Helping (expat) professionals and parents who
are dealing with a pile-up of big life events replace burning-on with foundational resilience.
Foundational resilience based on physical and emotional wellbeing that supports -rather than exhausts- your mental and functional strength. Grounded in neuroscience, emotional intelligence, and somatic regulation.
Transform how you feel, parent and lead under pressure.
Lately it's just been one thing after another - a massive pile-up of life events; "good" and "bad". For example: you became a parent, your company is reorganizing, a renovation, a relationship crisis, caretaking for a child or relative with extra needs, you've moved, are grieving. And then a bunch of these at the same time.
Functionally, you are doing everything you need to do. You're the one everyone relies on, whether it's at home or at the office. Even mentally you're doing what you need to maintain a mostly helpful mindset to help juggle everything. Where other people might have burned out, you feel like you might be burning on;
You're smart, sensitive and emotionally attuned, but that often means you absorb the stress around you. If you're honest, you increasingly feel internally drained and sad. You miss the vibe - your mojo- you used to have.
Family dinners have turned into logistics meetings. You're mentally checking off the next task while your child is trying to connect with you. The mental load never seems to stop.
You find yourself in the snap & regret cycle: snapping at your team, partner or kids, only to regret it all for hours afterwards.
You care deeply about other people and feel the pressure to stay functional amidst the pile-up of life-events. However you worry that burning-on like this is costing you your happiness and relationships. You're not the parent, partner or leader you want and value being.
I help high functioning parents & leaders - who are burning on through a pile-up - by building a foundation of physical and emotional resilience that supports their mental and functional strength. So dinners turn into moments of connection and belly-shaking laughter again.
You are looking for a lasting solution
You’ve realized that waiting for the storm to pass isn't a strategy, especially since you are dealing with some persisting worries and even new worries always seem to emerge. You’ve already nailed functional and mental resilience—you don't need another efficiency tool or mindset hack.
Often, my clients have already tried:
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Mindset Coaching/Cognitive Therapy: It helps for a moment, but the physical stress remains.
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Over-intellectualizing: You’ve tried to "ratio" your way to peace, but your body isn't listening.
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The "Self-Care" Advice: You’re told to take time for yourself, but with your "village" and support network miles away, practical help and respite feels impossible to reach.
The problem isn't your mindset.
The issue is that your nervous system is stuck in a stress response. Your body won't just 'fall in line' because your mind tells it to. True resilience starts bottom-up, not top-down.
Often, my clients' wellbeing & happiness suffers from:
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The Fester Effect: Not really knowing much about how emotions fester in your body if left unattended, or how to regulate your nervous system. And that is perfectly normal—most of us were never taught how.
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The "No Time" Trap: Knowing it is a lot that they are handling right now, yet you still judge yourself when you experience moments of overwhelm or anger. Perhaps you quickly cast those feelings aside because there is 'no time,' when, in reality, compassion and space for your experience are precisely what is needed to keep functioning. That space is what allows you to return to a state of well-being, health, and creative problem solving.
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Intellectual Overload: Reading and listening to dozens of personal development, parenting and leadership books, following every suggestion and still feeling drained and not good enough. You are trying to solve a physical and emotional depletion with more 'ratio' and discipline, which only adds to your mental overload instead of providing the regulation you need.
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High Standards: Holding themselves to "normal" high standars even in the middle of this pile-up. This is often old patterning blocking the healthy balance you need right now.
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Stress vs. Character: Assuming that snapping at others or freezing up in a meeting is a character flaw, when it is actually a physiological signal that your nervous system is trapped in an overactive stress response.
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The Comparison Trap: Believing you are incompetent because others seem to handle (different) pile-ups way better. This comparison leaves you feeling like a failure, when the reality is that you are simply trying to carry a systemic load all on your own, where others might have easy access to their village.
You want more than just getting through this.
Imagine being able to:
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Reclaim the dinner table: Exchange the logistics for deep connection and belly-shaking laughter with your family.
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Recover your mojo: Find your joy and vibe again, even when the external circumstances haven't changed yet.
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Rest without guilt: Give your body and mind the deep respite they crave while staying fully reliable in your roles.
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Be "all there": Show up for your children and partner with a quiet mind, instead of a brain that is already racing toward tomorrow’s to-do's.
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Lead from the center: Be the grounded pillar your team can lean on, without sacrificing your own energy or sanity in the process.
Cognitive hacks and one-dimensional solutions?
You won't find those here.
My programs help parents and leaders integrate the four bases of resilience by making space for and notice what's happening internally, regulate their emotions and nervous system, and take aligned action from their values and personal needs - especially when they're still amidst massive pile-up.
So functionality and mental wellbeing are strongly rooted in physical and emotional wellbeing.
So you can:
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Reclaim your "Mojo": Feel that internal spark and energy return to your daily life.
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Connect Deeply: Exchange the "logistics meetings" for belly-shaking laughter and true presence with those who matter most.
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Master your Focus: Stay present and intentional in any context—from high-stakes boardrooms to your child's bedside.
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End the Exhaustion: Finally break the cycle of self-doubt and the feeling of "never doing enough."
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Lead & Love with Impact: Show up as a compassionate, energized parent, partner and leader—especially when life is at its messiest.
I'm Kristel Steen, MSc.
Through my work with over a hundred parents and leaders - and through my own lived experiences with pile-ups - I've learned that despite resilience in mindset and functionality, good people are still left feeling depleted.
I created this work because I saw a gap in modern psychology: Too many programs assume that logic alone can carry the day. They give you mindset hacks and cognitive tools, but they ignore the emotions, the 'felt sense', and the nervous system.
Here is my core belief: If you are dealing with a massive pile-up of life events and your body is stuck in survival mode, no mindset hack will save you. Emotions don’t fall in line just because your brain tells them to.
True flourishing isn't about working harder or thinking more positively. It’s about building a foundation of physical and emotional regulation. About creating space for your experience. Because when you are your most nurtured self, you don't just function—you lead and parent with true presence.
What people have said about working with me:
Norma van Maaren
"Kristel is an incredibly sweet and warm woman, which, combined with her expertise, has allowed her to shape many treatment programs in a truly wonderful way. For clients, she's a gentle yet clear and consistent therapist who makes them feel comfortable, seen and heard, and who also provides them with life-changing insights..."
A.
“Kristel is a cheerful and friendly presence who creates a unique connection. She has the ability to streamline team processes and engage the people involved all the way.”
CONTACT ME
Every change starts with a single conversation (in English, Dutch or French!).
I work online and tailor my approach to what is needed to initiate the move toward foundational resilience. Do you have a question about my services or would you like to explore if we are a match? I look forward to hearing from you.
PHONE
+33 6 64 76 91 18
ADDRESS
47 Route des Côtes, 71250
La Vineuse sur Fregande, France
SIRET
845107929 00026