- Are you done with all the waiting that is involved in fertility treatments?
- Are you over analysing your body for signs of potential pregnancy?
- Are you taking pregnancy tests earlier than you should?
If any of these are true for you, I get it. Because they are all true for me too.
Waiting sucks. Especially during the Two Week Wait!
I still cringe with every pregnancy announcement. I’m am sick and tired of all the well-meaning but unhelpful, even hurtful, advice. I hate the injections and the bloating. I am disgusted by the clinical vibe and I CAN’T STAND THE WAITING anymore. It seems that everyone around me is falling pregnant by just looking at each other, but no, not for me. And every month again, it’s right there, in my face…
For sure, it seems nearly impossible to stop obsessing about pregnancy while dealing with infertility. Babies are all around you. You spend countless hours in the doctor’s office checking this, assessing that – all in the hopes of having the sperm meet the egg.
Trust me. You are not alone.
I’m dealing for 5+ years with infertility, so you can imagine that I’ve had my fair share of ‘two-week waits’ in the last couple of years. Keeping busy was for me the best remedy to kill this dreaded period of waiting. I have started multiple businesses, passed some interesting courses, and got myself some new certifications.
I did everything to keep myself busy, except… taking care of myself.
When I started noticing that the lows after a negative test result were getting lower, deeper and harder to get out, I knew something needed to change. I dived in the research behind self-care, read multiple books, created my own routines and helped others do the same. Right now I feel more balanced and in control than ever before (yes, even before this whole infertility circus started).
I created ‘The Self-Care Booster – Nail the TWW’ as a welcome change during your TWW. This 14-day program will keep you busy in a meaningful and fun way, reducing the need to count days, and to obsess about ‘pregnancy symptoms’.
Don’t survive, but THRIVE your Two Week Wait
Now, let’s skip to the good part!
Every day (for 14 days), you’ll receive a carefully designed document with the topic of the day, some provoking questions, a couple of challenges, and an affirmation matching your daily topic. Join me on an amazing journey, stop overthinking, step into your power and create certainty in these uncertain times.
Over a 14-day period, we’ll cover topics such as:
– Control
– Comfort
– Connection
– Congruence
– Communication
– and many many more!
During this experience, you might even increase your clarity and confidence! But no pressure whatsoever, most of all I want this to be a fun experience in which you feel calm, relaxed, and ready for the next step. Whatever that might be!
Including daily affirmations!
My name is Rianna Hijlkema.
In 2011 I broke up with my boyfriend, sold my house, lost my job, my savings, and my cat. I lost everything, except my car, so I drove to Paris and started all over. Well, not THAT easy.
I was overwhelmed and very confused, but I found a way to use this major life transition to design a life of my choice.
Now I’m a serial entrepreneur, digital nomad, full-time traveler, happily married with my soulmate, and one of those who didn’t succeed – against all odds – diagnosed with ‘unexplained infertility’.
For 5+ years I’m juggling my nomadic lifestyle with fertility treatments (IUI, IVF) and it is 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 one year ago, I decided that my pity party had to end. It was affecting my relationships, my health, and my happiness. I had come to the conclusion that there was nobody who could give me the support I needed anyway, so I had to take back control over this whole messed-up situation.
I moved to Mexico because I knew that the sun would do me good. I went on several trips, made a bunch of new friends, and I even had my first glass of alcohol since years! And you know what, last week I heard myself say out loud: “I feel so alive!” – and I honestly cried tears of joy.
It’s tough, confronting, and hasn’t been easy every day, but I’ve decided to let the doctors work on it, while I’m living my life to the fullest (between the freaking appointments). I want to be happy, healthy, and ready for that one day I’m holding our little one in my arms…
Stop putting your life on hold, and start living NOW!
Self-Care Booster – ‘Nail the Two Week Wait’
- Daily e-mail with topics regarding self-care, mindset and life vision.
- Daily challenge to keep you busy, embrace your power and to do things that you love!
- Bonus: Free access to private FB group
- Optionial add-on: personal support (call & text) during your tww
What most people know about me is…
- I’m a serial entrepreneur, digital nomad, full-time traveler, and happily married with my soulmate.
- Originally from The Netherlands, but living abroad for 11+ years. 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 a women empowerment coach, teacher-director, graphic designer, postpartum doula, and pediatric sleep consultant. I work with women and their families all around the world to help them thrive and grow.
- I am constantly on the move, crossing oceans, climbing mountains, and driving around on the motorbike. 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…
- 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 fifteen 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 midsts 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.
- Sometimes I need to take a holiday from my lifestyle.
- 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.
- 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 got married twice, with the same man.
- 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.
Read how other women describe the experience of working with me
“After I lost a family member and my job, I felt lost and emotionally out of balance. The support that Rianna gave me, was the perfect gift to help me move forward.
Rianna guided me to open up the different layers and then helped me flip this information into something practical for the future. Every week something new surprised me in the different areas of my life. The framework she is using clarified many things, which led to revelations during the week, which helped me make new decisions.
When I started working with Rianna, I was more selfless, this changed throughout the sessions and now I realize that I should not only take care of other people but that I need to do more things for myself and express who I am so that I can really serve the people around me with my biggest strengths.
It was a very empowering experience and it uncovered a lot of things that really helped me move forward. Rianna was a crucial piece in the transition that I was going through.“
Laura Giosh-Markov
Positive Discipline workshop facilitator, a 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 was very confused and struggling in my current situation, trying to find my path.
I resonated with Rianna’s message and was provoked by her way of living her life. In the first session, I shared what I thought were the most important areas of my life, but when we started digging in and analyzing what was behind them, they turned out to be something quite different.
Rianna created a powerful structure in which she doesn’t make you dependent on the coach but gave me the power to continue going on without her. After this experience, I started doing things differently. I know now that, whenever there is a challenge or a conflict, I now have the tools to sit down, work through them and understand why I feel a certain way.
Every session that we had, brought new interesting facts and new ways of looking at things. Rianna does an amazing way of guiding; very encouraging, supportive, but also challenging.”
Maria Kacharava
Support Service Team Leader
In partnership with:
Women Living Abroad is a collective of international relocation professionals with a global reach and local presence. WomenLivingAbroad.com offers the emotional support you need when living abroad, they assist expats and partners. It’s about working internationally, redefining your identity, and decision-making all within the context of living abroad.