Guidance That Moves You Forward
You are far from home but closer to yourself than you have ever been.
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Brain challening
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Who am I …
You're not in crisis. You'd be the first to say so. The move went fine. You've found your grocery store, and you already know the best spot for coffee. At the welcome party you show up polished and put-together, and from the outside it all looks good.
But something isn't moving. You can't quite name it, and you're too smart to pretend it isn't there.
I know that feeling well. In the last 25 years, I've moved 10 times, across Europe, the Americas and Asia. I've lived on a plantation in Papua New Guinea, where life was raw and simple. I've had Sunday brunch at Raffles in Singapore, where life was polished and easy. In both places, everything I thought I was, and everything I'd been told I should be, got questioned.
And somewhere along the way, I bumped into myself. Not the woman I was supposed to be. The real one.
That's what I do for my clients. I don't hand you a plan or wag a finger. I listen closely, I say what I see, sometimes a little bluntly, and I give you the spark to get going again. You already have what you need. You just shouldn't have to find it alone.
You didn't leave yourself behind when you moved. You might be about to meet her for the first time.
Ready to Chat
Why We Do What We Do
You're filling in a residence form, and you pause at the box that says Occupation.
At dinner parties, you're introduced as someone's wife. Someone asks, "And what do you do?" and you hear yourself say, "Oh, I used to…"
You once ran meetings, managed budgets and made decisions that mattered. Now you're an expert on which supermarket stocks proper cheese. The children are settled at their schools. Your partner's calendar is full, and so is yours. But with what?
I've lived that pause in many countries.
In Papua New Guinea, with very little around me, I found more contentment than I'd ever expected. In Singapore, with everything at my fingertips, I learned that comfort and purpose are two very different things. Each move taught me the same lesson: purpose doesn't arrive with the shipping container. You build it, one clear goal at a time.
Now I help women like you do exactly that. I listen to the parts you haven't said out loud, show you what I see in you, and push you to think far beyond "used to."
Your next answer to "What do you do?" is waiting. Let's find it.
Schedule a free 30-minute call to see how we can make it happen.
Meet Online, Grow Anywhere
Our Coaching: The Trail
A three-month coaching journey that takes you from flock to flight.
For the global woman. Whether it's her very first move or her tenth, she's ready to feel at home in herself again, wherever she's landed.
What's included:
One-to-one coaching, in person in Chicago or online anywhere in the world
Voice-message support between sessions
Membership in The Herd, our private community, in person and online (The Flock)
Tailwind, the newsletter with a spark in your inbox
Two levels:
Wingspan: six sessions, every two weeks, $1,200
The Full Span: twelve weekly sessions, $2,200
Payment plans available.
Communities
Never alone. The Herd and The Flock are here for you. A private community, in person (The Herd) and online (The Flock), of women who understand this life: the moves, the goodbyes, the fresh starts, and the joy of finding your people again.
The Cache
Our library of articles, links and pictures, gathered for women who move. Like the chickadee, who stores seeds to find again when she needs them, you can always come back here for something useful.
Tailwind – Newsletter
A little boost, with a chickadee twist, to carry you through the week.
Sign-up line: Wings for your week, roots for your soul.
Why Caribou and Chickadee?
Every woman who moves across the world needs two things: roots and wings.
The caribou carries the roots. She makes the longest journey of any land animal on earth, across frozen tundra, rivers and open plains. She takes her time, and she keeps going. She travels with her herd, the family she brings along, yet she walks every step on her own feet. And she knows that home isn't one place. It's the steady, familiar ground she carries inside her, so she can find her footing wherever the path leads.
The chickadee carries the wings. She's small, but she is fearless. When other birds fly south, she stays, and she thrives through the coldest winters with curiosity, cheerfulness and a song you can hear through the snow. Wherever she is, she finds something to be grateful for, and she lives it with joy.
You are both. The caribou's quiet strength to keep going when a new country feels heavy, and the chickadee's spark to find the light, the people and the beauty in it.
That's why I chose these two. Not because they're pretty names, but because I see them in every woman I meet: the strength, and the spark.
That's what Caribou and Chickadee is about. Grounded enough to feel at home in yourself, and light enough to fly.
About Kirsten
Born in the Netherlands and now based in Chicago, I've spent 25 years living across Europe, the Americas and Asia, and raised four children along the way, each with their own adventure in a different corner of the world. I know the school runs, the farewells and the fresh starts from the inside.
Have Questions? Let's Talk
You don't need to have it all figured out before you reach out. That's what our first conversation is for.
Book a free 30-minute call with me. No pressure, no sales pitch. Just a chance to get to know each other and see whether we're a good fit.
Prefer to write first? Fill in the form below and I'll get back to you personally within two working days.