Inspiring stories
Peek in my Week, every week. What moved me, what I learned, what I did differently.
I thought it would be a quiet week. It wasn’t. Performed on stage as a shoe saleswoman with twelve faces, went to the sauna solo for the first time, slept twelve hours after nine months of building, a…
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Pentecost weekend. Everyone out on boats, terraces, soaking up the sun. Me? Working on my training sixteen hours a day. No to the boat. No to the terrace. No to “let’s quickly visit a market.” James C…
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I almost skipped this week. Too busy. Restructured my whole training. Easy excuse. But James Clear wrote: “The issue isn’t skipping once. It’s that you practice being someone who skips.” So here’s pea…
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The deck is outttt. From the Netherlands to India. Pinch me. Further in Peek in my week #41: Turning 47 and getting a Jupiter Return “gifted” by my astrologer Why Michael Singer says: you already feel…
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Number 40. Forty weeks of showing up. Every single week. Not perfect. But 40 pearls on the string, turds and all. And what a week. I was on stage at the Shadow Summit alongside Barry Michels. I nearly…
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Giving feedback to your hero, yes really… Barry Michels practiced his keynote for the Shadow Summit. With me. And he told the story of Adam and Eve in a way I won’t forget. Also in Peek in my week #39…
Read more →The full archive: 46 editions, a new one every week.
May 8. Be The Change day. Tools, shadow work, connection and action. Free. Max 14 people. But first this week: I stood in front of the mirror. In my underwear. And almost fell for it again. 90% of…
Two years. Blood, sweat and tears. A gazillion messages with my illustrator. Three test prints because the paper didn’t shuffle right. But it’s here. The State Shift Method® is now available for pr…
Last time I moved with two full cars. This time? Four. My friend called me out: “Holtslag, what happened?” So this week: saying no. No to events. No to stuff. Five boxes out the door. Also in Peek in…
A new client brought photos of my parents that I had never seen before. Plus: an interview with Barry Michels (YAY!), dancing until half past two in the morning (completely sober), and a beautiful too…
Two years of work. And on Tuesday morning I almost couldn’t bring myself to pick up the pilot copy. The fear is biggest right before the finish line. But (obviously!) I picked it up anyway. And tes…
My first professionally recorded podcast last week with Sander Veldman. At some point I did a tool with him. He saw the chaotic part of himself sitting across from him. The part that always has to kee…
She did everything right: courses, therapy, books. She knew exactly where her patterns were. And still, every relationship fell apart. Until she stopped forcing. What if letting go is actually the key…
Last week, for the first time ever: a full moon dip. The water was something else. Just like this: “One is not born a woman. One becomes one.” Maybe that applies to more than you think. Peek in my Wee…
Hermit mode in sweatpants and bathrobe. Until I swapped them for my seventies flares and headed to the cinema. Elvis EPiC. 8.5 on IMDb. Oh boy, was I glad that I did. Plus: why inner work is never don…
You worry about all the misery in the world. Meanwhile at home you snap at the people closest to you or stop communicating altogether. Michael Singer puts it like this: you are creating a war right no…
Hermit mode in sweatpants and bathrobe. A ring I fell in love with and a crooked cake I tried to justify. And the universe that was crystal clear. Peek in my Week #30 is here. About bullshit excuses,…
There is nothing, literally NOTHING, my shadow has pointed me toward that I followed and later regretted. That’s why: one year no shopping, no sweets, and 21 km on pure grit. The new Week in Review is…
One for all, all for one: that’s how pecan trees do it. I learned again from Barry’s wife, and I stepped onto the soapbox at Wonders of Work. This week we’re talking about: Boundaries that are love…
5 things that moved me this week: A passage about regret. A film that made me swallow hard. An article about looking away as a choice. A brilliant series that explains The Field. And: F U, Part X.
What if your habits aren’t the problem? In my new Week in Review: → The third option (not suppressing, not giving in) → The difference between addicted and unaddicted → Why you don’t need anything fro…
“Forgiveness is giving up all hope of having had a better past.” What do 10-year-old soccer players, Hugh Jackman, and my break-up have in common? They all taught me something about letting go. About…
“Why would I do this to myself?” That is exactly the question that points the way. This week: 2-degree ice water (with an axe) 3,000 canceled flights and a lesson in surrender What happens wh…
What we left behind in the fire during the New Year’s workshop. How I overcame not just cold water, but my prudishness too. And what I am incredibly grateful for from 2025, a year of ups and downs and…
Sunday at the train station. Alycia telling me about young people in South Africa. From 40–60% to 80–90%. 100% passed. Two years in a row. Phil’s email hit me: “We’re in a spiritual crisis.” And yeste…
400 people sang about surrender at a funeral. My friend showed me how powerful asking for help is. Barry Michels shared his diagnosis and “Thy will be done.” Week #21 reflection is live!
YES! Newsletter #20! Why recognition is worthless if you don’t do anything with it. Why I thought I was done with my control pattern (spoiler: it came back). And why helping 1 person = success (eve…
Daring to ask for help. Letting go of ballast, literally and figuratively. Not saving, but holding accountable. This week was about three things and one important lesson: practice what you preach. Abo…
Russell Crowe as Göring, disturbingly charismatic. A psychiatrist who wants to understand evil and loses himself in the process. This week: blind spots, walking skeletons returning to life, and why “I…
Weekly Reflection #17 is here! 5-4-3-2-1 and I stepped into the cold water. Not because it was fun. But to give Part X the middle finger. This week: embracing monsters, vulnerability with kids who hav…
One and a half years alcohol-free. Avicii, Bruce, two containers full of freedom and my talk at Netwerk vol Magie. Joy from leaves dancing across the road. But also pain, fear and loneliness with razo…
Back to my old school, flowing and why you don’t want to break your brain. This week: returning to Wageningen where it all began, coaching live again after years of online work, a mini-vacation in Ams…
“Who wins inside you?” The part that wants to build, or the part that sabotages everything? In my latest newsletter (8-minute read, but truly worth it, if you ask me ) I take you through: • client t…
“Did you know this?!” my cousin asked when we heard we’d be sucking out fish eyes. About preparation, failed speeches, and when good is actually good enough. Newsletter #13 is here…
This week: wrong day, wrong place, drag queen in the hallway. The brave are not without fear. It’s what you do next that counts. Reactive discipline in action. Reading along again?
What if you had ten times more courage? This blog shares my journey through action, structure, and breaking perfectionism. It’s about bold choices, smart teamwork, and moving through fear. Read along…
Hooray! Week in Review #10 is here, featuring Munich, magic, and releasing the brakes. Between beer tents, stark contrasts, and campfire conversations, I made a decision: Discipline isn’t about bei…
From procrastination and numbing to superpowers. From plump oysters at a Parisian market to top-tier alcohol-free wine in Staphorst. And a book that deepens my perspective on relationships. It all cam…
How a woman who mentally rehearsed her 120kg squats led me to Michael Phelps, who swam his gold medal race blind. Plus: why shadow work might be your biggest breakthrough & how digital shame keeps you…
In addition to lots of coaching and giving a workshop, I recorded my first podcast in ages with Martijn Aslander about Obsidian. An old shadow showed up: “Please, let me sound smart!” My first thought…
Stuck in procrastination or self-doubt? In this blog, I share how fear holds us back, and how you can flip it into action. Just like I did this week! With personal stories, powerful tools, and a touch…
This week, I uncovered a blind spot thanks to Jim Murphy’s book: the Affluenza virus – living for the outside instead of the inside. My personal weakness? Appearance. Shadow work helps: that insecure…
My son Jimmy turns 10 (officially a teen!), spoke at Martijn Aslander’s book launch about Obsidian (game-changer for organizing knowledge), and coaching season restarts. Key takeaway: check if your la…
Two cakes, one choice: doubt or trust. This newsletter dives into insights from coaching sessions, heart-centered Tools, dancing mornings, and unexpected encounters. From setting boundaries to living…
In this Peek of the Week, I take you on a ride through a mix of insights, Tools®, books, podcasts, coaching moments, and a fountain full of humor. We dive into energy, relationships, lifestyle, learni…
YES!! Hi there! And welcome to my very first Peek of the Week, where I share beautiful moments, Tools, tips, insights, mess-ups, and more, so you can benefit from them too. In this first edition, you’…