Tell us about yourself
I am a highly sensitive and empathic soul, having a human experience.
How did you end up in Greece and can you tell us about your life there?
Like many foreign women who end up on one of the islands in the Aegean Sea, I came on holiday, met a local guy and fell in love. In the past, I had ‘escaped’ from Amsterdam after a difficult and very painful relationship, had come to an end. But because I hadn’t resolved any of the issues surrounding it, I still carried its negative energy within me. As a result I ended up attracting the same type of man again and the relationship was not a success. After two years I finally had the guts to end it – I had even arranged my journey back to Amsterdam, when just at that point, I met my soulmate. He is now the love of my life and a man with the greatest inner wisdom. We have been happily married for ten years.
My life in Greece, on Paros, one of the Cyclades islands, now feels kind of magical but this sense of inner happiness didn’t just come overnight. The journey wasn’t always an easy one. Socially I struggled with fitting in and adjusting to culture differences and on top of that I also wrestled with an ongoing personal problem. I had suffered from an eating disorder (bulimia nervosa) for many years and this was triggered a few times during the early years of my time here in Greece.
What’s Your Career Now?
I had always worked in fashion and had had my own accessory brand for many years. I created bespoke leather handbags. However, after eight years of crafting each of them myself by hand, my arms were in constant pain. That was when I realized that something needed to drastically change.
Feeling a bit down and depressed, my eye happened to fall upon a six week ‘Self-Development’ workshop, created by a person who is nowadays, a very dear friend. A whole new world on ‘Gaia’ opened up to me and I immediately felt that this was where my new purpose and my new path lay. But to begin with, I first had to heal myself and peel back layers of conditioning, which had accumulated over the years. Of course this is still an ongoing process, but nowadays I am also guiding other women as well.
After completing a number of training courses as well as using my own personal experiences, I now work as a ‘Holistic Coach’, guiding other women on their own journeys, as they free themselves from being stuck in unhelpful patterns and beliefs on a mental, emotional and energetic level. The term ‘Conscious Women’ came to me, popping into my head, and I just knew intuitively that it was the right name to describe what I do. It’s such a natural process; I feel a flow of energy when I am in a session with a client, which provides confirmation to me that I am on the right path. The greatest gift I have given myself since growing older, is relying with increasing certainty, on my own intuition.
If you could tweet something to your younger self, what would you say?
Be you, be your authentic self and love yourself, you are lovable, you are made of love. Embrace your whole being with your dark and your light sides, they are both parts of you. Always remember that every passing second is another chance to turn it all around.
What’s the one thing you most hope for personally, in the coming year?
To finish building my house, high on a mountain, and hosting my first ‘Conscious Women Retreat’ there. When I close my eyes we are already living there. It’s a sanctuary of calmness and a place for self-reflection, whilst gazing far out over the Aegean Sea.
What is your superpower?
Hmmm good question, my softness I think and my compassion.
What’s your fantasy version of your older self?
A free, absolutely free spirit!!!! I see myself with my friends every week, discussing, philosophizing, sharing thoughts, and feeling each other’s love.
Greatest new discovery?
I now realize that nobody but me, is responsible for my own happiness. This awareness has enabled me to become more conscious of the choices I make and in turn the results provide me with even more bliss. I can best describe it as a feeling of ‘being loved and being in love’ but not with another- just purely with myself. The practice that has helped me the most, is the one of endeavouring to be truly present in the moment.
What makes you happy?
Spending time with my husband on the island, swimming every morning in the sea. I am very grateful to be able to work with my clients, being both the teacher and the student at the same time.
What’s your age and what age do you feel?
I just turned fifty and I love it! I have never felt better and inside, I am like a new-born!
