Have you ever found it easier to tell a stranger what's really going on than someone who knows you well?
A stranger doesn’t have expectations of you.
They don’t know your family.
They don’t know what you were supposed to do.
They don’t have to agree with you — or worry about what happens next.
Sometimes, that’s exactly what makes it easier to talk.
So who am I, and why do women come to talk to me?
Come and have a chat over tea.
You don’t need to know exactly what’s wrong.
You don’t need to know what kind of help you need.
You can simply tell me what’s been on your mind.
The first conversation is free.
What brings women to my table?
Sometimes it’s something very specific.
Sometimes women know exactly what they want to work on.
Sometimes they only know that something has become too difficult to keep carrying on their own.
“I need to learn how to say no. I end up running behind everyone and it’s too much for me to handle.”
“I don’t know what I want anymore. I tried everything.”
“I feel lonely when I get home from work. I end up going on the phone, and I don’t like to do that.”
“I know something needs to change. Where I am heading is not good. but I don’t know what to change.”
“My career looks fine, but it doesn’t satisfy me. I think I want something different. And that is such a huge step.”
“I keep getting angry at the people I love. Why do I keep shouting at my husband? It is not necessary.”
So what do we actually do?
We start with what is happening in your life.
Sometimes we work on a very specific situation. Sometimes, as we follow the thread, we discover that something deeper is getting in the way.
Depending on what you bring, I may use approaches including EFT, NLP, CBT and trauma-focused techniques.
The method matters. But so does knowing where to look.
There isn’t a fixed formula for what you need to work through.
We start where you are and see what unfolds.
What does working together actually look like?
We start by getting clear about what you want to be different.
In our first conversation, we explore what brought you to me, what you’ve already noticed yourself, and what outcome you would like from our work together.
That outcome becomes the thread we keep coming back to as we work.
You might come with something very specific – a difficult relationship, a decision you can’t seem to make, a pattern you keep repeating, or something that has been weighing on you for years. Or you might simply know that something isn’t working anymore.
Either way, we start by making the outcome you want clearer, and then look at what is getting in the way.
The approach can change depending on what we discover. I may use EFT, NLP, CBT-inspired techniques, or other tools from my practice. The method matters, but so does knowing where to look.
You don’t have to arrive with the answers. You only need to know that you want something to be different. We can work out the rest together.
What changes when you start doing this work?
The change isn’t just about feeling better. It’s about being able to do something differently in your actual life.
You may come because you want to set a boundary, make a decision, change something in your work, improve a relationship, or stop a pattern that keeps getting in your way.
And the change can be very practical. Saying no without the guilt. Having a difficult conversation without it turning into a fight. Making a decision you’ve been postponing. Changing something in your work. Responding differently to the people you love.
And sometimes, as you work through one thing, you begin to understand what else needs to change — and what doesn’t. You get clearer about what matters to you, and more able to make choices from there.
What women have taken away from our work
“I cannot thank Carolien enough. She created such a safe, non-judgemental space that I could finally reconnect with myself and cultivate self-love.”
— T., NRI lawyer and mother of two
“I approached Carolien during a difficult mid-life career transition, scared, anxious and completely lost. Our work kickstarted my new profession and helped me build more authentic relationships while taking better care of my own needs.”
— Divya, 36
“Every session ended with a Eureka moment. Carolien was extremely patient, listened to my pouring out, and somehow knew just what to ask.”
— Latika
I work with women who have built lives across cultures, expectations and responsibilities. I understand what it can be like to make sense of yourself while moving between different worlds.
Perhaps this is why talking to me feels different.
I’ve lived in India and the Netherlands, and over the years I’ve found myself deeply immersed in many different worlds — through the work I’ve done, the communities I’ve been part of, and the things I’ve become curious about.
When something interests me, I tend to go all in. I want to understand how it works, where it came from, and how the people inside it experience it.
And sometimes that means knowing the big things. Sometimes it’s knowing that lauki and dudhi are the same vegetable, depending on where you come from. Or knowing what it is like when you talk about “my in-laws” or “my society”.
I bring that same curiosity to our conversations. I don’t need you to fit into a category before I can understand you. And I don’t need to agree with you to be interested in your world.
You can bring me the complicated stuff, the ordinary stuff, and everything in between. We’ll get curious about it together.
Ready to talk?
You don’t need to have it all figured out.
You can simply come and tell me what’s going on.