Testimonials

"I am so grateful for the coaching sessions I had with Mirjam. She opened my eyes to many of the behaviours that have made me anxious and probably held me back over the years. She has an incredible ability to get to the heart of the matter and discusses complex things in straightforward terms. We certainly had fun during the sessions, but I always ended them feeling much more prepared for not just professional but also personal life afterwards. I know that the lessons I learned have made me so much more prepared for the future and definitely more confident that I will succeed".

In August 2022, I met Mirjam Buitelaar when she moved to Mostar. It was definitely serendipitous as we had recently started refocusing on professional and personal development of staff at United World College Mostar. She very graciously agreed to not only doing some stand-alone workshops for our staff, including Communication in an Intercultural Context and Giving and Receiving Constructive Feedback but also worked on an almost three month long program of Mental Fitness for the Leadership Team; helping us reflect individually and as a team on strengths and areas of development, introducing us to positive intelligence and how to use it to be a more fulfilled and peaceful individual as well as support each other in the effort. For a team constituting of some tenured and some relatively new members, this was a great way to develop some positive synergy and even today, after a good four months after the program came to an end, we still carry the learning within us, both, individually and collectively. Given the opportunity and the time, we will continue to do follow up sessions with Mirjam. She brings her own positive energy and calm presence to any program and is also a great facilitator and executive coach. She helped us connect as a team and build an action plan that makes us move forward positively. I would recommend Follow the Adventure and Mirjam wholeheartedly to any organization looking at professional and personal development for their managers and staff.

"Generally, I find it challenging to ask for support, but Mirjam’s genuine and friendly approach made it very natural to address some of the difficulties I faced. I truly appreciate her patience and wisdom. Every time I came away from our coaching sessions with less entangled thoughts and a clearer perception of my reality. Mirjam guided me through an essential mindset shift that is lasting since. I am grateful that she helped me to learn to refocus my attention from the difficulties to the opportunities at my work. Thanks to this, I feel more content with my professional life and found much more inspiration".

“I had coaching several times in my career and I really value the process and the outcomes it brings. When Mirjam suggested e-coaching,  I felt that I would miss the direct interaction, but at the same time I was curious to see if it would lead to a different type of thinking and outcomes.We had a few sessions of e-coaching. Mirjam would suggest some reading or a theme which I would explore based on my goals, and I would write about it on the platform. I was actually really looking forward to my “private writing time”. First, because it felt like a privilege moment I would dedicate to myself. Also, because I was realising some topics or gathered ideas though the writing. And foremost, because I managed to analyse some of my issues, thanks to the needs of the writing “discipline”. Writing forces you to make clearer statements, to be more direct, and at the same time to distance yourself from what is happening so you can see yourself from a different angle. And also, you can get back to it a few days later and see it in a different light again. Of course Mirjam’s role was key in helping me analyse and figure out where I was and my progress ... so you need a great coach like her to help you do  this ;) Through the process I have discovered that writing helps me take the “noise” away. I do it regularly now, even outside of the coaching process, to figure out what is happening.I cannot be thankful enough to Mirjam for leading me in this direction. She has been able to help me move toward a deeper realisation of my issues and needs.”

"Throughout my career, I have met many coaches and enlisted the services of many in a professional capacity. However, I have personally never been coached before. 2020 has been a difficult year for many as well as myself,  where the office I worked for was closing their entity in the country and I had to look for a new job, when the market was at the lowest. I was struggling with my confidence, self esteem and facing constant battle between rationality and emotions. Fortunately, Mirjam offered her coaching services and the transformation was felt from the first 2 sessions I had with her. I learned to control my nerves and started believing in myself again. The results couldn't have come quicker. Within a month, I had 2 offers in my hand and I felt ready for the world again. Mirjam was very understanding, non-judgemental and made me feel secure enough to openly discuss my inner thoughts and challenges. She made it very easy and comfortable to connect and drive solutions. I got to see myself in a different perspective. If this is what she can accomplish is just a few sessions, she could make this world a better place for a lot of people.  She is phenomenal and a natural. Thank you Mirjam for really listening and for your guidance.”

I’ve loved working with Mirjam. She is easy to talk to, has a positive vitality, and a professional and honest approach to coaching. Whether the topic we tackled was professional or personal, I came away from every coaching session with a sense of clarity and empowerment. Her powerful and professional insights, her direct questioning and her encouragement helped me analysing why I was making certain decisions, how to look at them from different perspectives, and how to repack them. I have become more aware of my thought patterns – personal as well as professional - and how to control them better. It really helped me get unstuck. Moreover, Mirjam is compassionate, thoughtful, sharp and genuinely engaged. She knows how to create connection by being attuned to her client’s mindset, emotions and energy. I highly recommend her.