My story

It was March 2020. Following an incredibly successful 2019 European Election campaign, we were back to business as usual. This meant, turning national challenges into actionable pan-European strategies, hosting workshops with colleagues located across the 27 EU member states, the UK, and the US and organising international conferences.

On a rainy Thursday evening, after sending my last emails of the day, I dropped by my boss's office to say goodbye before heading off on holiday. Back then, I had no idea that this would be my last in-person meeting with him in 2020.

My holiday started as planned. It wasn’t until I arrived in a village with stable internet connection that I began reading scary news about a virus that had just reached Europe. A few days later, I found myself on a flight back to Belgium.

I landed in Brussels on March 16th, and on the 17th, the government announced the border closure along with new measures to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus: we were officially in lockdown. From that day forward, a surreal journey began. Like most people, I initially thought the lockdown would last a couple of weeks. The prospect of working from home, finally addressing those lingering house chores, and having more time to tackle personal projects and develop new skills was quite appealing.

I have always admired entrepreneurs who transform their ideas into businesses that have a positive impact on people's lives and the planet. Eager to delve deeper into this field, I enrolled in a course to learn more about the Lean Startup method and design thinking, aiming to gain hands-on experience in launching a viable project.

In the following months, I kept myself busy with work, courses, hobbies and group calls with friends. After a while, I thought I had accepted the new reality. However, as time passed, the routine became monotonous; Zoom meetings increased, and long days spent in front of a screen started to take their toll. I found myself feeling as if time was passing, but my life was on pause.

One evening, after spending too many hours in front of my computer, I went for a run in Bois de la Cambre (Brussels). As on many other evenings, I enjoyed running amidst the beautiful trees during sunset. But after a few minutes, my thoughts grew louder than my playlist. I kept reflecting on everything that had happened over the last months - I had to say goodbye to someone I loved, I was not able to travel to Spain when my niece was born, and work had become the best way to distract myself from the disheartening news. The feeling of being stuck became increasingly difficult to ignore. Suddenly, I found myself out of breath; without realising it, I had been speeding up for a while. What was I running from? How could I stop waiting for a change and start taking action to move forward? That evening, I made a decision that changed everything.

The next day, I hired a life coach, and in the weeks that followed, I embarked on an incredible journey of personal growth. As the weeks went by, I established new health routines, reflected on various aspects of my life, and started to explore meaningful life questions. This transformative journey pushed me to get to know myself better, test ideas and embrace uncertainty. Two years later, my life had impressively changed, and I felt better than ever. Yet I understood that to continue my growth path, I needed to step out of my comfort zone and try new things.

A few months later, after leaving the European Parliament, I found myself chatting with an entrepreneur in a surf house in Fuerteventura. What started as a casual conversation about her business ideas evolved into an unexpected brainstorming session, where we delved into business models, strategy and idea validation. That day, I realised that the world is filled with individuals with great ideas and the potential to drive positive change, yet few have the right strategy to bring their ideas to life. That night, as I lay in bed, a thought began to take shape. What if I could leverage my skills and experience to help people transform their vision into actionable strategies that not only contribute to a brighter future but also remain profitable?  This initial “what if” became the catalyst for my journey, guiding me to where I am today—grateful for being able to collaborate with purpose-driven entrepreneurs by translating their ideas into profitable strategies. As I gaze into the future, I am excited to keep empowering mission-driven organisations to bring their ideas to life, all while working to amplify their impact.