The smiling woman you see in the picture above is me!
I was born and raised in The Netherlands. I grew up in a small town surrounded by tulip fields in spring and cows and sheep in summer. The land is so flat that you can see all the way to the horizon. You can spot different towns, miles away, recognizable by the church towers that stand out like little mountains.
My interest in happiness and how to grow and develop myself in many dimensions led me to the USA where I met my husband. I moved to the USA in 2003 and I became a certified Option Process® Mentor/ Counselor at the beginning of 2008.
Since that time, I've created an independent business to help people do what I do: take everyday opportunities to grow, to become stronger, happier and to embrace the uniqueness of who we are.
The world is full of amazing opportunities...
Over the last couple of years, I have emmersed myself in countless opportunities to develop myself and support others. I've participated in activities that actively challenge my beliefs about what is possible. I hope my examples below will inspire you to spread your wings and fly.
Singing in a Band
I decided that anyone can learn to sing and I can proudly say that I am now one of the singers of the band "No Room For Jello". Check out our website! I also love writing lyrics. Who would have thought that a Dutch girl with dyslexia would ever be writing lyrics and singing for an American band? Not me!
Playing Jembe
I decided that I could to learn to play the jembe. For a long time, my band mates would request that I play very quietly; I would be so out of rhythm that everyone would get distracted! But with persistance and gaining understanding of my beliefs, I moved past this first phase and, while I am still a beginner in the world of jembe players I've improved tremendously. Playing jembe is now lots of fun!
Working with wonderful children in relationship-based programs
I am lucky to have created friendships with the most wonderful children by working with them in their home-based therapy programs. The work is a byproduct of my training. My attitude helps me to be very comfortable in the with my little friends. Their moms and dads tell me that their children love me because of who I am.
Training for a Marathon
At the beginning of the year, I decided that I wanted to take on something that I always hated. I wanted to be able to show that, if we want to, we can make anything a great experience. My biggest frustrations have always been around running. So I decided that I would do a marathon! I am in training now and have done my first 5K and 10K. You can read all about it in my blog.
Maintaining the Belief Makers Blog
The Belief Makers blog started as a page of my website. I wanted to create some regularly changing content and I felt that there was so much to say about happiness that I decided to create a blog. Today, we have a well established blog where authors write about the philosophy of happiness and about autism treatment. Our little band of authors creates something new and inspiring every day.
