“The greatest treasures are those invisible to the eye but found by the heart”
Janaki van den Brink
My life has been very diverse, mainly through quite a range of influences. My grandparents were free-masons and astrologers. My parents were very active in practicing Yoga and meditation, which was quite special in the 60s.
When I was 14 years old, I accompanied my mother to India, to follow a 9-months teachers training course in traditional Yogic practices. I ended up staying for 5 years, was initiated into monkhood when I was 15 years old, and travelled around India giving lectures and workshops.
At 19 years old I returned to the Netherlands and 5 years later my beautiful daughter was born. When I was 26 years old I travelled to the United States and again back to India, where I conducted Yoga Classes and a Teachers Training Course in a spiritual organization for 3 years.
After this period I returned home and met my husband, this was 28 years ago. In 1996 I met Mrs. B.K. Mitchell (a.k.a. Byron Katie) and became acquainted with the model of Four Questions and a Turnaround (The Work). For a period of 12 years I worked for BKI (Byron Katie International Inc.; the American head office), was founder of Byron Katie Europe, a company that offered management and in-company training programs as well as personal coach sessions. I helped translate her books into Dutch, translated her life programs, organized the European tours and training programs and coordinated the European organization for Byron Katie International.
In 2002 I founded The Working Company, to continue to offer corporate training programs. I dit this for several years, offering individual coach sessions, presentations and communication-/team training programs for companies in the Netherlands such as: Bureau Zuidema BV, Diemen & Van Gestel Talentontwikkeling, Deloitte & Touche , ING, Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken , Ministerie van Defensie, Centrum de Tiltenberg, Diemen & Van Gestel Talentontwikkeling, MSD, Nieuwe Dimensies, RUG Adviescentra Nederland BV , Slösser Groep, Van der Velde, Organisatie- en loopbaanadvies, Van Ede & Partners, Gemeente Alphen aan den Rijn.
In 2004 I launched The Working Coach training, a very diverse training where people are being trained as coaches with the different methods that are described under ‘work methods’ in this website. The training was an immediate success and is since being offered in the Netherlands, the U.K., Sweden and Denmark.
In the same way that everything is subject to constant change and movement, a lot of things changed in my own life. In 2008 the moment for the next step had arrived. I changed my company’s name to ‘Simply Playing’ because it became clear that learning in a playful manner is much more effective, lasting and effortless than ‘serious’ learning. The old methods made way for new ways and approaches. Dialogue from your heart was a result of this period of transformation and change.
I frequently work for a company called ‘Firmament’ (a company for personal- as well as organization development that centralizes around authenticity, directed by Yolanda Dol). For Firmament I give individual coach sessions and a training called ‘Discussion Skills-1’.
The Coach Training Program has been transformed into a communication training in the most broad sense of the word. During the basic principles of communication, the importance of the art of listening to each other becomes very clear. During the training I pay a lot of attention to various exercises for listening skills. Alongside I work with the Kilmann model, which teaches us how to deal with conflicts and opposite interests as well as the Shulz van Thun model with explains about the 4 levels of communication and communication disturbances. The Dialogue principles are explained through an 8-fold model, which offers real life practice situations in discussion skills and the giving of feedback in a very simple way.
My workshops and training programs are relaxed and profound and at the same time light and funny. My specialty is the creating and designing of exercises and accompanying material that supports a Dialogue from your heart.
Besides the Communication/Dialogue Coach Training Program, I regularly offer 1, 2- and 3-day workshops in the Netherlands and various European countries. I am always available for private sessions, presentations and the conducting of corporate training programs.
June 2010
