To Be a Coach? That Was Never the Question.

Launching my website feels like more than putting a business online. It feels like the beginning of a new chapter, and the culmination of every chapter that came before it.

Every role I've held has taught me something essential about people, leadership, and what helps individuals thrive.

My career began in the skies as a flight attendant with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. What an extraordinary way to start a career. I travelled the world, experienced different cultures, met people from every walk of life, and learned that there is never just one way of seeing the world. It shaped me into a global citizen and taught me the importance of curiosity, empathy, and connection.

From there, I moved into learning and development as a trainer and facilitator, helping others grow their confidence and skills. Watching people discover capabilities they didn't know they had was incredibly rewarding.

My next chapter took me into a commercial leadership role in recruitment, managing an office in Amsterdam. Suddenly, I was responsible for business results, revenue, and building high-performing teams. It was a completely different world, but one I loved. What stayed with me most wasn't the targets, it was making the right match between a person and an organisation. Finding that place where someone could truly flourish.

Then came Human Resources.

Over more than twenty years, I experienced HR from many different perspectives: as an HR Manager, an International Head of HR, and as the founder of my own HR consultancy and leadership development company, Pioen. HR taught me that organisations are about far more than structures and processes. They are about people, culture, leadership, and creating environments where individuals can do their best work.

I came to see HR as the conscience of an organisation, holding the balance between business performance and human wellbeing. It is both a privilege and a responsibility.

Looking back now, I can see that every role was preparing me for what I do today.

As a coach, I bring together everything I've learned. The curiosity of a traveller. The commercial understanding of a business leader. The strategic perspective of an HR executive. The experience of developing leaders, navigating change, and understanding organisations from the inside.

Coaching allows me to combine all of those experiences in service of one purpose: helping leaders gain clarity, lead with intention, and create meaningful impact for themselves, their teams, and their organisations.

So perhaps the question was never, "To be or not to be a coach?" The better question is:

How could I not be?

Launching this website is exciting because it represents more than a new business. It represents everything I've learned along the journey of my life.