People usually come to me because something isn’t going well.
They worry too much. Feel stuck. Keep ending up in the same situations. Can’t make a decision. Are unhappy in their work or relationship. Have lost their sense of direction. Or simply feel that life has become much more complicated than it should be.
Those things are real.
But often, there’s another problem sitting on top of the original one: the idea that you shouldn’t be like this. That something is wrong with you. That you need to understand yourself better, fix yourself, heal yourself, improve yourself or finally become the person you were apparently supposed to be all along.
And sometimes that second problem is considerably bigger than the first.
A closer look
I’ve spent years working with people, studying psychology, spirituality and self-help, and writing eight books of my own.
That experience has taught me to listen closely, ask difficult (or just plain weird) questions and recognise how people get caught in their own explanations.
I bring that to our conversations. I notice where you keep returning to the same story. I ask about things you take for granted. And I’ll point out what you seem to be avoiding.
We look at what’s happening in your life, what needs your attention and what you can do about it. We also examine the effort you put into fixing feelings, finding certainty or turning yourself into someone you think you should be.
Seeing that clearly can open up ways forward you couldn’t see while going round in the same circles.
About me
I’m Marnix Pauwels, a Dutch writer, coach and plant medicine guide at Ancient Mother Healing Center.
Before doing this, I spent many years in advertising as a copywriter and creative director. I’ve written eight books, worked as a musician, given a TEDx talk (see below) and spent a substantial part of my own life investigating why being a human being can be so unnecessarily difficult.
I’ve also had my share of addiction, anxiety and depression.
I’ve also had my share of addiction, anxiety and depression. That experience led me to investigate how we can make life so unnecessarily difficult — and what helps us find our way out.
Today, that’s the work I do with people: looking closely, questioning familiar assumptions and helping them move forward.
