Monique van der Weijden: "My coach understood me immediately and knew how to support me in the various steps I took. If I needed a kick in the butt, I'd get it."
“I found Dynamisch Bureau quite by chance via the internet and then it turned out to be one of the agencies that HR advised me. So that couldn’t be missed! I read the profile of my coach and I immediately knew: I have to have her, that woman is going to understand me.
I had had a few tough years at the government organization where I worked that had had a big impact on me and my family. I hadn’t been able to work for a while and was looking for a coach for a Track 2 trajectory.
Before the start of the process, I had already done a lot of (self-)research, followed a Mindfulness training and various webinars, and had conversations with professionals, friends and colleagues. My coach understood me immediately and knew how to support and stimulate me in the various steps I took.
If I needed a kick in the butt, I’d get it. The feeling that I was understood and seen by my coach and that I could go to her with questions and doubts, helped me a lot. Through the interviews, I became clearer about the direction in which I would like to find a new job.
In the meantime, my reintegration has been completed and I have been temporarily seconded to another government organization where I can contribute to a particularly valuable assignment: handling requests for access to the war archives of the Red Cross. It is very good to be back to work in a friendly working environment where I can work with great colleagues. Of course, the fact that I feel much better in my work also has a positive influence on my family and other aspects of my life.
I can therefore wholeheartedly recommend everyone to work with a coach with whom you feel a click. Dare to take a good look at yourself and what you find important. This makes it easier for you to take the first steps towards something new.
My work future is still open as my secondment ends on 1 March 2021. I’m just starting to look at job openings again. I hope to be working in a more permanent job in a few months.
A personal message for others? Jeez… Go with the flow, enjoy the ride, everything will be fine!”