GGstory

Here's how I rebuilt my life from scratch (more than once)

- and what it taught me about transformation.

I’ve lived through transformation more times than I can count.

Releasing what doesn’t work.

Rebuilding from a place of deeper alignment and truth.

A business. Relationships. Health. Thoughts. Emotions. Even trauma.

Each chapter of my life brought me closer to understanding what it means to create a life that feels easy on the soul. Every breakdown carried a breakthrough, showing me the delicate art of renewal.

This journey became the foundation for The New Reality School.

Here’s how it all unfolded.

       

       

       

From a young age, I couldn't help but notice the divide of...

… the facades we show the world versus the deeper essence buried underneath and waiting to be expressed.

As a child, I watched adults do things that didn’t make sense to me: Living in ways that made them mentally sick, emotionally drained, and physically dependent on distractions to numb the pain. I didn’t understand why they were stuck in cycles that hurt them—and each other.

I grew up feeling like I didn’t belong. And without realizing it, that feeling led me to do the same… I put on a mask to survive. I stayed in places and relationships that drained me. Told myself it was normal to feel this way. Ignored my instincts and boundaries. Lied to myself. And eventually, I lost myself.
For a long time, I thought I was the problem. That feeling of not belonging felt like something to fix, something to escape. It took me years to understand that that feeling of not belonging wasn’t the problem—it was the solution. It was a signal telling me I wasn’t meant to fit into dysfunction. None of us are.

       

       

       

In my early 20s, I felt like I was living a double life.

One foot planted firmly in societal norms—the expectations, the safety, the path everyone else seemed to follow. The other foot dipped into uncharted waters, chasing what my heart truly wanted.

This push and pull shaped the winding journey of my studies:

  • At 18, I started with architecture inspired by the idea of creating spaces that shape how we live… only to realize I didn’t want to become an architect. 
  • I pivoted to macroeconomics to study the systems shaping our world—though psychology was already calling my name.
  • My fascination with change and possibility led me to pursue an additional master’s in innovation.
  • To eventually, in the past decade, dedicate myself to (neuro)psychology & personal development and understanding how we grow, heal, and transform.
Looking back, each chapter felt disconnected at the time. But now I see the thread that ties them together—a search to understand not just the world, but how we create meaning and change within it.

       

       

       

I eventually got certified in:

  • Trauma-informed therapy

  • MBCT mindfulness based cognitive therapy

  • MBSR mindfulness based stress reduction

  • MBCT – MBSR teacher training

  • MSC self-compassion teacher training

  • PNP neuro-plasticity teacher training

  • ACTP accredited coaching program

  • Reiki master level

  • Msc Macro-economics

  • Msc Innovation

I sought wisdom in places classrooms couldn't reach

I needed more than theories and lectures; I needed experience. I was curious, restless, and eager to understand life beyond the conventional paths so … 

I often spent holidays in silence in Buddhist monasteries in Asia, meditating for 12 hours a day, sleeping on concrete with a wooden pillow—learning to sit with myself, face the chaos within and listen.

I explored spiritual medicine in Brazil, where healing wasn’t a separate practice but an integral part of life—woven into the rhythms of culture and community.

I lived and worked on São Tomé e Príncipe (a tropical island on the west coast of Africa), helping co-create a microfinance program for entrepreneurs with the national bank—an experience of collaboration and possibility.

In Lisbon and Gent, I facilitated strategy and brainstorming workshops for entrepreneurs. Helping others bring bold ideas to life taught me as much about creativity as it did about courage.
And I turned inward. Therapy became a tool for unraveling old patterns, while formal training became a way to deepen my understanding of how change really works

I became obsessed with learning everything I could about transformation. Every course, training, and certification I could find, I dove into headfirst.

I learned from some of the best in the field:

  • Dr. Mark Williams – University of Oxford (UK)
  • Christina Feldman & John Peacock – Insight Meditation Society (US)
  • Dr. Chris Germer – Harvard Medical School (US)
  • Dr. Kristin Neff – Center for Mindful Self-Compassion (US)
  • Dr. David Dewulf – I AM (BE)
  • And even Thai, Tibetan, and Indian monks, doctors, and energy workers.

       

       

       

Following my intuition

After graduating from university, I found myself pondering, “Who do I really want to work for?” The answer wasn’t what I had expected—or what I had planned. Instead of following the traditional path my degree had mapped out, I chose to follow  intuition.

That choice led me to the Institute of Mindfulness, starting as a program coordinator. Before long, I was training to lead mindfulness and compassion programs myself.

       

       

       

But I still felt a calling inside... A lotus was born.

Years later, during a two-week silent retreat, I envisioned a project that would bring everything together.

In 2015, A Lotus Seed was born—a space where neuropsychology, mindfulness, self-compassion, creativity, and energy work came together to help people navigate their subconscious, emotions, and thoughts while reconnecting with their true essence.

I chose the name because A Lotus Seed can only grow in mud.

The mud represents life’s challenges, struggles, and imperfections. Yet, the lotus rises, blooms, and creates beauty—not in spite of the mud, but because of it.

The name reflected the philosophy behind my work:

Growth and beauty emerge when we embrace the messiest parts of our journey.

At the same time, I was navigating some of the most challenging parts of my own life. I ended a long-term relationship that no longer aligned with my truth, bought my first home, and soon after, met my fiancé.

During this time, I had the privilege to meet and guide:

  • 5,500+ Clients

  • 250+ Group Trainings

  • 56 Company Trainings

  • 20 Retreats in Belgium, Portugal, and France

       

       

       

Observing patterns of change...

Through this period, I became deeply fascinated by the raw, intuitive, and often chaotic processes of transformation. Patterns began to emerge—not just in my own life, but in the lives of the people I worked with. I saw how difficult real change is for most of us:

 

  • We lack the skills to move through uncertainty and build something entirely new from the ground up.
  • We were never taught to translate the visions inside us into tangible realities outside of us.
  • Most people move through life disconnected from their essence—the ability to flow, trust their intuition, express themselves authentically, create with purpose, and focus on what truly matters.

Finding answers

I became obsessed with finding the answers on these questions:

 

What skills are needed to navigate change?

 

How do we realize our potential without burning out?

 

How do we make the messy middle of a transformation process less messy?

 

How do we create realities that align with our true essence?

Creating a new chapter is an art that can be learned and refined

The deeper I explored, the more I understood:

Creating a new chapter that truly feels like you isn’t random.

 

It has a rhythm—a natural flow.

It unfolds through patterns, phases, and skills that can be understood, practiced, and mastered.

It’s a process. A delicate art anyone can learn to navigate—from the inside out.

The new reality school was born.

I created what I wished existed when I began my journey:

 

A way to navigate change with clarity.

 

A process to reconnect with your true essence.

 

A space to master the tools and skills for every phase of transformation.

 

A system for building aligned lives and businesses—from the inside out.

 

Not to chase perfection, but to create lives and work that feel aligned, inspired, and meaningful.

The biggest lesson of all

What I came to believe is this: 

Transformation is always possible. 

You’re not your past. You’re not your mistakes. You’re not your patterns.

You’re a mix of energies, talents, and gifts—a unique blueprint that only you can bring into the world.

Have the courage to burn it all down—the roles that aren’t yours, the lives that don’t fit, the masks you’ve outgrown. You’re not here to conform—you’re here to create from the raw, unapologetic truth of who you are.

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