1-Tell us about yourself
I'm a Belgian living in Munich. My motto in life is, "a chocolate a day keeps the doctor away" 🍫 My hobbies are public speaking and stand-up comedy (for which I have hardly enough time) and generally I'm an eternal optimist.
2-What is a piece of advice you'd give yourself at the beginning of your career, and why?
Whatever project you're being asked to do, do it well. People don't really remember the outcome of the project, but they do remember the attitudes of everyone involved. Once your colleagues and managers know that you're a reliable colleague, the good, better, best projects will keep coming!
3-How did you learn about Mentessa?
A friend of mine used to organize "Do Work You Love" events, and that's how I got introduced to Tina Ruseva. And since I've been interested in the relationship between purpose, motivation, engagement, and performance for many years, we stayed in touch.
4-What is your favorite novel?
I have soooooo many - last summer I discovered Elizabeth Gilbert (whom most people will know from "Eat, Pray, Love") - and her book "City of Girls" is absolutely fantastic. For those looking for a great contemporary German novel, I would recommend "Unterleuten" by Juli Zeh (or everything by Juli Zeh - she's the one German author everyone should know).
5-Do you think Gen Z has influenced the de-stigmatization of discussing mental health in the workplace?
I think we still have a long way to go, but Gen Z has definitely put mental health on the agenda - even up to the boardroom. I'm an optimist by nature, yet I'd like to caution that just because something becomes a topic at boardroom level, doesn't mean we've solved it yet. We'll get there though - slowly, but surely!