Week 38
The power of visualization, shadow work and deep transformation.
This week I’m taking you into the fascinating world of mental training, from a spontaneous encounter at the gym to deep shadow work. Plus: practical tools to train your mental muscles just as consciously as your physical ones. Ready? Let’s dive in!
Article for Powerwoman: The power of visualization
Something special happened not too long ago when I walked into the gym at 5:30 in the morning, and mind you, I’m not talking about the CrossFit box I also frequent, but the local sports factory here in Meppel. There I saw a woman doing her squats mentally first (which I didn’t understand at first, but later did when she explained it) before even approaching the barbell. A few days later I received an email from the editorial team of Strength Training for Women, which I write for, asking if I wanted to write an article about the power of visualization. How “coincidental”!
She was sitting there with her eyes closed, hands on her knees, lips moving as if she was rehearsing something. What followed was one of the most controlled, powerful squat sessions I’ve ever seen. 120kg for five reps, perfectly executed. Holy moly.
“I was doing my squats. Just in my head first. And I repeated exactly what I needed to do. If I can’t do it perfectly there, why would my body be able to?” she said.
This became the starting point for a deep dive into the science behind visualization. Because this is much more than wishful thinking, it’s mental training. Just as systematic and strategic as your physical training. The article will be published next month in Powervrouw magazine. A few fun facts I found and want to share here:
Michael Phelps used visualization from the age of eleven. Every night he went through his races, not once, but hundreds of times. And that paid off dramatically during the 2008 Olympics in the 200m butterfly when his goggles filled with water and he literally couldn’t see. “I swam that race literally blind,” he said later. “But I had swum it so many times in my head that my body knew exactly what to do.”
Eddie Hall became the first human ever to lift 500kg off the ground through his extreme visualization technique. He imagined his children were trapped under the barbell and he had to save them. “I didn’t see 500kg on that barbell,” he described the day of the lift. “I saw my children who needed to be rescued.”
Female pioneers like Serena Williams and Jessica Buettner also show how visualization breaks barriers. Williams: “You have to see things happen in a fantasy world, and really believe in that fantasy world, until it becomes reality.”
The message? Your body cannot go where your mind has never been. Since writing this article, I’ve been applying it more myself. The techniques I use are sometimes a form of visualization too, but still different from what I normally do.
Shadow Work Workshops: Two rounds of transformation
Yesterday, Sunday, I had the honor of leading two shadow work workshops, one in English and one in Dutch. What a privilege to guide people from different cultures through the same deep transformation. Although I was quite tired for the second workshop (and had a bit too much coffee), I’m sure no one noticed, quite the opposite actually.
The opening was magical both times. We started with a meditation to let love energy flow through our bodies and connect with everyone in the digital space. That may sound floaty, but it actually grounds you in the present moment. We spend so much time in our heads, in the future or past, in expectations, daily worries and so on. For coaches, creators and therapists, this kind of connection is essential, we give so much of ourselves that we need to refuel love more regularly. And what I love… I join in myself and it helps me shift my state immediately.
The conceptual part was about Phil Stutz’s philosophy: Life Force (forward energy), Part X (sabotaging force) and the Shadow (our hidden fears and vulnerabilities). I explained that a healthy relationship with your shadow helps you overcome self-doubt and fear.
The practical exercise was intense both times. I guided participants through a meditation where they met their younger, rejected self. “Send loving energy to that part of yourself,” I said. “Ask what it needs.”
What happened next was so beautiful:
• Someone saw a grey lump of clay that was initially afraid of abandonment, but transformed into something protective when it received love
• Another visualized a version of themselves that was incredibly disappointed, and when they connected with that part, they felt as if a weight had been lifted from their shoulders
• Yet another saw their shadow as a dark corner in their heart, which gradually became lighter as they gave it attention
The most important insight?
It’s easy to love the best parts of yourself. The real art is to do that with your difficult, ugly, angry parts too. Because those are the parts that carry shame, guilt and vulnerability. And when you start giving those parts attention and love, everything changes.
One participant said it so beautifully: “I always tried to push my shadow away. But now I realize it’s actually the part of me that needs attention. And not from others, but from me!”
It’s incredibly important, because every day that we don’t truly dare to show ourselves as coaches and creators means that potential clients don’t get the help they need. As a business coach once said to me: “Because you don’t dare to show yourself, people are bleeding in the streets. You can help them, but you don’t because of fear.” Point taken.
By the way, Rowena Korthout-Blom’s cat also found the session very interesting, see the photo with this article.
Coaching sessions: From practical tools to deep transformation
This week was also full of intense coaching sessions. Wonderful.
In one of those sessions we worked on family boundaries, specifically when you’re asked to play mediator in conflicts between family members. My advice in her case (and yes, sometimes I do give advice): don’t get in the middle. Let people take the initiative for reconciliation themselves. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is do nothing and leave the responsibility where it belongs.
Another session was also about not wanting to acknowledge a shadow. This time out of fear that it would take over the client’s life. The interesting thing was that precisely because of the lack of acknowledgment, that shadow was already doing that (hello: self-destructive behavior!), but unconsciously.
Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.
As Carl Jung says, and I keep coming across this one.
Digital Fitness Friday
And then there was the “Digital Fitheid clubday,” as Martijn Aslander calls it, which I’ve been a fan of since the PKM Summit in March, and it was once again a whole lot of fun and very interesting. At Wonders of Work it’s always a great time anyway, see the bubble photo below and the lunch was absolutely delicious again. Highly recommended if you ever want to spend a day working there.
About digital storage
Most coaches like me are very curious and learn a lot, but store insights here, there and everywhere in notebooks and folders all over the place. There was a beautiful metaphor about online storage warehouses bursting at the seams (shit, this is about me too: “see the puppet, close the cupboard” is something I apply not only at home, but also with my information storage). Since I got back, I’ve been cleaning up online, because otherwise I’ll need an extra shed.
Also: where is that info when you need it? It’s quite a task, but the Marie Kondo principle “Does it spark joy?” works just fine for a digital clean-up too.
Lars Sørensen gave a presentation about ‘digital shame’. What stuck with me most was this: that voice that says, “Everyone already knows this except you.” “You’re not tech-savvy enough.” I was nodding way too much – so relatable. Pure Part X trying to keep us small in the tech domain.
I also discovered ai.invideo.io thanks to Felicia Lin‘s great explanation, a platform where you can easily create short informative videos about your offerings. I’m still experimenting (and yes, my first videos are… let’s say ‘very AI’), but it feels like a breakthrough for someone who always thought video creation was too complicated.
Tool of the Week: The Complete Visualization Toolkit
Inspired by my article and all the sessions this week, here’s your complete toolkit:
Daily basics (10 minutes) • Morning (3–5 min): Visualize your training/important moments of your workday with technical precision • Before key moments (2–3 min): See and feel the perfect execution • Evening (5 min): Relive successful moments and reinforce positive patterns
Advanced techniques: • Multisensory: Include hearing, feeling, smelling, tasting • Tempo matching: Let mental reps last as long as real reps • Perspective shifting: First person for strength training, third person for technique analysis
Avoid common mistakes: • Don’t just visualize success – practice dealing with setbacks too • Be specific, not vague • Consistency over intensity
I spoke with @Susan Plakke from Zwolle who trains at the CrossFit box of my ex-boyfriend. She delivered an absolute top performance at the CrossFit Games 2025 with a 4th place in the masters category (Women 40–44) and shows that Dutch athletes can also belong to the international elite. She also shared that before going to sleep, she would visualize herself performing specific movements countless times. In other words:
If you can see it, you can do it.
Agenda
November 11, 2025 – Network full of Magic by Liesbeth Kingma
New workshop dates coming soon – Next workshop planning in progress
Speaking opportunities – Organizing an event? Let’s talk.
Final note
If you take only one thing from this newsletter, let it be this:
“Your body cannot go where your mind has never been.”
So start today by visualizing where you want to go. Train your mental muscles just as consciously as your physical ones. And remember: every great achievement first began as an image in someone’s mind.
And for shadow work: make peace with your “bad sides”. Because if you’re fully okay with them, no one can reject you for them.
Contact
Want to chat about what you want or your shadow sides? Or just have a good conversation? My inbox is always open: sylvia@sylviaholtslag.nl
Thank you for reading! Was this valuable? Share it, spread the love and energy.
May the life force be with you, Syl
