Linda Pieters
Founder CoResolvers
I have always been fascinated by groups.
I suspect this has been the case since childhood. When I was just born, my brother became seriously ill, a missed diagnosis resulting in severe brain damage. It had a profound impact on our family, causing much tension, hardship, and emotion. As a result, I unconsciously learned to keenly sense the atmosphere in our family and adapt to it. What is happening… and what is the best way for me to please others, care for them, avoid being a burden, and not demand unnecessary attention. Solving your own problems.
And I carried this through into my later life. A strength? Absolutely, but it has just as often led me into difficult situations.
Always ‘seeing’ the other person first and adapting to them before they could even do or say anything was, at many points in my life, no strength or talent at all. On the contrary… I very often overstepped my own boundaries… and in hindsight, I now believe I didn’t even have those boundaries. After repeatedly encountering difficulties, both privately and in work environments, the realization followed that the source of all this lay within myself. I had to turn the tide. That insight has since significantly shaken things up and fundamentally changed me.
The interesting thing is that I now spend most of my time in groups. With the difference that instead of being on the sidelines as an observer, I am now right in the middle of it. Fully engaged. And I find it incredibly rewarding. My heart always beats faster when a group, team, or individual once again feels their own potential, their own strength. Being able to move past what was blocking or stuck. That potential lies within all of us; I firmly believe in that. That is why I do what I do.
Create the crack where the light gets in
Beautiful words from Leonard Cohen. It is what drives me in guiding teams, groups, and individuals alike. I work from the deep conviction that, without exception, wisdom and potential reside within each of us, but that due to various reasons, these have become obscured, rendering them inaccessible. Resulting in various issues or conflicts.
I don’t so much solve it, but rather bring it to light based on what I observe and experience, and I especially invite the group to do this together. When that inherent strength then becomes visible and tangible again, it is liberated. And a team, group, or individual can truly move forward on their own strength.
I work from the conviction that wisdom and potential reside within each of us
That foundation from the past has continued and strengthened. The knowledge and life experience I have accumulated since then are a powerful addition to this, such as Deep Democracy, CoResolve, Systemic Work and increasingly, examples from nature.
When I’m not working, you’ll find me at our beautiful dream spot in the middle of the South Limburg nature… at home with our animals, hiking, or on my road bike or mountain bike.
