“Slowing down often brings more clarity.”
Many of the people I work with have roles in which a great deal is expected of them. They make decisions, solve problems and are used to pushing forward when needed. From the outside, things often appear to be going well, while pressure and complexity gradually continue to increase.
Sometimes this becomes visible when certain situations start taking more energy than they used to. At other times, there is a growing desire to lead more consciously, make stronger decisions or continue developing in a role that demands more and more.
It is often at these moments that it helps to take a closer look at what is really happening. In yourself, in your relationships with others and in the context in which you work and lead.
Before becoming an executive coach, I spent many years in management and executive leadership roles within corporate and mid-market organisations. Because of that, I understand from the inside what it feels like when responsibility, pressure and expectations come together in everyday working life.
My coaching is for people who want to better understand what helps them lead, collaborate and perform with greater clarity, steadiness and perspective.
LEADERSHIP & RESPONSIBILITY
TEAM DYNAMICS & COLLABORATION
CHANGE & COMPLEXITY
SELECTION ASSESSMENTS
DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENTS
EXECUTIVE COACHING
What coaching is often about
Many people do not seek coaching because everything has come to a standstill. More often, it starts in subtle ways. Certain situations begin to take more energy than they used to, you experience less clarity or perspective, or questions that once seemed straightforward keep returning.
Sometimes this is linked to increasing responsibility and growing expectations. At other times, it becomes visible in collaboration with colleagues, teams or stakeholders. Certain dynamics keep repeating themselves, conversations are less productive than they could be, or you notice that you are increasingly reacting to situations rather than consciously choosing how you want to respond.
Change and complexity can also place increasing demands on people. Organisations evolve continuously, expectations rise and situations become less predictable. At the same time, many people are not simply trying to stay afloat. They want to continue growing in their role, strengthen their leadership and increase their impact on others.
Coaching helps create a clearer understanding of what is really happening. Not only in the situation itself, but also in the way you respond, collaborate, make decisions and lead.
No standard models or quick fixes, but conversations that help you lead and perform with greater clarity, steadiness and confidence.
Leadership & responsibility
Greater responsibility often changes more than people expect. Especially under pressure, it becomes visible how someone makes decisions, communicates and provides direction.
Many clients seek coaching because they want to function more steadily in their role. They want more overview, clearer communication or a more conscious understanding of the impact they have on others.
This may arise in leadership positions, entrepreneurship or situations where a great deal is expected from someone. Often the work is not about pushing harder, but about seeing more clearly what truly requires attention and what has gradually started to cost more energy.
In coaching we explore together what helps someone lead with more calmness, sharpness and steadiness. Not through theory or tricks, but through the reality of responsibility, decision-making and expectations in everyday working life.
Team dynamics & collaboration
In relationships with others, patterns often become visible that are much harder to recognise on your own.
Some people quickly take on responsibility for others or continuously adapt to what others need. Others avoid confrontation while frustrations slowly build underneath the surface. It is also common for people to become more direct or reactive when pressure increases.
Within teams these dynamics can gradually start affecting collaboration, communication and trust. Conversations remain superficial, tensions go unspoken or people increasingly start moving around each other instead of truly engaging.
Under pressure these patterns usually become even more visible.
Looking at these dynamics honestly often creates more understanding of what is happening between people and what helps collaboration become calmer, clearer and more effective.
Change & complexity
Some periods place greater demands on people than others. Organisations change, expectations shift and situations become more complex or less predictable.
During these periods, many people find themselves constantly switching between priorities without experiencing a real sense of clarity or perspective. Decisions become less straightforward, priorities continue to change and it becomes harder to step back and think clearly.
It is often in complex environments that patterns become more visible. How do you respond to uncertainty, change and competing demands? How do you make decisions when there is no obvious answer?
Coaching helps create a clearer understanding of what the situation is truly asking of you, which choices deserve your attention and where you can have the greatest impact. This often brings greater clarity, perspective and direction during periods of significant change.
Experience from practice
Pieter
CEO
At first, I thought I was simply tired from a busy period. In my conversations with Berend, it slowly became clear that there was more going on than just workload. Nothing dramatic or heavy, but things I had ignored in myself for too long.
Hans
Team Lead
What helped me most was that Berend never forced anything. No quick analysis or immediate solution. Because of that, conversations emerged that I would normally avoid quite easily.
Suzanne
HR Director
Berend brings calm into conversations without them becoming vague or superficial. That is exactly why people start looking more honestly at what is going on and what they may have been carrying for too long.
My Approach
Calm, sharp and without masks
Many people are used to solving problems quickly. Pushing through, working harder or analysing everything rationally. Yet this often keeps what is happening beneath the surface out of view.
In coaching I therefore often begin by slowing things down. Not to stand still, but to see more clearly what requires attention in behaviour, collaboration and patterns that have become automatic over time.
My way of working is calm, sharp and personal. I ask questions, reflect back what I notice and help people put words to things they have often been moving around for quite some time.
That sometimes requires an honest look at yourself and at what happens in relationships with others. It is often there that more calmness, clarity and steadiness begin to emerge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Coaching is personal and different for everyone. Below are some of the questions that come up regularly and may help give a sense of how I work.
Invisible
1. When does coaching really help?
Coaching is often helpful when certain things start taking more energy than they used to. You keep thinking about work, experience less calmness in your mind, get stuck in certain dynamics or notice that most of your energy goes into simply keeping everything running.
Sometimes there is a clear trigger, such as a new role, tensions in collaboration or a period in which pressure continues to increase. At other times someone simply feels that things no longer come as naturally as they once did.
You do not need to know exactly what is wrong beforehand. Clarity often emerges through the conversation itself.
2. Who is your coaching for?
I mainly work with leaders, professionals and entrepreneurs who carry significant responsibility. People who function well on the outside, yet notice that certain questions, tensions or dynamics are starting to have a greater impact on how they work, collaborate and lead.
This may relate to responsibility, collaboration, change or situations in which a great deal is expected from someone. Often these are people who are used to solving things themselves and continuing for a long time before asking for help.
My coaching is for people who do not simply want to keep going, but want to better understand what helps them function with more calmness, clarity and steadiness.
3. What do conversations usually focus on?
No coaching trajectory is exactly the same, but conversations often revolve around leadership, responsibility, collaboration, change or situations in which pressure gradually begins to increase.
Some people notice they keep carrying more and more responsibility or are constantly focused on keeping everything running. Others get stuck in recurring dynamics, continue replaying conversations in their minds or notice that work increasingly takes up mental space.
We often explore not only the situation itself, but also what happens in the way someone responds, makes decisions, collaborates and deals with pressure and expectations. That is often where greater insight, calmness and clarity begin to emerge.
4. How is your approach different from other coaches?
My way of working is calm, sharp and personal. No standard models or quick fixes, but conversations that help people see more clearly what is really happening and why certain situations or dynamics continue to have such a strong impact.
Before becoming a coach, I spent many years in management and executive roles within corporate and mid-market organisations. Because of that, I understand from the inside what it feels like when responsibility, pressure and expectations come together in everyday working life.
In coaching I combine that experience with executive coaching. Conversations are often reflective and personal, while always remaining connected to the reality of work, leadership and collaboration.
5. What is your background, training and certification?
Before becoming an executive coach, I spent many years in management and executive roles within corporate and mid-market organisations. This gives me an inside understanding of what responsibility, pressure, decision-making and expectations look like in practice.
In coaching I combine that experience with executive coaching, leadership development and psychological insight. Many clients value that combination of calmness, sharpness and practical experience.
I am affiliated with the Dutch Order of Professional Coaches (NOBCO) and certified as an EMCC Senior Practitioner. I also completed several programmes and certifications in executive coaching, leadership and assessments, including Hult Ashridge Executive Education.
I am also certified in Hogan Assessments, which I regularly use to gain deeper insight into behaviour, drivers and patterns under pressure.
6. What does a coaching process usually look like?
Coaching usually starts with an introductory conversation. Together we explore what is going on, where someone feels stuck and why certain situations or dynamics continue to have such a strong impact.
Some people come with a clear question. Others mainly notice that things are gradually taking more energy. Work stays in their mind, collaboration starts to create friction or they feel they are mainly focused on keeping everything running without really experiencing calmness or overview.
You do not need to know exactly what is happening beforehand. Clarity often emerges by looking more closely together at what is happening beneath the surface — in behaviour, collaboration, tension and patterns that have become automatic over time.
The frequency and duration of coaching differ per person and situation. Most clients meet with me once every two or three weeks. Conversations are personal, sharp and always connected to the reality of work, leadership and daily functioning.
Start a conversation
You do not need to have everything figured out before reaching out. An initial conversation is simply a chance to explore what is on your mind, what may be asking for attention and whether coaching would be helpful at this point.
Feel free to get in touch for an informal conversation about your situation and to see whether working together would be valuable.