✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ - Episode 34

Leading with kindness: Neil’s mission to humanize work and life

What if the most disruptive leadership tool of the future… is kindness?

I had the pleasure speaking with Neil Schambra Stevens, founder of Mercury Jam Coaching and former CMO for brands like Vans and Polaroid. His journey of resilience, empowerment and transformation is a true testament to defying expectations and creating meaningful change. 

In our conversation, we explored key challenges, turning points and the moments that reshaped his path to success!

What we explored:

👉🏾 Kindness as a leadership practice: moving from performance-driven to people-driven cultures;

👉🏾 Burnout & self-care: how personal loss and exhaustion led to a new philosophy of balance;

👉🏾 Corporate to coaching: why leaving global brands was the start of something more human;

👉🏾 The science of kindness: its link to innovation, retention, and psychological safety;

👉🏾 Technology with heart: building an AI-powered kindness & self-coaching app;

Nuggets of empowerment:

🙌🏾 “Kindness isn’t fluffy, it’s a strategic act of leadership”

🙌🏾 “You can’t pour from an empty cup...self-care is the foundation of service”

🙌🏾 “What we do with our 90,000 working hours matters. Let’s use them meaningfully”

Connect with Neil:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-schambra-stevens-mercuryjam/ 

Website Mercury Jam: https://www.mercuryjam.com  

Struggling to create lasting behavior change?

Discover how Positive Reinforcement can help you inspire and motivate with real impact!

Check out our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl   

What’s one small, intentional act of kindness you can offer today, to someone else or to yourself?

✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ - Episode 33

From drivenness to depth: Alisher’s mission to rethink hiring with purpose

Could a billion-euro business problem be solved by asking better questions of ourselves first?

I had the pleasure of speaking with Alisher Jafarov, founder and CEO of Avery, a B2B SaaS company revolutionizing how companies hire. His journey of resilience, empowerment and transformation is a true testament to defying expectations and creating meaningful change.

In our conversation, we explored key challenges, turning points and the moments that reshaped his path to success.

What we explored:

👉🏾 The talent crisis in europe: how misaligned hiring is costing companies more than they think;

👉🏾 AI for good: using technology to match people, purpose and performance;

👉🏾 From corporate to startup life: why leaving a successful career can be a leap toward deeper impact;

👉🏾 Drivenness vs. presence: the tension between ambition and being fully in the moment;

👉🏾 A vision beyond business: building an island for great minds to change the world!

Nuggets of empowerment:

🙌🏾 “Purpose isn’t a luxury...it’s a compass when everything feels uncertain”

🙌🏾 “Being driven is powerful, but not if you forget to stop and breathe”

🙌🏾 “The future of hiring isn’t just faster, it’s more human!!”

Connect with Alisher:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisherjafarov/ 

Website Avery: https://www.getavery.ai 

Struggling to create lasting behavior change?

Discover how Positive Reinforcement can help you inspire and motivate with real impact!

Check out our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl  

When’s the last time you paused not to plan the next move, but to truly acknowledge how far you’ve already come?

✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ - Episode 32

Procurement with Purpose: Peter’s Path to Inclusion & Authenticity

What if your professional role became a gateway to create systemic change in business and in society?

I had the honour of speaking with Peter Zerp, Inclusive procurement strategy expert at Accenture, ESDP board chair and NGO board member. His journey of resilience, empowerment and transformation is a true testament to defying expectations and creating meaningful change. In our conversation, we explored key challenges, turning points and the moments that reshaped his path to success.

What we explored:

👉🏾 Inclusive procurement: making supplier diversity a strategic priority in global business;

👉🏾 Authenticity at work: the courage to bring your whole self into professional spaces;

👉🏾 Overcoming bias: the daily effort it takes to unlearn assumptions and open doors;

👉🏾 Redefining success: moving from status and titles to meaning and fulfillment;

👉🏾 Personal reflection & growth: why looking inward might be the most radical act of all!

Nuggets of empowerment:

🙌🏾 “Diversity isn’t a ‘nice-to-have’...it’s a necessity for real progress”

🙌🏾 “Authenticity means being honest with yourself first and then with the world”

🙌🏾 “Everyone has something special. We just need to create space for it to be seen”

Connect with Peter:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterzerp/ 

Learn more about ESDP | Empowering ethnic minority businesses:

•  Website: https://esdp-org.eu 

Struggling to create lasting behavior change?

Discover how Positive Reinforcement can help you inspire and motivate with real impact!

Check out our sponsor:  https://neotopia.nl 

When was the last time you looked inward, not for flaws but for the quiet brilliance that makes you...you?

✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ – Episode 31

Visibility, vulnerability & angel investing: Tessa’s Journey of Empowering Women! 

How do you go from structured boardrooms to backing bold founders all while staying true to your own story?

I had the pleasure of speaking with Tessa de Flines, co-founder of Nearwater Consultancy, angel investor and former board member of Female Ventures. Her journey is a masterclass in combining business strategy with emotional depth, showing how personal and professional transformation go hand in hand.

In our conversation, Tessa shared how years in the corporate world led to a conscious pivot toward purpose-driven entrepreneurship, angel investing and supporting the next generation of female leaders.

What we explored:

👉🏾 From corporate to consultancy: realigning career and purpose after nearly two decades in banking;

👉🏾 Empowering female founders: visibility, access and long-term advocacy;

👉🏾 Sharing grief publicly: how losing her cat Nava opened space for connection and compassion in her network;

👉🏾 The power of fractional roles: offering structure without the full-time burden;

👉🏾 Angel investing with heart: treating ideas and people with the respect they deserve;

Nuggets of empowerment:

🙌🏾 “Visibility isn’t vanity, it’s a vital leadership skill”

🙌🏾 “Great ideas are sacred. Angels are here to help them grow”

🙌🏾 “Let your story speak especially in the spaces where you feel most professional”

Connect with Tessa:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessadeflines/ 

Website AtVenture Platform: https://www.atventureplatform.com 

Struggling to create lasting behavior change?

Discover how Positive Reinforcement can help you inspire and motivate with real impact!

Check out our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl 

What part of your story are you still keeping hidden and what might happen if you let it be seen?

✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ – Episode 30

From pain to purpose! Trishanka’s journey of healing, identity & unconditional Love.

Some stories don’t just inspire, they shift your entire perspective.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Trishanka Smaal, a powerful voice of resilience, transformation and self-acceptance. Her journey rising from the depths of abuse, violence and rejection to healing, wholeness and empowerment is nothing short of extraordinary!

In our conversation, we explored raw moments, bold choices and the sacred process of becoming who you truly are.

What we explored:

👉🏾 Identity & authenticity: embracing gender identity and living beyond societal expectations;

👉🏾 Healing & inner Work: the multi-layered process of facing trauma and building self-love;

👉🏾 Family & ancestry: breaking toxic cycles through Family Constellation and spiritual tools

👉🏾 Love & compassion: the power of unconditional love, especially when directed inward;

👉🏾 Spiritual growth: navigating twin flames, shamanism and the deeper energies of life!

Nuggets of empowerment:

🙌🏾 “Healing begins when we dare to accept all parts of ourselves even the ones we fear the most"

🙌🏾 “Every layer of pain uncovered is a layer of power waiting to be reclaimed”

🙌🏾 “We are all essential to the world especially when we feel lost, broken, or unseen"

Connect with Trishanka:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheyenne-smaal/ 

Struggling to create lasting behavior change?

Discover how Positive Reinforcement can help you inspire and motivate with real impact!

Check out our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl     

Have you ever had a “Trishanka moment"...a turning point where someone else’s truth helped awaken your own?

✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ – Episode 29

When healing meets code...building an AI therapist called Amber-mind!

What if the therapist you needed as a teenager...was the one you built as an adult?

So much enjoyed speaking with Kuhu Singh, founder of Amber-mind, an AI-powered mental health companion designed to offer 24/7 support. Her journey of resilience, empowerment and transformation is a true testament to defying expectations and creating meaningful change. In our conversation, we explored how personal pain became purpose and how technology is now helping to democratize access to mental health care!

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱:

👉🏾 The birth of Amber: from teenage diary entries to 500+ users in a growing mental health startup;

👉🏾 Affordability & access: why therapy must be accessible especially in cultures where it’s still taboo;

👉🏾 Personal struggles as fuel: Kuhu’s raw journey through depression, burnout and healing;

👉🏾 Cultural sensitivity in AI: how Amber is designed to “get you,” no matter your background;

👉🏾 Entrepreneurship & evolution: the pivot from Expresso to Amber and the power of starting over!

𝗡𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:

🙌🏾 Start where it hurts: the most powerful ventures often begin with personal wounds;

🙌🏾 You don’t need to be perfect to build something meaningful: you just need to be real;

🙌🏾 Technology can hold space: when designed with empathy, even AI can support healing!

Connect with Kuhu:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kuhu-singh-li/ 
• Website Amber-mind: https://www.ambermind.ai   

Struggling to create lasting behavior change?

Discover how Positive Reinforcement can help you inspire and motivate with real impact!

• Check out our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl    

✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ – Episode 28

Bicultural by design...not by default

What if your deepest strength is the part of you that never fully fit in?

I had the honour speaking with Kemo Camara, founder of Omek, a global community built to empower biculturals of African descent. His journey of resilience, empowerment and transformation is a true testament to defying expectations and creating meaningful change. In our conversation (for me education on steroids), we explored how bicultural identity, when embraced consciously, becomes a superpower for navigating our complex world.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱:

👉🏾 From Guinea to global citizen: Kemo’s personal migration journey shaped by resilience, community and purpose;

👉🏾 The origins of Omek: how a spark of belonging grew into a 75-country movement;

👉🏾 Conscious biculturalism: turning inner conflict into cultural integration and leadership;

👉🏾 Diaspora as a catalyst: why global communities hold the key to local transformation;

👉🏾 Legacy and values: how Kemo is teaching his children to stand tall in their cultural heritage;

𝗡𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:

🙌🏾 Your identity is a toolkit: use it to connect, lead and build bridges across cultures;

🙌🏾 Community is not a nice-to-have...it’s a must: belonging fuels transformation!

🙌🏾 Vision demands stewardship: real change happens when we think beyond ourselves and our time;

Connect with Kemo:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kemo-camara-diaspora-expert/
• Website Omek: https://myomek.com   

Struggling to create lasting behavior change?

Discover how Positive Reinforcement can help you inspire and motivate with real impact!  

• Check out our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl 

• ✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ – Episode 27

Becoming Emily the courage to be who you are

What if the bravest thing you could ever do…is simply be yourself?

I had the pleasure of speaking with Emily van Putten founder of SheUnfolds, speaker, activist and tech professional whose deeply personal journey of gender transition, emotional resilience and purpose-driven advocacy is nothing short of transformative!! Her story is one of confronting pain, embracing truth and becoming whole in her own words, by following her ❤️.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱:

👉🏾 Growing up in disguise: navigating childhood in a gender that didn’t align with her inner truth;

👉🏾 Drag as a doorway: how expression sparked self-awareness and the courage to transition;

👉🏾 The power of support: why loving partners, friends and colleagues can make or break a transition journey;

👉🏾 Mental health & identity: from suicidal ideation to healing and the ongoing emotional challenges;

👉🏾 Creating change: emily’s bold plans for a children’s book on consent and a women-in-tech retreat;

𝗡𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:

🙌🏾 You don’t need permission to be you: the world might resist, but your truth is yours to claim;

🙌🏾 Vulnerability is power: Emily’s raw honesty shows that emotional openness fosters real connection;

🙌🏾 Small gestures matter: a colleague’s quiet support can echo louder than public applause;

Connect with Emily:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyvanputten/ 
• Website: https://emilyvanputten.com 

Struggling to create lasting behavior change?

Discover how Positive Reinforcement can help you inspire and motivate with real impact!

• Check out our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl      

✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ – Episode 26

The 3Ms of Women's Health: Menstruation, Motherhood & Menopause

What if we approached women’s health the way we do language learning habitual, inclusive and empowering?

I had the pleasure of speaking with Kasia Pokrop, co-founder of 3mbrace Health | Formerly Mamamoon Health. Her journey of resilience, empowerment and transformation is a true testament to defying expectations and creating meaningful change in the health sector. In our conversation, we explored the critical gaps in women's health and the solutions she's pioneering to close them.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱:

👉🏾 Reimagining women's health: why the 3Ms (menstruation, motherhood, menopause) need holistic, lifelong support;

👉🏾 The Mama Moon app: a “Duolingo for birth prep,” built to reduce birth trauma and postpartum depression!

👉🏾 The role of men: why men need to show up (!!) speak up and support women's health;

👉🏾 From corporate to purpose-driven: Kasia’s bold leap from Philips Digital Health to founding 3mbrace Health;

👉🏾 Bringing change to the next generation: the urgent need to introduce women's health education in schools;

𝗡𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:

🙌🏾 Health is not just a women’s challenge: when men are involved, relationships, understanding and support systems flourish;

🙌🏾 Language matters: ‘3mbrace’ was chosen to unite women across life stages, without being a trigger;

🙌🏾 Digital done right: habit-based microlearning can create real impact in pregnancy and postpartum journeys!;

Connect with Kasia:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kasiapokrop/ 
• Website Mama Moon: https://www.mamamoon.me/yoga-retreat-for-mothers 
• Website 3mbrace: https://www.3mbracehealth.com/phases/motherhood
• Holistic approach to women's health EVENT 24th of June: https://www.eventbrite.nl/e/tickets-womens-health-panel-discussion-1259277285259    

• Check out our sponsor: https://neotopia.nl      
  

✨Journeys of Empowerment✨ – Episode 25

The lotus blooms in muddy water. That’s what makes it beautiful!

Finally I had the pleasure of speaking with Jeena Earthiva, artist entrepreneur, former Bollywood singer, and founder of Conscious Music Code. Her journey is a profound reminder that healing and creativity often rise from our deepest struggles. Jeena didn’t just lose her voice for three years..she lost a sense of herself. But what she uncovered in that silence was even more powerful: her truth, her mission, and her music.

At the peak of her Bollywood career, Jeena was plunged into silence—literally. The loss of her voice triggered a deep identity crisis. For years, she battled anxiety, depression and insomnia, feeling like a zombie moving through life. But within that darkness came a quiet knowing: perhaps this breakdown held the seed of transformation.

Together we explored music not just as art, but as medicine..a way to heal, rewire and reconnect. Jeena’s vision of bringing mental fitness through music into schools and workplaces invites us all to remember: we are more than what we’ve endured.

What We Explored:

• The Conscious Music Code: using music to train the mind and elevate awareness;
• From voice loss to soul gain: transforming a personal crisis into a calling;
• Mental fitness with music: making emotional training mainstream in workplaces and schools!
• The impact of objectification in music industry: challenging harmful norms and reclaiming narratives;
• Authenticity & connection: the power of unfiltered, heartfelt human expression!

Nuggets of Empowerment:

• “Your voice isn’t gone. It’s waiting for you to listen differently.”
• “Mental fitness isn’t luxury—it’s liberation.”
• “Visibility matters when your mission is to remind people of their own power.”

Connect with Jeena Earthiva:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeenaearthiva/ 
• Website: https://consciousmusiccode.com 
• Workshops: https://jeenaearthiva.com/workshops-for-teams/ 

• Explore Neotopia’s approach: https://neotopia.nl    

• https://www.strategysprint.company/nomoreboringworkshops