A portrait of Danish beauty Vivian (55). Vivian sent me a direct message on Instagram, after which we spoke over the phone for a while.
Her reason to contact me was that she was following AndBloom on Instagram and really wanted to participate in the project. My project is about women, all kinds of women. And it’s for women, for all sorts of women. The only real “rule” I have is that they are over 40. What I really liked about Vivian is that she originally comes from Denmark ( I love Copenhagen), and of course, her beauty and inspiring life story.
Tell us what you’d like us to know about yourself;
I practice what I preach and I am very loyal. I don’t understand cruelty and I find that the most important qualities are honesty and taking responsibility. I love having the freedom to do what I want and I am addicted to chocolate.
You are not from the Netherlands, how did you end up over here?
Very typical, I fell in love. I was born in Copenhagen and when I was 18 I worked in Switzerland for a year. There I met a Dutch girl with whom I ended up having a relationship. We travelled around for some time and finally settled in Amsterdam. Many things have happened since then but I stayed here.
What’s your career now?
As an independent coach and healer I work with people who want to get more out of life. Curios people who want to deepen their understanding of themselves maybe even redefine who they are. By that I mean letting go of all that is not fitting (anymore) so they can truly feel empowered and dare to shine. I work with individuals as well as entrepreneurs and always with people who are prepared to take control and responsibility for their lives. This brings clarity, direction and a re-found sense of purpose which many people have lost along the way.
What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done?
Building up my life again after my wife died. We had been together for 23 years and after a short illness of less than 5 months she died. I sat on the couch wondering what people do with their lives, at that time I had no idea what to do with mine.
Many of our mutual friends slowly disappeared and every time that happened it was like losing another piece of her. I never felt a victim to the situation or wondered why this happened to us and I think that that helped me. Shit happens and you have to deal with it.
By not getting stuck in my thoughts, thinking of the past or what will never come I was able to really feel the raw pain in my body. It would wash over me like a wave which would come and automatically disappear again, giving me a bit of healing every time.
What are you most proud of?
When I see what a wonderful young woman our daughter has turned out to be I think we must have done something right. The way she looks at life, takes her own responsibility and get things done is amazing. I won’t try to take too much credit but I am convinced that our way of looking at life and her upbringing where freedom with responsibility always played a key role has helped form the person she already was.
Knowing yourself now what would you tell your 80-year-old-self?
Dear Vivian, I hope you can look back at a fulfilling life. That you kept following your intuition no matter what other people said or thought and have always stayed true to yourself. Never forgot to enjoy and be playful. I hope you keep taking responsibility for your own life now , do what is necessary to stay fit and surround yourself with people you love.
Latest Google search?
Finding out who wrote Don Quichot, for my Spanish course
How do you stay healthy, both physically and mentally?
Food is a very important part of my life. I even took an education as advisor in natural foods. I eat little meat and almost only biological food, if possible from the area and what is in season. I love baking and changing existing recipes to fit my taste.
I have a dog and if at all possible I take him to the nearby forest every day. I love being in nature, it is calming and inspiring. My daily ritual I have described in the next question. To take care of my mental health, apart from what I just mentioned, I avoid stress as much as possible. I keep working on my mind set and I am always learning new things
What is the first thing you do in the morning to start you day in a positive way?
Every morning I do about 20 minutes of Makko-ho meridian stretching combined with some yoga. Then I shower ending with cold water and then it’s time to walk my dog. During the walk I do Donna Eden’s 5 minute daily energy routine.
How old are you?
Just turned 55.
Styling: Dayenne Bekker
Makeup: Esther van Maanen
Hair: Mark van Westerop
