Meet Amanda
Accredited life coach, former diplomat
Hi there. My name is Amanda. I used to be a diplomat, now I am a life coach helping other ambitious global citizens to connect to themselves on a deeper level.
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Our unique life stories shape us into who we are today - and I'd love to share my story, so you can get a better sense of why my line of work matters so much to me. And because it will also hopefully help you reflect on your own story.
From an early age I've been fond of traveling and visiting other, exotic cultures. I preferred to go as far away as possible (and actually still do). After working in corporate London for 1.5 year, my choice for a career in diplomacy eventually was therefore also a step that suited me well. I enjoyed engaging with other cultures, working on global issues and knowing I would change position and country every few years. Variety, yes please!
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Still, after a few years in diplomacy, I longed for something else.
The human psyche fascinated me as much as those other cultures I loved to be in. I grew up in an unstable home and lived with foster families for a couple of years when I was a teenager - experiences that have shaped me into the person I am today. Reading the room and adapting myself are skills that I know well because of this (and have been useful to me as a diplomat), but I also carried things with me that hindered me. Such as a belief that I had to do everything alone, a tendency to always work hard, and a continuous anxiety by always looking for the next adventure.
The baggage we have collected in our childhood and often still carry with us, has always fascinated me. How can you ensure that that luggage is not ballast weighing you down, but a well-fitting backpack that provides you with the necessary equipment to thrive in life?
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That fascination led me to deciding to step away from diplomacy, a move many didn't understand. This career was a prestigious one, yes, but it wasn't fulfilling me and I knew I wouldn't live an authentic life if I continued it.​
In 2021, I completed an intensive 9-month accredited coaching course, so I could sort out my inner luggage and reach my full potential - and help others do the same. I continued to develop myself with another 9-month coaching training (at senior practitioner's level), which offered me even better tools to go beyond the cognitive thinking with my coachees.​
During my first coaching course my fellow students gave me the nickname 'the Adventurer'. Understandably, with all the adventures abroad I had already experienced. At age 19, I quit my studies to travel in South America, where I eventually stayed 1.5 year. Later I also lived in Argentina (6 months), London (2.5 years) and Brasilia (3 years), and travelled a lot in between. And even in my new career I stay global, as just last year I spent 6 months in Rio de Janeiro.
While traveling and in the tropics I was at my happiest - or so I thought. Because in hindsight, it was also a flight away - away from my feelings. Before my coaching training, I was always busy with the next adventure, with the next destination, and lived with my head in the future. Feeding my unrest with more trips and more work. Until I moved back home to the Netherlands after 3 years working at the embassy in Brasilia, in the middle of the Covid crisis. I had just unpacked my things when my dad very unexpectedly died. A great sorrow, that I simply couldn't ignore this time.
This took place during a very turbulent time, while building a new life in the Netherlands, starting my first intensive coaching course, getting my heart broken, and in the middle of lockdowns which made me feel very alone (and also stopped me from going abroad, my usual coping mechanism). It was a time during which I felt very displaced.
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​Although I returned home, my move to the Netherlands actually marked the start of a new journey: a journey within. The combination of my coaching training and the lack of external distraction during lockdown ensured that I could now really turn inward: feeling my feelings, peeling off layers and looking at deep beliefs. It was a painful process, but with such a beautiful result: I could finally come home.
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And with that inner solidity, I've been able to make successful changes towards the life I had been craving: I now wake up excited for the day, get to pour my ambition into the work that I love, have deeper relationships and I still roam the world, but now it's not from filling a void.
I wish that kind of homecoming to you too.
A true homecoming within yourself, wherever you are in this world. Being an anchor for yourself, on which you can rely and fall back on, especially when external circumstances change and you are without your trusted safety net for a while. A place from where you can proceed with clarity, confidence and calmness, enabling you to make authentic decisions towards what you desire - no matter where life takes you.
As a former diplomat and avid traveller (and also after having coached 25+ nationalities in 5 continents) I know that living abroad isn't always picture perfect, which the people at home don't always understand. I offer a listening ear and think along with you. My goal is to help you understand yourself even better, so you know exactly what your backpack looks like, whether that's through 1:1 coaching or one of my group programs & courses.
You can contact me for all coaching questions on work or your private life, such as relationships, your next steps, career decisions, work life balance and more.
Are you ready for full personalized guidance? Schedule a free discovery call right away.