It was on a Friday late afternoon when I went to pick up my son from school. On Fridays, they’re usually at the gym playing soccer or basketball. One of the guardians looked at me with a worried expression, while I looked at my son with a questioning, almost tense gaze. I could feel it in my gut...
A few years ago, I was in a place where challenges kept piling up, and nothing seemed to go in my favour. It was a season that tested both my faith and my character. A time when I hadn’t yet learned how to truly love myself.
The perfectionist in me kept beating the drums of the past, echoing rem...
If you had to choose between spending a few minutes alone with your thoughts or receiving an electric shock to escape the discomfort, what would you pick?
A study conducted a decade ago found that most participants consistently preferred the shock over sitting quietly with their own thoughts. (F...
I stuttered a lot growing up. My speech ability was far below average, according to my teachers at the time. They recommended speech therapy, but my parents couldn’t afford it. So, I stayed silent. I couldn’t bear the ridicule—the rolling eyes, the impatient sighs, the way people walked away as ...
I Must Have Been Around 13 or 14 Years Old
Every day after school, I’d slip in through the backdoor of our shed, park my bicycle, and pull a long skirt over my shorts. It was summertime, but my parents had made it clear—I wasn’t allowed to wear shorts. They didn’t want me showing any leg at scho...
It was my tenth interview in two years. Nine rejections later, my self-confidence was in shambles. And yet, here I was again—trying to prove that I was capable and deserving of more.
When I graduated from one of the most prestigious universities in the world, I assumed landing a promotion wo...
I was doing my thing, walking toward the big entry doors of NATO HQ, trying to find my way to my new office. We had just moved into the glass palace. It was stunning, but at first, my sense of direction inside it was a little blurry.
All of a sudden, I could feel her walking next to me—one o...
Imagine waking up every day for months, not knowing how the day will unfold. Perhaps you wake with anxiety, struggling to figure out how you’ll make it through another day. Maybe you’re dealing with financial difficulties, wondering how the bills will get paid. Or perhaps you’re navigating the...
This year, I didn’t start the new year with goals. Shocking, right? No vision boards, no lofty ambitions, no “New Year, New Me.” Actually, I have zero goals set for the year.
Now, some of you might be thinking:
“Yep, something is definitely off with her. Someone check her neurons!”
And hones...
On New Year’s Eve, I went to celebrate with my sister in the Netherlands. She spoiled us with an amazing spaghetti dish so delicious that not a single strand of pasta was left. And then came my all-time favorite snack—bitterballen! These are Dutch meatballs served with mustard sauce, and let me ...
I was in the kitchen, slicing onions and preparing dinner, when my son’s loud yelling interrupted the peace.
If you’ve ever thought a missed deadline or an email typo is a crisis, try living with a teenager whose world collapses every time something happens to their mobile phone.
When I entered ...
"Adam, stop crying!" That’s what I often tell my son—but not for the reasons you might think.
When Adam cries, his nose gets congested, and we end up spending hours trying to help him breathe so he can sleep at night.
But for many boys, the command not to cry comes for entirely different reaso...
