Accelerating CX maturity

in teams and organisations. 

That’s what I love most.

Not the theory or complexity - but making it work in practice.
Because the speed at which our field is evolving?
Honestly, it’s wild.

There are big CX shifts in the air.
What once felt vague is becoming a structured, scalable system - one that can prove its value.
And the great news? The frameworks are here. The practices are maturing.

From teams searching for relevance,
to teams driving real business traction.
And every time the pace picks up, one thing becomes clear:
Growth accelerates when you have access to the right frameworks and best practices.

As Strategic Lead at Essense, I help organisations, teams, and leaders take their next step -  building sustainable CX models that align across stakeholders and prove their worth.

Work Experience

Unfold for the details.

  • About the Agency
    Essense is a service design agency specialized in Journey Management, CX maturity, and customer-centric transformation. The agency works at the intersection of strategy, experience, and operations - enabling organizations to scale CX from the inside out.

    Role
    Strategic CX Lead.
    I guide long-term transformation programs across teams and leadership, co-create internal CX products (e.g. CX Maturity Programs, CoE Accelerators, and the CX Academy), and support clients in building systems that connect CX ambition to real business results.

    Clients
    Bol, Maxeon Solar Technologies, Greenchoice, TU Delft, Heineken, Odido, Inter IKEA, Rabobank.

    Focus Areas

    • CX Ambition & Rollout
      Design and activation of customer experience principles, vision statements, and team-wide alignment programs.

    • CX Maturity Scan, Roadmap & Governance
      Delivery of maturity assessments, leadership interviews, roadmap development, and the design of governance structures for long-term adoption.

    • Journey Mapping & Strategic Alignment
      Mapping complex customer journeys (B2B and B2C), identifying gaps, and aligning stakeholders around priorities and ownership.

    • Training & Capability Building
      Development and facilitation of in-house training programs (e.g. 12-week Journey Management track) for CX teams and accelerator programs for CoE’s

    • Need-Based Research & Positioning
      Creation of quantified persona sets and behavioral insights to guide propositions, value alignment, and customer centric innovation.

  • In 2022, I started Birth Guides as a passion project - an illustrated booklet that explained the word of birth in a simple way. t’s built on one simple belief: preparing for birth doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. With the right tools and structure, anyone can feel more confident, more in charge, and more supported in their choices.

    Along the way, it became my entry into the world of online entrepreneurship. I followed courses, worked with business coaches, and learned what it takes to build a brand from the ground up. Today, Birth Guides runs as a business on its own - with physical and digital products that are used and recommended by birth professionals & doula’s. 

    The results:

    • 💬 Only 5-star reviews

    • 📕 The book + workbook are recommended by most midwifery practices in Amsterdam

    • 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Trusted and shared by doulas

    • 🧠 All tools are designed for a foggy and often overwhelmed brain. 

  • About the Agency
    Wunderman Thompson (now VML) is a global creative and brand agency known for combining strategy, creativity, and technology. I worked within the Experience Design team, translating brand narratives into tangible experiences across channels, platforms, and services.

    Role
    Strategic Service & UX Designer.
    I worked on the intersection of brand, service design, and user experience - combining qualitative research, strategic frameworks, and UX flows to shape customer journeys and digital platforms. Projects often sat at the early stages of concepting or in the transition from vision to experience delivery.

    Clients
    Johnson & Johnson, The Social Hub (formerly The Student Hotel), 11.11.11, BPost, Telenet.

    Focus Areas

    • Concept Design & Brand Activation
      Translating brand strategy into service experiences through concept development, experience principles, and journey design.

    • Need-Based Research & Positioning
      Development of need-based profiles and behavioral frameworks to shape value propositions, messaging, and positioning.

    • User Experience Strategy & Platform Design
      Structuring UX flows for digital platforms, rooted in user research and accessibility, including content journeys and behavioral triggers.

  • About the Agency

    Nomads is a creative transformation agency helping brands drive growth through creativity and design. The agency blends business strategy, experience design, and service innovation across global markets.

    Role

    Service Design Lead → Strategist & Service Designer.
    I led service and experience design projects for global clients across industries. My role evolved from hands-on service design to more strategic consulting, helping clients shape value propositions, align journeys to business goals, and build internal capabilities for long-term change.

    Clients

    AirFrance KLM Cargo, HOYA Vision Care, P&G Pampers, Airbnb, McGregor, Rituals, National Geographic

    Focus Areas

    • Journey Mapping & Strategic Alignment
      Mapped journeys across digital and physical ecosystems, aligned internal and external stakeholders, and prioritized value opportunities.

    • CX & Product Vision Development
      Co-created experience principles, global CX visions, and digital experience strategies across complex product portfolios.

    • New Proposition & Service Design
      Developed new service concepts and designed end-to-end experiences, combining customer needs with business model innovation.

    • Customer Research & Insight Generation
      Led international qualitative research, synthesized behavioral insights, and translated findings into product, service, and content strategy.

  • Co-Active Training Institute
    Fundamentals of Coaching
    2025

    Hyper Island
    Facilitative Leadership
    2023

    Hyper Island
    Digital Innovation
    2017
    Focus: Design Thinking & Digital Technologies

    Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
    Minor in Tourism & Hospitality
    2013 – 2014

    Saxion University of Applied Sciences
    BBA in Hotel Management, Hospitality Business School
    2010 – 2014
    GPA: 8.1 / 10
    Specializations: Customer Experience, Business Model Innovation & Service Design

    ArtEZ University of the Arts
    Interior Design
    2008 – 2009

    Dorenweerd College, Doorwerth
    VWO (Higher Secondary Education)
    2002 – 2008

Over the past 10+ years, I’ve worked across agencies in Service Design and Customer Experience Strategy. It allowed me to move from hands-on research and journey mapping to leading transformation roadmaps and strategic programs. This wide range of experience helps me connect the details with the bigger picture - building buy-in across teams and leadership.

All the agencies I worked with had a strategic focus to design - and that’s the space where I operate best. In recent years, I’ve shifted more towards capability building: developing frameworks, training teams, and helping organisations, teams, and leaders grow in maturity and momentum. Helping people step into their next level is what I enjoy most.

While the CX practice is familiar and close to my heart, my entrepreneurial journey with Birth Guides has opened my world even more. It gets personal when you are the brand and the company. Running your own “toko,” as we say in Dutch, is a whole different ball game. You face new trade-offs. You meet your edges. And you need a different kind of mindset to keep showing up.

That journey taught me a lot. It expanded my business mindset, turned me into a better marketeer, and gave me the chance to be coached on my own limiting beliefs. One of the most valuable takeaways? The power of coaching. It inspired me to start my certification as a Co-Active Coach, which I’ll complete in 2026. The intersection of Service Design/CX depth, business thinking, and coaching - is where I deliver my best work.

Where I used to be free to travel far whenever I wanted, I’m now learning the identity shift called time scarcity - and how to make it work. Motherhood, surf, career, gardening, entrepreneuring, learning.

I’ve always loved to create experiences. I started studying Interior Design, which later turned into a degree in Hospitality Business. Our home is one of my favourite projects, and the example on how these worlds meet. We transformed an old concierge house into a little palace that feels like holiday year-round. From a plain grass field into a wild forest in six years. It’s one of the things I’m most proud of - creating something that grows, that gives back, that makes people feel at home.

Personal life.

Fifteen years ago, I discovered surfing. A humble sport - because it’s hard to get good at it. But you keep going, keep falling, and enjoy the ride. It brings you to the most beautiful places. Connects you to nature. Forces you to be mindful in the moment. And allows you to meet the best people. Even though I surf less these days, that way of living still feels like a big part of me.

My most recent shift is motherhood; trading the lifestyle of freedom, and traveling, for family. A new kind of presence. Less space, more meaning. And now, a few years in, finding more and more balance, in taking the family along. When my son was born, I also started my passion project Birth Guides.

What started from passion and design slowly turned into a real business. It’s expanded the way I think, the way I manage my time, and the way I contribute. Working on something as impactful as birth - and being able to play a small part in that system - is very rewarding.

Every new level in life brings it’s own shifts.

Some come naturally, others I needed to adapt to.
New rhythms, new trade-offs, new opportunities.
And whether it’s it’s business, leadership, or personal life - you feel it when you’re on the edge of a shift. When you are aware of the possibilities in front of you - and dare to choose - everything starts to move. If the old no longer fits - maybe it’s time to try on what’s next.

I started building my coaching foundation in 2025, and it will be a key focus for 2026 to grow this even further. Leave your email below if you feel (almost) ready to move - in leadership, business, or life - and I ll reach out when spots open.