Coach in the Spotlight: Marijke Van Moldergem
Navigating Change as a Human Being
Coaching The Shift begeleidt al 8 jaar mensen, teams & organisaties richting de gewenste shift. Dat doen we met een team van topcoaches en trainers! Deze maand zetten we onze coach Marijke in de kijker! Een authentiek maar doortastende spiegel die vanuit nieuwsgierigheid de opportuniteiten achter verandering weet te ontluiken!
Magaly De Smet
What does it take to become an independent coach? Marijke Van Moldergem shares her experiences and tips, and talks about her role in our coach training programme.
Coaching The Shift has been guiding people, teams & organisations towards strategic shifts with more reflection, communication & collaboration for 8 years. We do this together with a team of top coaches! In this article, we introduce you to Marijke!
As a Master Certified Coach (ICF MCC), Marijke has logged over 3,500 coaching hours. Her experience in multiple multinational companies gives her a deep understanding of workplace challenges. She is one of the trainers in both our ICF - accredited coach training programme and the renowned Masterclass Teamcoaching, and continuously develops her skills both nationally and internationally.
Marijke helps people become more resilient by uncovering the opportunities hidden behind every change. Her style has been described as calm, authentic, yet decisive. She reflects sharp observations in a non-judgmental way, making unconscious patterns visible.
Marijke specialises in change and leadership topics, using her wealth of experience to create an accessible learning environment where people are encouraged to step out of their comfort zone.
Key questions Marijke addresses as a coach:
- How did you get into the word of coaching?
- What do you want to contribute as a coach?
- What is your mission and motivation as a coach?
- Which misconceptions about coaching would you like to dispel?
- What pitfalls do you often see recurring with coachees?
- What tip would you give to aspiring coaches?
- What would you do differently if you could start over as a coach?
- Which coaching book do you recommend?
- What is an inspiring quote for you?
- Which values & aspirations will you carry into 2024?
How did you get into the world of coaching?
I spent 20 years in the corporate world, working for large multinationals such as FedEx, Swift & T&T. In all those roles, I was focused on supporting people in talent development, which gradually led me into the world of coaching.
But my first real “AHA” moment only came after completing a high-quality professional coaching programme. That’s when a whole new world opened up for me: “Ah, this is what coaching really is!” and it sparked a profound transformation within me.n within me.
Especially because during that programme, you don’t just learn theories, you go through a personal learning and growth journey. Experiencing firsthand what coaching can do for people was so powerful that I wanted to share it with others. That marked the beginning of a new path for me: I decided to become an independent coach, first alongside my job and later full-time. Today, I also support others who want to take that same step.
What do you want to contribute to the world as a coach?
Coaching is essentially about transition, helping people and teams regain their grounding or stability in a changing context. I noticed that many individuals around me, both personally and professionally, struggled with this.
As an individual or team, you don’t always have control over the changes happening around you. But you always have control over how you respond. Helping people and teams find their footing more quickly and grow is where I see my real added value.
What is your mission and motivation as a coach?
Many people automatically see change as something negative but that’s not always the case. It depends on how you position yourself in relation to that change. Some changes simply happen to us, whether it’s being let go, a shift in job responsibilities, or sudden changes within a team.
The real question is: how do we, as humans or teams, navigate these changes? It’s not easy, especially under the pressure to implement new systems, ways of working, or strategies as quickly as possible. The transition, the time people need to adjust, is often overlooked.
Although it may not always be visible, this undercurrent of adaptation can show up as resistance, negativity, or complaints. Helping teams and individuals bring what is hidden to the surface is incredibly valuable, because what is visible can be worked with.
Which misconceptions about coaching would you like to dispel?
“Coaching is giving advice”
Even though we emphasise throughout the coaching process that this isn’t the case, people often still ask for advice. For new independent coaches, it’s easy to fall into this trap, something we see frequently in our training programmes. The true power of coaching lies in not having all the answers and in tapping into the coachee’s own potential.
“Coaching is only for people who are strugglingt”
When there is resistance to a coaching programme, it’s often because people assume something is wrong. They feel they must participate in coaching because things aren’t going well, or because they don’t meet certain expectations. As a coach, it’s our role to explore where this belief comes from and to help coachees reframe it, creating a space where coaching is seen as an opportunity rather than a remedial measure.
What common pitfalls do you often see with coachees?
Not taking enough ownership of their own development
A coach is a powerful resource for personal and professional growth, but coaching is not a magic solution, the coachee still has to do the work themselves.
As a coach, you bring all your expertise into the sessions, and the client gains insights from that. However, it is up to the coachee to act on those insights. Most of the real development happens between sessions. If that doesn’t happen, it usually indicates something is blocking the coachee, whether they don’t want to or can’t take action. It then becomes my role as a coach to explore and uncover these obstacles together with the coachee.
Welke tip geef je graag mee aan beginnende coaches?
Durf er volop in opgaan!
Coaching is echt een ambacht. En hoe meer tijd en aandacht je eraan geeft, hoe sneller je erin zult groeien. Durf om te springen en volledig in te zetten op coaching. En daarmee bedoel ik niet meteen zelfstandig coach worden, maar vooral het durven toepassen van coaching.
Natuurlijk zal je het gevoel hebben dat je niet alles hebt ingezet wat je geleerd hebt. Maar het is belangrijker dat je durft springen, en leert uit elke situatie. Een perfect gesprek bestaat immers niet. Fouten maken hoort erbij. En de gesprekken leveren altijd iets op.
Net om die vertaling te maken van de theorie naar de praktijk vind ik het ook zo belangrijk dat een opleiding tot coach voldoende ruimte laat voor reflectie. Reflecteer op je gesprekken. Wat is er goed gegaan? Wat ging er minder goed? Welke dingen kan ik anders doen? Wat is het effect hiervan?
Wat zou je anders doen moest je vandaag opnieuw kunnen beginnen als coach?
Ik zou vroeger de overstap gemaakt hebben.
Vroeger leefde ik meer in de ratrace. Coaching was voor mij toen een echte openbaring. Het leerde mij vooral om bewuster met de dingen om te gaan.
Ik zie vaak mensen die zo achter zichzelf aan hollen, en dan in situaties terechtkomen die leiden tot overprikkeling of burn-out. Omdat ze niet bewust tijd nemen en stilstaan bij: “Wat wil ik nu echt?” En “Durf ik een keuze maken die tegen het gangbare pad ingaat?”
Dus, ik zou sneller de stap gezet hebben om zelfstandig coach te worden. Coaching heeft me bewuster gemaakt – over hoe ik wil leven, wat ik belangrijk vind, en hoe ik keuzes wil maken.
Welk coaching boek beveel je aan?
Dare to Lead - Brené Brown
Dit boek beveel ik aan voor alle leiders. Het boek gaat over leidinggeven vanuit het hart. Met moed en lef voorop. Zo hoef je niet te doen alsof je alle antwoorden in pacht hebt. Maar leer nieuwsgierig blijven en de juiste vragen stellen.
Wat vind jij een inspirerende quote?
“It’s impossible said pride, it’s risky said experience, it’s pointless said reason. Give it a try whispered the heart. A good coach supports you in unlocking your heart to help you become what you really desire.”
Het is belangrijk dat leidinggevenden stilstaan bij wat voor leider ze willen zijn. En dan pas in te vullen hoe ze zichzelf hierin willen ontwikkelen. Te vaak volgen we een uitgestippeld pad. Maar het loont om stil te staan en jezelf echt te leren kennen. Wil ik dit echt? Wie wil ik zijn?
Teveel mensen zien leiderschap als een stapje vooruit op de sociale en economische ladder. Maar als je dat in de essentie niet echt wil, dan zal er altijd een deel van je potentieel niet aangeboord worden. Wanneer 'leiding geven' écht iets is wat je vanuit je hart wil, zal je bereid zijn om jezelf kwetsbaar op te stellen en moedige beslissingen te nemen. Kwaliteiten die échte leiders kenmerken!
Welke waarden & aspiraties neem je mee in 2024?
Ik wil vooral verder doen met wat we bezig zijn. Het is geweldig om te zien wat voor impact we kunnen maken met coaching. Zowel individueel als daarbuiten. Mensen helpen stilstaan en reflecteren.
En ook in teams! Team coaching, zoals wij het bij Coaching The Shift zien, heeft echt het vermogen om de potentiële waarde die in een team zit te doen ontluiken. En als je ziet hoe we soms op korte tijd al een opening kunnen creëren, dan is dat geweldig. Eens dat bewustzijn ontstaat bij groepen, dan komen de acties bijna vanzelf.
Ten slotte hou ik ervan om anderen te begeleiden die zelfstandig, of in-company coach willen worden met onze opleiding.