ABOUT BRIGITTE

I discovered the power of the mind in my early twenties.
Every day as a child I walked to and from my school past the Royal Theatre Carré in Amsterdam.
Every day I would stop for a minute and look at the pictures in the windows of the shows that were playing.
It looked so magical to me and my desire was, to one day stand on the stage of that theatre and do the same.
Even though my parents had no affinity with the arts, I managed to land my first job, age 19, as a trainee dancer and singer in the musical ‘Cats’ in that very theatre.

Maybe my life would have taken a different course if I hadn’t had a serious accident the previous year.
A man attacked me in broad daylight while I was waiting for a tram to go to my theatre school exam across town.
This man believed the devil lived in young women and, as I heard later, had already attacked
two other women before me, making me his third victim.
By throwing a stone he had picked up from some building works, he shattered my skull, leaving pieces of bone almost entering my brain.
As they rushed me, unconscious, to the hospital in the ambulance, I had a sort of vision. Or maybe it was more of a question.
I always had the tendency to lean towards negative thinking and I had asked myself many times what the purpose of life is.
The pressure of all the things we need to accomplish, to become ’somebody’ and the futility of that pressure (because we die in the end anyway), took over most of my thinking in those days. Maybe this was partly because my childhood was not so ordinary: depression and alcohol abuse were present in my family.

As I lay there unconscious in the ambulance, I heard a voice. Was this god? The universe? My own voice? I have no idea, but the question was very clear: Do you want to live, or do you want to die?
I remember thinking: If you want to die, this is an accident that you would normally die from, so everyone would understand if you do. But if you want to live, you have to make something out of your life and stop moaning how difficult it all is.
From deep down this answer came: I want to live because I still have so much to give!

I woke up the next day in the intensive care unit with a burning desire to make something of my life.
My feelings about life changed in that moment, I recovered faster than expected.
I was not going to let this accident stand in my way. I was going to make something of my life and fulfill my dream of becoming a performer.
I have worked in theatre for over 30 years now.
I have sung, danced, choreographed, directed and written children musicals not only in my own country but also in many major cities in Europe and Russia.

However, it is not my intention to tell you my whole life story.
In any life story there have been achievements and setbacks, good times and bad times.
Mine included two divorces, but also living in Los Angeles for two years where I became a certified yoga teacher.
I have two beautiful children and have fulfilled many of my dreams.
Now I am a mindset coach, and helping people to become the best version of themselves and to fulfill more of their dreams, is one of the dreams that came true for me.
And I am still dreaming.

Someone once told me, that your mind works like the GPS in your car.
When you put the destination in, your car will bring you there, no matter how many roadblocks or detours you will encounter. It might take you a little longer, but you will get there if you just keep driving.

I Look forward to working with you 🙂

Sincerely,
Brigitte