About Roel

Nice to meet you!

For the once that don’t know me yet or are curious about some background info; my name is Roel, I work as a physio and manual therapist, have companies in meditation training, coaching and business health consultancy, am an author and give lectures, workshops and courses.

My professional journey began with a focus on the human body. In 1999 I graduated as a physiotherapist at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam and six years later as a manual therapist. After a lot of courses and educations I now have over twenty years of fulltime experience in working with people with physical health problems. Next to that I am already 15 years active within companies as an occupational physiotherapist (one of my post-physiotherapy educations), where I optimise work environments and train people about optimal circumstances for work.

Through the years I started to gain interest in a wider perspective when it comes to health. I researched a lot about nutrition, but mainly dove into the mental part of our wellbeing. I red many books about how the mind works and personal development, went through several periods of coaching and dedicated a few years to Buddhism.

All that crossed my path about how the mind works and I eagerly took in, led to a lot of knowledge. My journey of discovery went further than just the theoretical part though. I travelled a lot and that brought me to more than forty different countries in mainly Latin America and Asia. In several countries I worked as a volunteer in local projects. Through my contacts in the volunteer projects, Buddhism and the people I met in my travels, I was in many places mainly surrounded by locals and got to know a lot of different cultures up close. Also in The Netherlands I worked as a volunteer and spend four years long weekly eight hours in a hospice where I helped people with the last little bit of their lives. Next to that I also spend thousands of hours on a meditation pillow, at home as well as in courses and retreats in several different continents.

All of this gave me a broader view at how we as humans function and mainly in the most optimal way. It also lead me to helping people in a wider range than ‘just’ as a physiotherapist. First through my company in meditation training, later through one-on-one coaching and courses and workshops within companies and for students. Also I published my first book in 2016 and there are more to come. Last but not least I learned a lot about life and myself from my beautiful young daughter.

I am very grateful to all the teachers I met and was privileged to work with through the years. The ones one stage or in front of the group where I was sitting, but also the people I met during my travels, in daily life or as a patient/client. It is them that provided me with the abilities and insights that I nowadays use in my work.

Whether it comes to the more technical intervention in a body or within a company, training people to work with their minds through meditation, dealing with life issues through coaching or gaining practical knowledge about certain topics through my workshops, courses and books, I love to help you progress in life.

If you are you interested to know more about my path, I was a guest at the podcast of Ferdinand Lie in 2018 and you can listen to that episode by clicking on the picture. Do you prefer the video? You can find it here: