Expat Wellbeing

22/12/2023

All my bags are packed (almost). I'm ready to go... 🎵

I'm winding down for the holiday season, and soon I'll be heading to Indonesia 🇮🇩

Our cat 🐾 who stays behind in Rotterdam and is usually my biggest worry when travelling, has a team of sitters – our dear, kind neighbours.

I'm still nursing a cold 🤧 so it'll be 😷 for me on the long trip home

This year has been a journey, and I'm signing off 2023 with my heart full 💖

In the agenda will be... oh, actually there's not much of an agenda 😊

We'll simply embrace slow travelling, resting and doing nothing 🌾

Enjoying quiet, empty moments as they emerge and also connecting with family and friends 💕

Reconciling with the past, being in the present, while looking forward to the future 🌿

This is the moment where I remind myself

I am good enough, warts and all

And I love myself unconditionally

Not just because of the season, but because it's been my constant lifelong practice 👣

And I'd love to THANK YOU for doing your best and taking care of you 💖

Wishing you a heartwarming holiday and may we continue in the new year with a deeper sense of appreciation and connection in this journey together🌟

17/08/2023

Are you so busy that you have no time to refill your own cup?

How about being more gentle to yourself and make time for taking care of yourself.

Start asking yourself these important questions.

And if this speaks to you, I'd love to see in my workshop upcoming Wednesday.

Powered by Restream https://restream.ioAre you so busy that you have no time to refill your own cup?How about being more gentle to yourself and make time for...

03/08/2023

Are you hustling for self-worthiness?

This has been a personal theme I unpacked in my interview with the People Impact Podcast. I can't be more grateful to the wonderful hosts Marjolijn Vlug and Lisa Dempsey, for holding the safe brave space.

Believe me, I was nervous 😅 And it's helpful that this podcast is “not a place for performance” as Lisa and Marjolijn affirm. I mean, fun and ease are the values embraced in the interview process.

So if you're looking to expand your perspective on people in organisation and beyond, check out this podcast in your favourite podcast app.
.. or you've got your story to share, do reach out to them 🤗

Stay tuned for my episode 🙋‍♀️

And in the meantime, I've got some inspiring episodes I plan to catch up on. 🔊💙

28/06/2023

Sharing some personal reflection after the workshop "Lonely as A Leader". And inviting you to a conversation on this theme. Are you in?

19/06/2023

Everything may seem great on paper – a great career, a lovely family, a beautiful house. But what if, inside you’re feeling lonely, dissatisfied with life, and depressed?

This is the story of my client, an executive at a tech startup in Silicon Valley.

He's got it all, and yet he was unhappy.
Overthinking and bottled-up emotions drained his energy.
Negative self-talk hijacked his headspace, also when he was not at work.

In his words, he had a “wall” with people close to him.

He used a simple solution from my coaching, using the body-mind approach to break out of the downward spiral of negative thoughts.

He's amazed that now he’s in control of his headspace again.
He leads his team with more ease and confidence.

And what’s best of all?
He discovered more emotional tools to connect with his loved ones.

Hear him share his experience.

If his story hits home for you, join us in our free workshop Friday 23 June.
Register via the link in the comment below 💚

14/06/2023

Leaders, how do you use intuition to guide you towards wisdom?

I love celebrating my client Katalin Dr. Birki who, through challenges (work & personal), has grown a sense of empowerment and confidence. 🌟

Kata is a natural people leader with multifaceted talents and a life-long commitment to self-development. In her last post as a country manager, she faced overwhelming tasks to uphold her people spirit amid restructuring in her company.

Our work together focused on creating emotional space. Kata intuitively understood that processing her emotions was essential to maintain her performance and keep her sharp in making important decisions.

With all the logical things already said and done, we explored dance and movement for self-expression, reflection and recentering the body and mind. Tuning into her emotions through movement was a very affirming process that boosted her power and trust in herself.

And here are what we discovered:

🌾 Our coaching journey is a reminder and an invitation to practice what she already knows. There is no "wisdom button" 👀 to turn on at will, even when we have deep knowledge and insights. For Kata, the coaching has helped her turn her inner wisdom into impactful actions.

☯ Embracing feminine qualities in her leadership enables her to hold space for her people and their emotions during difficult times. It was a learning point to give herself the same care she gives to everyone. She prioritizes her self-care so that she's able to manage the collective emotions and protect herself.

⚖ Logic and intuition can be together and work as a team - as they should. Balancing logic with intuition is a finesse that has led her to the right choices. Including to work with me as her coach - defying logic-based advice- which turned out to be a great experience for both of us.

I hope this story inspires you to trust your intuition more as a leader. 💗
Our complete interview is in the comment below. 👇

If you followed your intuition today, what would you do differently?

My inbox is open for DM, if you'd like to share.

12/06/2023

Whether you've hit the ground running at the start of the week. Or, taking a slow start like me...

Either is okay, as long as it feels true and respectful to yourself.

I know there are a lot of productivity hacks out there,

with the general message being, "You should push yourself through a lot of tasks or else you won't be successful"

I got a sense though, a lot of us know very well about pushing through.

But how about consciously taking a slow moment?

It's not wasting time, but a worthwhile investment in your ongoing performance to:

🔹 intentionally recover from a tough situation
🔹 recentre yourself amid stressful changes
🔹 calm down the agitated nerves

In this long game called life, self-care is the best "productivity hack" there is.

Wishing you a week filled with joy, purpose and balance 🎯🌟

09/06/2023

Is there a blueprint for self-care?

Or an ultimate 'recipe' that always works each time?

There may be useful analytics that help us understand the facets of our health and wellbeing.

But I have a sense that self-awareness is key to understanding what we need to take care of ourselves.

Because each time, our conditions will likely be different.

Even in our self-care, I realized that we need to be mindful there too.

Otherwise, we'd fall for the latest trends without really understanding if it fits what we need --- and before we know it, we'd be caught in the trap of busying ourselves, doing more in the name of self-care.

It's not about doing more. No guarantee that the more you do the good things, the better self-care you have.

Self-care is about simplifying and doing what matters. What's meaningful to you personally. What's making a real impact in your life.

Your 'recipe' for self-care will likely be personal and unique to your situation.

Inspirations for my self-care recipe, I draw from among others the teaching of Thich Nhat Hanh --- mindfulness that is 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥 in practical ways and 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 in daily activities.

This book holds simple and applicable Zen practices for our work and life.

I took a snap before I sent it to a client as a gift. It seems though, it's been taking a journey of its own and I'm curious where it's landed since it never arrived 📪

(Another inspiration is from creative dance therapy 🕺 - for another story 🙌)

Curious what your thoughts are about self-care. What makes it work for you? 🙏