One of the things I do is coaching.

I work with people at thresholds — when something’s ending, something’s beginning, and it’s not clear what comes next.

Sometimes that feels messy. Sometimes chaotic. Sometimes just stuck.

We meet there.

You talk, I listen. I talk, you listen.

Something starts to loosen. Maybe even a tiny crack. And that’s often where movement begins.

If you’re curious and this feels like it might be for you, send me a message.

On a recent Sunday afternoon a friend and I visited Bici Lab Andorra, a quirky bicycle museum located in the centre of Andorra la Vella. Despite its central location, it’s a hidden gem: for most of our hour long visit we had the museum for ourselves (the only other visitors were a family of four with young children).

The only thing I had checked before going were the opening times and entrance fee (€5 for the permanent exhibition, the temporary exhibition can be visited for free). Other then that, I had no idea what to expect.

Real feedback from real people

Loes is my own personal coach at this time, and what can I say, she’s at the top of my list. She’s someone I admire and love deeply and who has helped me in some of my darkest and most confusing times. She has consistently shown up for me in a way that I haven’t had the experience anyone ever showing up for me. I deem myself highly privileged to have the chance to sit down with her regularly and discuss life and its ups and downs.

(sounds like the Spanish word ‘luz’)

I work as a coaching psychologist with a focus on eco-psychology (the impact of spending time in nature on our wellbeing). Nature matters, more than you might think.

Originally from the Netherlands, I now live in the beautiful mountains of Andorra. I spend a lot of my time looking through binoculars.

Earlier this month I finished a Linking Your Thinking workshop led by Nick Milo. It wasn’t my first LYT workshop, but it was my first time signing up to present a showcase about a part of my personal knowledge management (PKM) system to the rest of this cohort.

In this 9 minute video, I give you a peek into my Obsidian notes about the backyard birds I see from my window and how they helped me rediscover the joy of note-making.

He was feeling stuck.

Truly stuck.

And so was I.

None of my questions seemed to help, he kept going round in circles, not able to see any other possibilities.

I looked around the meadow I was sitting in, waiting for inspiration to hit, when my eye fell on my backpack. I had taken up learning the tarot shortly before and had started bringing one of my decks with me to flip through if I had some spare time.

She was telling me what was on her heart and mind that day, and what she was struggling with. I listened. She sounded tired.

When she finished talking, apart from a ‘hm’ of acknowledgment, I stayed silent. I didn’t know what to say or ask, so I said nothing.

After a brief pause, she started talking again. I listened as she tried to give herself a pep talk. She wasn’t buying it though. She knew it and I knew it, and she didn’t need me to say it. She went silent. I didn’t know what to say or ask, so I said nothing.

“The truth is, I’m just not sure if I even want to be a designer anymore,” my client sighed, his body sagging. I could see he really believed it, too.

“Can I be blunt with you?” I asked.

“Yes, please. Always!”

“You are a designer, it’s who you are, but you’re currently using your creativity for being a struggling designer instead of a thriving, successful one. Your creativity is your biggest strength, but the way you’re using it to create your own obstacles and roadblocks, it’s become your biggest weakness.”

I am that I am.

Sometimes when I’m feeling a little untethered, this is the declaration that helps me feel anchored again.

I am that I am.

That’s it.

I am that I am.

No need to be anything other than that.

I am that I am.

My mind starts questioning what it means, trying to decipher it, trying to logic my way through it.

I am that I am.

People sometimes ask me why I’m a champion for outdoor coaching sessions whenever the weather allows. They wonder if being surrounded by nature might be distracting or worry that it might feel too relaxed, not like a ‘serious’ conversation about life or business.

My experience is that people think better outside. I observe more creativity, a stronger willingness to challenge their beliefs and their way of seeing the world, and a deeper connectedness to what truly matters to them.

Sometimes, when my mind is going a million miles per minute (at least, that’s what it feels like), just being out in nature isn’t enough to help me slow down and relax.

Playing with a new practice of doing (water)colour studies of things (flowers, plants, stones, snail shells, leaves, etc.) and landscapes helps me in those moments when my usual mindfulness tools aren’t enough.

Trying to mix the different colours I see slows down my thinking and helps me become present again. It’s also a fun way of creating more connectedness with the environment I’m in, observing more closely with intention vs haphazardly from a distance.

Today is the exact halfway point of my life – I have been alive the same amount of time as I will still be alive.

Do I know when I will die?

No, of course not.

But just play with me for a moment.

Do you ever think about how long you still have on this earth? Not just in a vague “of course I’ll die someday when I’m old and grey” kind of way, but really think about the number of years, months, weeks you may still have left?

“Go for a hike” something inside me whispered.

“But it’s foggy” I tried.

“Go for a hike” the whisper repeated.

“But it’s only 6am” I tried again.

“Go for a hike” the whisper continued.

“But it’s going to rain” I tried one last time.

“Go for a hike” the whisper persisted.

So I went, despite the fog and the early hour and the rain.

The trail was deserted. The fog enveloped everything in a soft light and the leaves seemed even greener than usual.

If you’re like me, committed to playing big in your life, you know that some days are not as easy as others. For those days, I’ve written a set of commandments to give me something to hold on to when I’m tired and weary. They remind me to be bold and courageous and that even if it doesn’t seem like it right now, it’s so worth it to Play Big.

Last week I mentioned that Morning Pages are my mental clutter clearing tool of choice. If you’re wondering what Morning Pages (MPs) are, they are a daily journaling practice from Julia Cameron’s book “The Artist’s Way”: three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning.

I first encountered The Artist’s Way and MPs while I was traveling around India. Near the end of my 12 month trip, a fellow traveller in Mamallapuram introduced me to the book and I fell in love with the practice of writing my MPs. I have never actually finished the whole book (I never got past week six), but doing MPs is something that stuck and I have been doing them on and off for over 7 years now. There are times when I don’t do them for a while and I notice I’m not feeling as focused or as balanced, so I always start again.

There are days when I feel great! Great about the world and the people around me, about myself and what I do, . Days when I’m high on love and gratitude and green juice. When I believe in myself and what I offer. When I feel like I have everything I have ever dreamed of and so much more and the future holds even more magic. When I have oomph in my step and a twinkle in my eye and my heart feels wide open. Anything and everything is possible and being alive is just the best thing ever!

*spirit team = the universe, God/Goddess/Creator, angels, ancestors, spirit guides, etc.

When you feel lonely, know that you’re being wrapped in soft wings of love. When you tell yourself you’re stupid, stupid, stupid, know that they know better than that.

When you’re at a crossroads, know that you’re being nudged in the right direction. When you ask for a sign, know that you’re always given one, just not always the one you wish for. When you jump, know that they’re there to catch you, just in case.

For those times when life feels like chaos and all you can do is get through the day. Through the week. When all you can do is survive. When you are so tired you don’t have any energy left to spend on things that are important. That truly matter to you.

When all you can do is react to what’s happening instead of leading your own life. For those times when it feels like life is a burden instead of a joy and you just don’t know if you can do it. How you can do it. When you just wish everything was back to normal.

Quantum Leap

History is written as we live it -
Slow steady progress inevitably inexorably takes each of us forward
But sometimes…….
When we reach for something much higher -
When we stretch our resolve even further
When we push past previous limits…… to beyond  -
just sometimes….
it is possible to exceed all expectations……

to realise our very dreams

~ Anna Nielsen

As you may know, I declared March Rock the World month: a commitment to myself to move forward bravely and without fear, to be bold and fully step into the life and business that I’m envisioning for myself. No excuses.

A while ago, my boyfriend started asking me a question in the morning, while he was getting ready to go to his job and I was getting ready to work at home in my coaching practice. The question he started asking me was “Are you going to rock the world today?”

Depending on how I was feeling that day, I’d respond with an enthusiastic “Yes!”, or a less enthusiastic “Mmm…”. When I’d had a good night sleep and was feeling upbeat, I really felt I rocked the world, and I loved it! On other days, rocking the world seemed light-years away.

I want my day to feel like the kaleidoscope I had as a kid, vibrant with colors and magical surprises.

I want laughing to feel like blowing bubbles and lying in a hammock and feeling the grass tickle my feet.

I want my body to feel like wild horses running free over the prairie.

I want my writing to feel like liquid silver.

I want my home to feel like a sanctuary, sacred and filled with love.