Insights
Passion & Purpose in Action
For me, life is a wonderful adventure to be lived fully, the ups and the downs, the exhilarating rushes forward and the agonizingly slow moments, embracing the periods of ecstatic happiness, as well as learning from the painful episodes, enjoying the funny and enduring the infuriating.
Let’s share thoughts and insights as we make sense of it, inspiring, supporting and motivating each other along the way.
Add to the grain of salt of a 50+ free spirit pondering on life: the good and the bad, the past and the present (while trying to live in the moment), love and marriage (or not), children, upbringing, career, the vagaries of life as expat partner and the quintessential search for our purpose, and all that lies in between.
#rise&shine
Insights
Passion & Purpose in Action
For me, life is a wonderful adventure to be lived fully, the ups and the downs, the exhilarating rushes forward and the agonizingly slow moments, embracing the periods of ecstatic happiness, as well as learning from the painful episodes, enjoying the funny and enduring the infuriating.
Let’s share thoughts and insights as we make sense of it, inspiring, supporting and motivating each other along the way.
Add to the grain of salt of a 50+ free spirit pondering on life: the good and the bad, the past and the present (while trying to live in the moment), love and marriage (or not), children, upbringing, career, the vagaries of life as expat partner and the quintessential search for our purpose, and all that lies in between.
#rise&shine
Dare to Detox
Dare to Detox! I did, and it was the best decision I have made in a while. Why did I do it? I was progressively putting on weight and feeling sluggish, bloated and was so sick of myself after the Xmas holidays I knew I needed action! Good things come to those who ask,...
Let’s make it happen: Root to Rise
Let's make it happen: Root to Rise: I Like yoga. It helps me connect with myself and the world around me, stretch out my frazzled mind and tense body, and leaves me peacefu...
Business: What’s Buddhism got to do with it?
I was looking for an inspirational speaker for the monthly networking event of the Women's Business Initiative International and came across Accountant and Financial analyst Marian Koek. Marian has worked for years as Senior Accountant and Financial analyst and still...
Passion and Purpose, from civil servant to NLP trainer, coach and author: Joan’s Story
February 13th 2017 saw an enthusiastic group of civil servants, NLP practitioners , managers, friends and interested people gather at the beautiful offices of CAOP on the Lange Voorhout, to witness the launch of Joan Hoexum’s book ’”Tomorrow is Today”. For 20 years a...
Partner for life????
With all the soul searching I have been undergoing resulting in my recent decision to seperate from my loving husband of 20 years, I have been thinking a lot about the nature of relationships and our sacrosanct concept of soul mate and partner for life. Slipping on...
Introduction
Daunting!!! Once upon a time... I wanted to write a book, but am finding it overwhelming whereas a blog is a good start. My idea is to try and be sane (notice I do not say "remain"sane!) by downloading thoughts and emotions, sometimes light, sometimes deeper and...
Flashback: Julie goes Gorilla trecking: every cloud has a silver lining
February 2003: Impossible to leave our three year posting in Uganda without tracking the Gorillas: so here we are. By 8am Erik-Jan and I are about to set out in our best safari gear to brave hours of tracking in sweltering conditions, slithering in foul smelling...
Proud to be a woman! Happy International Women’s Day!
The other day at table, my 17 year old son commented on how glad he was not to be a woman. Glad not to have to go through childbirth, periods, hair dramas etc..Fair enough. But it made ME realize how much I would have missed not being a woman. Yes, childbirth was...
Dining in The Hague: the hidden pearl of the Noordeinde: Restaurant Mazie
Through a wonderful set of coincidences I ended up at the promotional evening of restaurant Mazie in a small, charming side-street of the Noordeinde, oozing History and character. The theme of the evening “when East meets West” was brainchild of cook Takis Panagakis,...
Hijab unravelled
Whilst reporting recently at a large social event, I came across photographer Danielle Regout. Energetic and charming we struck up a conversation and found living around the world was a common thread (Danielle was born in Latin America, lived in Canada and Poland...