DutchbuzZ Podcasts

Birth photography was new to The Hague when Natalie Carstens joined the international community in this city two decades ago. She calls herself a sentimental photographer of maternity, birth and family occasions and has run her business in Scheveningen for the past 16 years. She chats to Dutchbuzz Editor, Lily-Anne Stroobach

There are few people who know more about world famous Dutch artist, M.C. Escher than Micky Piller. Curator of the Escher and Palace Museum for more than a decade, Micky managed to unravel a great deal about this rather elusive artist during her tenure at the former royal palace in The Hague. In this interview with Dutchbuzz, she talks to Lily-Anne Stroobach.

In the Netherlands, the opening of Parliament has female MPs scurrying for appropriate hats for the occasion. One of the highly skilled milliners in our city is Berry Rutjes who personally designed and made Queen Maxima’s eye-catching hat this year. Lily-Anne Stroobach spoke to her at her colourful store in Noordeinde, The Hague.

Don’t we all love chocolate? But did you know that cacao lends itself to art?

Resident in The Hague for more than three decades, Israeli - born Anat Ratzabi has made chocolate her medium to produce award -winning pieces. She recently won a prestigious chocolatier award in Belgium and is in the studio to tell Dutchbuzz editor Lily-Anne Stroobach all about it…

The Hague international, Renée Tentori, loves to connect, communicate and educate. Active in various roles in Delft and The Hague for more than a decade, she loves the diversity of this city. Raising two global citizens far from her homeland of Australia, she shares some of her life experiences, as a lecturer at a Dutch university, being an entrepreneur, co-creating communities and learning about neurodiversity. She speaks to Lily-Anne Stroobach.

Barbara Jan has been working as a transformational coach in The Hague since 2011.

She now focuses her professional attention specifically on divorce coaching and is the author of ‘How to Get Divorced in the Netherlands’.

A global citizen, originally from Slovenia, she settled in The Hague 24 years ago.

Barbara Jan speaks to Lily-Anne Stroobach about her new handbook and divorce coaching...

Rolling strikes, waves of resignations, chronic manpower shortages. They are all signs that our working world needs to change.

The covid pandemic did more than infect our bodies, it made us pause to re-examine how and when we work and for what purpose.

A new handbook on Post-Covid Engagement for executives combines storytelling with research-driven guidelines for improving internal communications and engagement in the post-pandemic world.

Lily-Anne Stroobach spoke to its author, Fiona Passantino…

Who is an expat and what does it mean to live away from you home country for a period of time? The answers to this question are reflected in a wealth of documentation that comes into the safekeeping of the Expatriate Archive Centre in The Hague on a regular basis. Kristine Racina, the Director of the centre, works together with a team of volunteers to collect and preserve the life stories of expatriates worldwide for future research. Lily-Anne Stroobach spoke to her about her work that now spans 10 years at the centre.

Making The Hague a better place to live and work in for all, has been Marko Fehre’s ambition for more than 40 years. Building up communities that need help and creating a sense of togetherness has been his life’s work, and he is a long way from downing his tools.

Patricia Cardona is someone who has taken half a lifetime to come to terms with the sexual abuse she suffered as a child. She is now determined to share her knowledge as a survivor who conquered her trauma. She lives in The Hague and gives workshops on how she managed to reawaken her inner child, claim back her power, feel free at last and at peace with herself.