enthusiasm!
Coaching is my second career. Prior to that, I was a physicist and worked in marketing for a publicly traded American company. I enjoyed my job immensely…
Pausing Together to Move Forward
I am a trained psychologist, and my career began as a trainer and facilitator in areas such as assertiveness, competency development, communication skills, leadership, …
Empathetic, powerful, and with a touch of humor
With a background in social work and a long-term tenure at VDAB – where my passion laid in guiding job seekers – I eventually found myself in the world of coaching …
Learning to Balance in Life
The coaching bug got to me when I completed the Inspiring Coaching course and discovered the value of coaching firsthand as a coachee. Truly remarkable things …
