From dreaming being a doctor to graduating as economist

As a young kid my dream was to be a doctor. The idea of helping people to get ‘better’ was really appealing to me. The human body with all its complexities was a huge fascination to me and I often watched medical programs. However, during high school I realised that my talent in beta courses like math & science was less than hoped for. That’s how I came to choose the economic direction.

Eventually, this boy from the East ended about studying in Brabant (the South). At Tilburg University I started studying business Economics. In between I went to Canada for an exchange semester. During my time as a student, I continued doing what I liked as a kid: doing a lot of sports and cycling on my race bike. In the weekend, I worked at Suitsupply.

KPN and Deloitte

After getting my master’s degree, I started working as a management trainee at KPN. A nice position that prepared me for being the manager of a team of 30 software developers only 18 months after. That was a time in which my learning curve exploded. But I also touched the edges of my own capabilities at that time. Being young with such a responsibility is a job easier said than done.

After more than 3 years at KPN, I decided that it was time for a new environment. It wasn’t for long before Deloitte Consulting offered me a great position. At Deloitte I provided (international) clients with IT Strategy advice for more than 4 years. But I also worked for an academic hospital and a large NGO. Exactly what I wanted: getting experiences at a variety of clients. But I kept noticing a particular feeling in my stomach that gave me signals.

Jan: you are doing so well

My environment often said to me that thing were working out for me quite well. I had a job at a prestigious company, a nice car, my own house and a beautiful perspective for my career. And they were complete right, that is for the rational but. Because for me it most often felt differently. Despite the car and the well paid job, those things did not fulfil me at a higher level.

During my busy working life, I often struggled with my own limitations. When getting home after a long day, it was hard for me to let go of work. I slept badly, dreamt about work in the, and was easily irritated towards my relatives. I realised that this would get worse if I did not search for help. That’s when I made an intervention and went looking for help from a professional.

During this learning process I discovered totally new characteristics of myself. I learned to really listen to my body and to my feelings. I became more relaxed, better able to put things into perspective and took work less personally. Because how good school might be in learning you theoretical knowledge, learning to listen to your feeling is unfortunately not part of the curriculum.

Coached by Jan

Early 2019 I started with a half year sabbatical from work. A time-out from working life and off for some travelling. During this period I have read countless books and explored my own limits. After a few month I knew it for sure: I want to engage in something that I can directly help other people with (just like a doctor). Advising large organisation did not longer gave me the fulfilment I was looking for. Being in Sri Lanka I quit working at Deloitte.

The months after this big decision my ideas starting to get some shape. I decided to enrol for the Strategic Intervention Coaching program. In addition, I started reading even more books around personal development, started a blog janklp.nl, and started actually coaching some people. That’s how Coached by Jan became a reality after a long time of preparation.

With Coached by Jan I’m helping people with a pragmatic and emphatic way to realise their goals and (hidden) desires. I sincerely believe that everybody could benefit (during certain life phases) from the assistance a coach can offer. A person that you can trust and that asks those challenging questions that gets you moving. And a person that help to bring order in a time of chaos.