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 where pushing yourself to the limit was encouraged. My eyes opened for the first time when an external coach held up a mirror to me with respect to how I behaved and how I positioned myself in the team. That was quite confronting. Because this was a one-time coaching session, I didn’t have enough building blocks at that time to get to work with this. Several years later, when I felt I was really stuck, a coach asked me the right questions in a very warm way, that allowed me to open up. Suddenly, it felt as if a spotlight was switched on, and I saw patterns that I didn’t see before.

To me, coaching can be and is allowed to be an eye–opener, offering people tools to navigate on their own and to get to know themselves better. And all in a warm and safe environment. I pay particular attention to those taking on informal care. Finding a balance in keeping several balls in the air is not easy. In my professional career, I gradually noticed that while expertise is important, human connection is at the heart of everything.

I often get the feedback that I have a warm, compassionate coaching style and that I sense well what level of commitment is needed. I am someone who likes to peel back the layers, with great respect for the coachee’s individuality and question, as well as for the timing. And above all, we do it together: exploratively, in-depth, and with a broad worldview. Zooming in and out occasionally leads to interesting insights. In short: to me, coaching is a pleasant journey of discovery, and I am often surprised by where the process leads us.