My path

Back in 2006, I emigrated from the Netherlands to Slovenia. Along with fun and joy, I experienced excitement for the new things in my life and the choices I made. Yet, despite all these enjoyable emotions, my new job, home, relationships, and experiences, I also experienced loneliness, fear, disappointment, hopelessness and depression.  

Depressed and in anguish of my inner critics and in judgment of my choices, I sought help at the point I realised I had a choice: I could continue to suffer or bring the suffering to an end. I chose to end the status quo. I started regularly visiting a therapist, which helped me accept reality. A reality I had in fact created myself and as the experience of it was my own responsibility, so was the creation of the future. 

Because I wanted to understand myself better about what I wanted in needed, and learn to assertively respond to life and others, I booked an introductory training in Nonviolent Communication (NVC) in Amsterdam and quickly started to understand that behind everything I do, is a motivation in me based on universal human needs. Everything I do to meet my needs is a strategy. Another thing I found out, was that for some needs I didn’t have strategies in place to fulfil them. As I didn’t really know before how to give myself empathy, I didn’t understand well what was going on for me and I also didn’t receive much empathy from others to the extent that would really nourish me.

I was in deficit of empathy

Intrigued by what I learned in Amsterdam, I participated in another NVC training back home in Slovenia two weeks later. Since then empathy has a major role in my life, relationships and work. As my journey with (international) NVC continued, my life started to change. Resolving one (inner) conflict, hardship or situation at a time.

• I became an ex-partner to my son’s father. I learned to build a co-parenting relationship and cope with the emotions arising through missing out on being a witness to six years of my son’s childhood – time he spends with his dad.

• I learned to grief for the missed opportunities to build relationships with relatives and friends back in the Netherlands. And I appreciate the many wonderful relationships with people from different parts of the world.

• Though I loved my job as a design department leader, I consciously chose to listen to my heart and honour my soul mission. I opened a company again, because the ultimate creation of my path, is the one that includes the creation of my own professions and working out my own creative projects.

My hope

I like to live in a world where empathy, harmony and mutual care are leading values relate, belong and accompany each other. Environments that cultivate an ecology in which everyone’s needs matter and every individual is seen, heard and accepted, offer a space to create or co-create aligned strategies that wield the potential and resources present, in any given moment and place.

As a conflict coach and mediator, I feel delight in accompanying you in the creation of your own path in your business, project or in your life and relationships.

As a graduate of, and later, an assistant in the BayNVC Leadership Program (with Roxy Manning, François Beausoleil and other NVC trainers), I feel empowered to bring NVC to new places.

Though I have, since 2012 participated in a large variety and number of other international NVC workshops, trainings, retreats, coaching programs and intensive courses, it is particularly the Mediate your Life program on conflict coaching and mediation (with John Kinyon) that enabled me to bring all my skills together in my life and work. I have a sense that everything is coming together and clearing the road ahead. Both in my work as a visual empathy trainer and a conflict coach and mediator.

Empathy

“The main key to creating connections and building new an maintaining existing relationships close home or miles away, is empathy”

— MIREILLE VAN BREMEN

For the past 20 years I see myself developing from a visual artist to a social artist. Through my graphic recordings, visual summaries, paintings, writings, illustrations, graphic designs, art and creative direction, I visually reflect on life and on how I and we all together design our society. Consciously or not.

Graduated from the Willem de Kooning Academy Rotterdam (NL) with a Bachelor degree in Visual Communication and another one in Fine Arts, and over twenty years of experience in the field of visual communication, design and marketing, I aspire to employ my knowledge and experience for co-creating an empathic and harmonious world.

Part of that work includes offering visual empathy training to trainers in learning organizations and training & development departments. My courses help increase the relevance and efficacy of training programs, workshops and meetings.

Visit the website for more about my visual empathy courses at The Visual Mediator.

Love, life and parent beyond borders.

Experience HARMONY and connection in ALL your relationships.

in both countries and within yourself.

(in English or Dutch)

Because your needs matter. 

Find out more about all the products, services and courses I offer ...

Plant-based, organic cooking inspiration for anyone with empathy for animals, the environment and with a preference to eat homemade food cooked from scratch.