Michelle Mourits is a coach who has been volunteering with Empower Amsterdam in a variety of different roles over the past two years. While she started on our marketing team, she now dedicates her volunteer time to coaching Empower Amsterdam's unemployed clients.
Originally from Australia, Michelle worked in a corporate role for several years before being made redundant. She took this unexpected turn in stride and turned it into an opportunity to reassess what she wanted to do with her life. During this time, she worked with a life coach and fell in love with coaching. After traveling around the world, she took a two-year training course to become a Life Coach herself.
What is a life coach?
In contrast to a career coach, life coaching takes a holistic approach to help someone in their whole life. It integrates timeless wisdom from the past and is centered around the spiritual aspects of human life. Life coaching is not just about helping someone get a job (though that’s a part of it), it's about coming to the core of who you are. This has far-reaching benefits such as building self-confidence and self-worth, as well as focusing on the energy you are putting out into the world.
For Michelle, coaching is an opportunity for people to take time and create space in their lives. Coaching gives people a connection between their head and their heart, allowing them to be intentional about the choices they make in life rather than ‘going through the motions’.
Volunteering with Empower Amsterdam
Michelle first got involved with Empower Amsterdam through a Facebook group post asking for volunteers. After working on the marketing team for a year, she switched to coaching. Her favorite part of working with Empower Amsterdam clients is watching people regain confidence and self-worth.
When searching for a job, especially in an unfamiliar environment, feeling alone and doubting yourself can happen. However, expats have powerful, varied experiences, skills, and strength and Michelle loves seeing clients realize their own potential again.
Michelle’s advice for new arrivals
As far as advice for new arrivals in the Netherlands, Michelle says you should connect with people. Get out and meet new people and not just in a professional context. It’s important to feel like you are part of a community. In addition to building a community for yourself, seek people who are doing what you want to do. Speak with them and find out how they got to where they are now. It’s all about building real connections with others.
One more tip from Michelle: visit Utrecht! It’s a great small city with a cool student vibe and fun canals. While the Amsterdam canals are rather ornamental, Utrecht’s beautiful canals are built to be enjoyed right on the water.
Michelle is dedicated to helping her clients take charge of their lives through coaching and building their own community. Through checking in where a client is and focusing on their current challenges, Michelle helps each client find success in their life.
Want to connect with Michelle?
Here’s Michelle’s website or you can reach out to her on LinkedIn.
If you're an unemployed international living in the Netherlands, you can apply for free coaching with coaches like Michelle. Use the Apply button on our Contact page.