What most people know about me is…
I am a multi-passionate serial entrepreneur. I’ve opened an online language school, started a consulting practice, and co-founded a coaching company.
Originally from The Netherlands, but living a nomadic life for the past 13 years. I’ve traveled to 40+ countries and worked on four continents.
I’ve been born and raised in a Frisian tribe (yes, that stubborn part in the North of the Netherlands that speaks another language besides Dutch), of which I’m very proud.
I have found a way to combine several passions into an amazing career, which are all enriching each other in multiple ways. I am an empowerment coach, teacher-director, school improvement coach, postpartum doula, pediatric sleep consultant, and executive VA. I work with women and their families all around the world to help them thrive and grow.
I am fit and healthy and always on an adventure. Climbing Mt. Everest, hiking the Inca Trail, walking the Great Wall of China, diving in Indonesia, paragliding in Nepal, and riding a motorbike whenever I can. Everything I own fits in my backpack and I have friends all around the world.
I am a typical Capricorn; ambitious, disciplined, loyal, sensitive, and quite practical. I always aim high, like to dive deep, and continuously work towards my idea of an extraordinary life.
But, what most people don’t know about me is…
For 6 years I’ve been juggling my nomadic lifestyle with fertility treatments and it has been one of my most challenging experiences. Dealing with pain, fear, hope, anger, confusion, heartache, frustration, crying, grief, disappointment, misunderstanding, anxiety, envy, sadness and isolation all at once, while living abroad. But… nothing could have prepared me for the deathly silence AFTER IVF.
In 2018 I found my husband’s name on the list of dead people, whom didn’t survive the double natural disaster in Palu, Indonesia. Only seventeen hours later I got a phone call that he was still alive. What most people don’t know about me is that up to now I totally freak out if I don’t hear anything from him for more than 3 hours. I’m talking about a raised heartbeat, short of breath and a mind that’s imagining the worst things possible.
In 2019, after years of dreaming and hard work, we managed to get a visa and started our live in Nepal. In the midst of several projects and the construction of our house, Covid-19 came and we had to leave. After 3 months of severe confusion we redesigned our life. We both changed from expats to digital nomads and truly enjoying our new life in Mexico. What most people don’t know is that I feel guilty for having left the friends we made and the children of the school in the village and I keep sending a percentage of my earnings to support educational projects in Nepal.
Even though I look successful on paper, after IVF I had to reinvent my life and my businesses with a new sense of meaning & purpose. I had to learn to enjoy things again and see the beauty in everything. I had to learn to love my body again and take better care of it. I also lost some childhood friends and I had to learn that it’s okay to be different and follow my own path toward an extraordinary life.
Despite living the life exactly as I want it, I feel guilty towards my parents, my 3 younger brothers and my friends for being so far away. I try to show my support in other ways, but know that this is not always enough.
What most people don’t know about me is that I’m actually an introvert. As a highly sensitive person I need more down time than most people, to decompress all the emotions, experiences and stories from the people I’ve been in contact with.
I gave up on cheese (yes, I’m Dutch!) cold turkey after joining WildFit back in 2020.
I’m telling everyone how important yoga is to improve your wellbeing, but can’t get myself on the mat. Somehow I seem to get more relaxed after a good boxing session.
People think that I’m fearless, but that’s not true. I’m scared of making mistakes, saying the wrong things and upset or hurt other people. I’m afraid of not being good enough, for friends, family and sometimes even strangers. I’m afraid of spiders (and they are big outside of Europe!) and injections (thank you IVF!). The only difference is that I just don’t let my fears stop me.
I'm on a mission...
To raise awareness around infertility and support those who are (just like me) childless not by choice.
If you resonate with my story, I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to reach out for a chat, a conversation, or a coaching session. Be messy, complicated, afraid, and show up anyway!
What Others Say About Working With Me...
"I am beyond grateful for your quality time and effort to guide me. You've inspired me to follow my heart and intuition as of lately.
Thank you for pushing me to really evaluate what I wanted, it helped so much.
Also thank you so much for your insights. Your words mean so much to me and just being around your energy fills me up with inspiration."
Thank you for pushing me to really evaluate what I wanted, it helped so much.
Also thank you so much for your insights. Your words mean so much to me and just being around your energy fills me up with inspiration."
Carolina M.
Student Master Therapy/Psychology
"I felt lost and emotionally out of balance. The support that Rianna gave me, was the perfect gift to help me move forward. The framework she is using clarified many things, which led to revelations during the week, which helped me make new decisions. Rianna guided me to open up the different layers and then helped me flip this information into something practical for the future. Rianna was a crucial piece in the transition that I was going through."
Laura Giosh-Markov
Positive Discipline workshop facilitator, Parent consultant, Counselor, and Music Therapist
"I contacted Rianna, because I was going through a deep down. I was feeling lost, I didn’t know where to start, I was overwhelmed with self-doubt and I had no clarity at all on where to go, or even to start. I resonated with Rianna and was provoked by her way of living her life. Rianna gave me the tools to sit down, work through them and understand why I feel a certain way. Rianna does an amazing way of guiding; very encouraging, supportive, but also challenging."
Maria Kacharava
Support Service Team Leader