Born and raised at the North Sea coast, I used to love to roam around the dunes, with their short oaks and the smell of pine and heather, on my horse and on foot. I exchanged the dunes for he hills of South Limburg during my studies. I stayed in the south, further expanding my love for nature through climbing, hiking, mountain biking, kayaking,  gardening, and just being with the elements, come rain or come shine.

I studied Culture and Science Studies at Maastricht University, and defended my PhD in Sustainability Science, about biodiversity conservation in an urban context, in 2014 at the same university. The reciprocal relationship between people and nature has always been the red ribbon in my studies and work. I was especially interested in the way people design and maintain their gardens and how this contributes to sustainable urban environments. Additionally, the cultural and psychological connection and the meaning of nature in people's life always interested me.

In 2014, I started working in the department of Health, Ethics, and Society of the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences at Maastricht University. Here I have been able to expand on my passion for teaching Sustainability Science, Systems Thinking, Complexity Theory, and Planetary Health in the Global Health Master programme, and in the Bachelor programme European Public Health, at the Medicine programme, and at University College Maastricht.

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Through my work with students, ranging from lecturing, leading group workshops, thesis supervision, and individual mentoring, I gained experience in all possible ways of working with people. The creativity and emerging knowledge in group settings is inspiring, as insights arrive in a group that could never emerge in individual learning. Working in groups can be like a flock of sparrows creating beautiful shapes in the sky. With individual mentoring or coaching, I enjoy creating a safe space for students for them to open up like a flower, and talk about their lives, motivations, and purpose.

During the crisis years of COVID, I realized that I wanted to do more with my knowledge and experience of the way nature and human health are fundamentally related. And I felt the urge to do more work in the outdoors, instead of being stationed behind my laptop and in lecture halls all the time. Based on a Global Health thesis project, an outdoor workshop emerged. Through designing specific exercises, the workshop operationalized five pathways to nature connection, as discussed in Lumber et al, (2017): senses, emotion, compassion, meaning, and beauty. I have offered the workshop successfully to colleagues and students for some years now. These workshops provide me so much pleasure, that I decided to take it a step further. And, alas, here we are.

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Next to working, I have a lovely family with a young son. We love our home at the edge of the Natura 2000 site Ingendael, our animals, and our garden which provides joy, shelter, food, and a fantastic social, or quiet space. When I don't want to be quiet, I love playing my saxophone at home or in my bands Cajun Moon and Via Malaga.​​​​​​