About Anneke

Curious about who I am? Why I became a coach? And what is my mission?

On this page you find more about who I am and what drives me.

My background

“Don’t ask what the world needs, ask what makes you come alive, because what the world needs is more people who have come alive” (Howard Thurman)

My favorite quote, this is what heartfelt living is all about!

My name is Anneke, I am 39 years old and work as a personal leadership coach. I support young professionals to get clarity on what they want, where they want to go and how to get there, so they can focus all their talents and energy on that area where they can make the biggest impact.

With a Master in child development, I know all about how we develop and learn from a young age (which doesn't stop when we're 18). Various coaching- and trainingcourses taught me how to guide others in this process effectively.

In the past years I supported over 200 young professionals in startups and higher education. Typically intelligent and very ambitious individuals, that have their life on track, yet somehow somewhere feel overwhelmed or stuck.

Personal leadership to me is about living from the heart. When the choices we make and the goals we are aiming for are based on true heartfelt desires, we are naturally drawn to it, automatically put more energy in it and get energy from it. Now going after your deepest longings can be scary as hell and trigger the fear of failure. So it requires some courage and boldness, but when following our heart we are more effective, have a higher impact and feel more happy doing it.

At this moment of my life, I found my passion and mission in serving others and enjoy that every single day. But that has not always been the case.

When I was 30 years old, I thought I had it all figured out. I was in a steady relationship, bought a house, had a permanent job. My life looked great...on paper. On the inside I felt restless. I was constantly looking for more...more far away travels, more going out, more money, more friends, more clothes. And none of that really made me happy, because a couple of core aspects of my life were not making me happy.

I got to the point where I couldn’t hold it anymore. I realised I had never made my choices from my heart, I made them from safety. I knew I had to make some tough choices. In two years time I broke off my relationship and quit my job. It was the first time I chose from my desires and it was the most nerve-wrecking thing I had ever done.

The support I received in this time made all the difference to me. This lit a fire inside me to support others in this process as well.

My dream

From that quote by Howard Thurman and my own experience, my dream was born. I see a society in which young people dare to choose and stand for their own needs and desires instead of conforming to what is supposed or expected and thus giving away their strength.

Standing for your own needs and desires to me is about taking care of what you need and doing what you love to do. This is how you can make the most of your qualities and talents and with that the greatest possible contribution with your unique gifts.

My mission

I get the most energy from (and therefore have the greatest impact with) ambitious young professionals, who want to go full steam ahead with their talents. I support them to choose from their heart and to (learn to) trust their feeling and intuition. That way they experience more self-confidence, strength, freedom, peace and clarity.

As a coach I create a context of trust, positivity, involvement, responsibility and space, in which everything can be there. In this way, my coachees can turn inward to discover which patterns have been in the way so far, which deepest desires lie beneath and how they can start living these desires.

Courses

Transformational Coaching (2016)
Certified Foundation opleiding (2018)
Certified Practitioner opleiding (2019)
Training Outdoor Coaching (2020)

Associations

Nederlandse Orde van Beroepscoaches (NOBCO)
European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC)
De Buitenpsychologen