I have been working for over 2,5 years at this amazing company. Yes We Can youth clinics, a clinic for young people that got stuck in life and can’t do it on their own anymore. Their lives became unmanageable and they searched for a way out in anything that made them feel better. From gaming to drugs, self-harm, eating, depression, love or anything else.
I'm a coach and help the fellows together with a big team of loving colleagues. Being their listening ear, confronting them when needed and helping them to find the right tools to handle life. We do this by doing sports and creative activities, but also by sharing my own shame, fear and struggles in life. And the best part is that I also learn a lot from them.
Before Yes We Can, I worked as a freelance personal trainer, I gave group sports session and sport massages and I worked as an outdoor instructor. I was lucky enough to turn my biggest passion in to my job. But after years of doing this, I realised I missed something, a bigger challenge, a certain appreciation and satisfaction. Then Yes We Can crossed my path.
Whilst helping others in my job, I realised that I used to hide behind my own smile and laughed everything away, tried to avoid conflicts and keep to myself as much as possible to not be a burden to others. When my emotions became overwhelming, I found an outlet in sports. I felt better, wanted more, more and more. I relied on sports to compensate with my extreme eating obsession so much, that I pushed my loved ones away and tried to solve everything on my own. For years this helped me a lot and was the perfect solution. Until even that didn’t help me to feel better anymore. I got an injury and had the feeling my life was over.
As a coach at Yes We Can I learned a lot as well. I learned to share my emotions, ask for help and still be okay with myself if I make mistakes and fall on my face. Life is full of struggles and without them we can’t grow. So now I embrace the failures and struggles in life, and get up again to learn from it.
In my free time I’m now still into CrossFit and partake in competitions. I travel as much as possible and go outdoors, especially into the mountains to go hiking, mountain biking, climbing and going back to basics. I found a healthy balance between doing what I love, working and helping others.
I’ve learned you don’t have to be sure of your life goals from the get-go. You will find it along the way and everything is possible when you start to believe in yourself. That’s what I tell the fellows every day as well.
