In her book My Stroke of Insight (2006), Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, a 37-year-old neuroanatomist, describes how her life changed completely in the space of just four hours as a result of a stroke. It rendered the logical and clear-thinking left hemisphere of her brain useless. This half of the brain controls … Read full story
Would you allow an unqualified surgeon without any medical training to operate on you? Probably not, unless… In around 1926, an African is born somewhere in a tiny village in South Africa. Till the age of 14 he goes to school but when his family can no longer afford it he has to … Read full story
Any idea what the Chinese character is for ‘to listen’? It’s a combination of no less than 5 elements. On the left you have the symbol for the ear, below that the symbol for the emperor/king. The right side consists of three symbols, one above the other. At the top you have … Read full story
The film ‘Billy Elliot’ (2000) is set in the 1980s in a poverty-stricken mining village in the north of England. The story revolves around an 11-year-old boy living with his no-nonsense father, rebellious brother and a grandmother suffering from dementia. His father has enrolled him for boxing lessons even though he has … Read full story
Two years ago I had a rather nasty experience. While I was bringing my two eldest children home, I suddenly started getting palpitations, stabbing chest pains and could hardly breathe. Now and then I would be able to breathe normally but the next minute I was gasping for breath. I was convinced: … Read full story
What do you stand for? What’s really important to you? What do you believe in? What is your goal in life? Not only are these kinds of questions difficult to answer, we often don’t take time even to consider them. And that’s rather strange because the answers to these questions give purpose … Read full story
In one of the training courses I give, before the traditional round of introductions, I ask the participants to ask each other the question: ‘what is your most cherished dream?’ This is always a special moment. First there’s the sense of ‘confusion’ as they think: ‘what is my most cherished dream (and do … Read full story
If you were to ask me what the essence of coaching is, I would say that it is a result-focused way of working designed to get your client into motion. By being curious, posing open questions, and keeping your own opinions to yourself, you stimulate a person’s capacity for self-research, self-learning, self-direction … Read full story
