I was born in beautiful Twente in 1977, the middle of three children. I grew up in a warm nest where values such as honesty, authenticity, openness and consideration for fellow human beings were of paramount importance. Commitment and humour were also of great importance.
I am grateful for being able to look back on a pleasant childhood that gave me a solid, loving foundation from which I live. And besides that, like everyone else, I also take with me less pleasant experiences that contributed to my formation. In various situations, I felt I was not good enough and had to prove myself to others. That cost me a lot of energy.
Over the years, I have come to see those experiences from a different perspective and they have contributed to the fact that I find coaching people so incredibly motivating. I want to see people for what they have to offer in their full potential as human beings and help them to de-develop themselves.
In my spare time, I enjoy cooking, photography, running, travelling and getting out and about with my husband and three children and discovering fun places in the city. I also like to make time for family and friends.

In 2001, I successfully completed my degree in Work and Organisational Psychology at the VU. The years that followed were a voyage of discovery for me to find out which way I wanted to go. I broadened my horizons by travelling, worked in recruitment and selection and learned as an assessment psychologist to observe people's behaviour and identify their qualities and development points. In 2006, I decided to take a professional coaching course at the Alba Academy because I wanted to play an active role in people's development. Since then, a coaching approach has been central for me. For the past 12 years, I have gained experience in career guidance, coaching and assessments (at AVOP, Funktiemediair and Derks & Derks, among others) within the business services sector as an NIP-registered psychologist, and I coach people on an individual level. In October 2011, I decided to start my own business. An exciting and at the same time challenging and stimulating step that gave me more autonomy and a better work-life balance. I also chose to devote time to my further professional development as a coach by attending various training courses and working with regular intervision clubs. By connecting with Sandra, Wendy and Rebecca and starting LemonGrass Coaching together, I now have the collaboration I was missing as a self-employed person. We learn and undertake together. It is my ambition to also start training in the field of ACT and mindfulness in the future because I would like to contribute to making people's lives more conscious, lighter (and therefore often more enjoyable).