Hi,
I'm Marie-Claire
Corporate go-getter, Entrepreneur, Mindfulness and NLP trainer. I have always had an infinite drive and strong desire to explore life to the fullest. This drive has led me to live and study in many different countries around the world and work for large corporates in Finance, Marketing and Sales.
“Mindset has always been my middle name. But Mindfulness? I’m definitely not a natural - I just learned to be Mindful.”
How It Started
One spring morning in 2010 I met Mark Teijgeler at my local coffee place. Mark is a former investment manager, who turned out to be one of the first individuals to bring Mindfulness to the Netherlands.
After bumping into him on a few different occasions he asked, ‘How are you?’ At that moment, I felt terrible. I was under a great deal of pressure from work, putting in long hours and sleeping poorly. I felt exhausted. I answered honestly, ‘I feel horrible.’ He suggested meditation.
My first reaction was, omg no! Meditation seemed so fluffy, spiritual and buddha-like to me. Kindly I said, ‘Meditation? I already practise yoga. And sitting still does nothing for me. But thanks, I really appreciate it!’
He challenged me. He said I could start small, with just 10 minutes a day for three weeks. I was rather sceptical – but I am not the type of person that says no to a challenge – so I accepted. There was nothing to lose.. and how hard could it really be?
Challenge Accepted
Three incredibly long weeks followed. Every meditation seemed to last a lifetime. My mind wandered, EVERYWHERE, the WHOLE time. I couldn’t sit still. I was afraid that somehow the timer on my phone would not go off and I would remain sitting there forever. I ended up meditating with two phones AND an old-school alarm clock. The first weeks I didn’t notice much difference.
By chance, I ran into Mark again. I thanked him – ‘great experiment, just not my thing!’. He challenged me to sit with it for one more week… Begrudgingly, I did so.
Then a miracle happened – somehow, during one of the meditations, I felt a release. My headache disappeared, I felt more calm, my normally dry eyes hydrated and I slept like a baby.
A Mindful Transformation
Once I felt the effects of meditation, my curiosity led me to an 8-week Mindfulness (MBSR) training. Needless to say, the training was life changing and the start of my personal transformation.
What Mindfulness Has Brought Me
I have learned to:
Tame my NON-stop mind. Previously, I was constantly in my mind: thinking, planning, rehearsing, worrying, trying to find a solution, ruminating and so on.
Manage stress and pressure from work. Mindfulness helps me to ground myself and maintain a greater sense of calm during the day, whatever comes my way!
Relax and experience more calm. I used to be ‘always on,’ running from one thing to the next, making sure every minute was functional. I would never just sit and do nothing. Mindfulness has taught me to relax.
Understand and deal with self-sabotaging character traits. My strong motivation to excel and drive to obtain the best results gets me places, but it also made enjoying the ride difficult. Mindfulness has helped me appreciate the little things and relish the journey.
Excel professionally and be a better manager. Mindfulness is the driving force behind becoming a strong, loved and confident manager for my team.
Deal with moments of emotional overwhelm and periods of feeling down. Mindfulness has taught me how to ease my emotions and step out of them.
Cultivate more self-compassion. Mindfulness helps to soften strictness towards myself, loosen high expectations and be more ok with myself when I feel I could have done better.
Connect and listen to my body. I have learned that my body has all the answers: if something is good for me, when I go too far and what is the right decision. Mindfulness showed me that my body and breath are the gateway to the present moment and they help me process any situation.
Curious To Get Started?
Mind. Body. Business.
I have a big love and passion for Mind, Body and Business. Over the last 7 years, I studied and fully embraced Mindfulness and other Body & Mind practices into my life. This led me to become a Mindfulness Trainer (MBSR), Mindset Coach (NLP) and Yoga Teacher (200hRYT) – alongside my corporate job.
Early 2020 I founded Zentre. My mission is to share with you what everybody deserves to know, how to team up with yourself, or better said: Your own Mind. When you can manage your own mind, I promise you: the waves of life become so much easier to ride.
Curious to know more? Are you ready for a change? Just as Mark challenged me - I can help you.
With Calm and Love,
Marie-Claire
