The art of being true to yourself

In our society we talk a lot about community, connection, and togetherness.

But too often, that turns into a subtle pressure to blend in. To agree. To soften our edges so no one feels uncomfortable or excluded. We were taught that being yourself, is often considered selfish.

‘Self-centered’ says it all, a negative trait. The words alone probably give you an uncomfortable feeling.

To belong, you are expected to compromise. For the greater good. Being a good human means adjusting, staying agreeable, keeping the peace. But peace built on this form of sneaky suppression isn’t peace. It’s tension waiting to break.

Somewhere along the way, following the main narrative became the new form of safety. Having your own thoughts, using plain common sense, or asking honest questions started to feel dangerous.

It made you being judged and dismissed. Cancelled. Prosecuted even.

Which is pretty ironic while we live in a society where inclusivity is quite the hot topic. Obviously, only when it fits the right template du jour.

When you zoom out of all the polarization in our world, it becomes very clear: it isn’t about being right, it’s all about being real. It’s the quiet power of observing. Of daring to say “I don’t know.” Of standing in the space between opposing sides and realizing that neutrality isn’t apathy or disinterest, but wisdom.

When you stop rushing to take a position whenever you are being nudged by the media, you start to see and feel things as they are in your own pace. That’s where true discernment begins.

Let’s start with the basics: YOU

Carl Jung spoke of ‘individuation’. The process of becoming an individual, with your own identity and personality.

My humble interpretation: integrating every part of yourself so you can stand whole, certain, honest and connected, not half-hiding and apologetic. That’s what this era asks of us. Not louder opinions, but deeper integrity. Responsibility and accountability for yourself and your actions. Owning it all.

I often say I’m a simple woman (though my loved ones will happily argue otherwise). What I mean is: I naturally look for the essence rather than getting lost in layers of theory. Or rather, I FEEL the essence rather than rationalize it.

Growing up with a Jungian psychotherapist as a parent, I know how deep and layered individuation really is. There’s a whole universe of theories and books behind it.

But even in all that depth, for me, it comes down to this: staying true to yourself and having the courage to discover what that really means for you, beneath conditioning, expectations, roles, and the stories you inherited without noticing.

This doesn’t simplify Jung. It is just a lot of theory seen through my lens. Because for me, individuation, at its heart, isn’t intellectual.

It’s lived.

It is the deep work of recognizing where you’ve bent and lost yourself for belonging, where you’ve outsourced your knowing, where you’ve internalized someone else’s expectations, and then consciously returning to your own center.

Being your most authentic self doesn’t separate you from others, or makes you a danger to others. It makes you capable of real connection, of being a true anchor in a relationship, in society. Because once you are comfortable standing in your truth: speaking it, breathing it, living it, you stop needing to be acknowledged, included, or approved of.

When you move from your own center, you can hold complexity and duality.
You can love without losing yourself, you can listen without judging.
You can stand strong amidst the storm of heavy polarization, conflict, and all the shadows of our world.

The more we remember who we are, the more we belong.
Individual truth doesn’t divide, it actually stabilizes the field.

This isn’t about standing apart. It’s about standing whole. In all your funky weirdness, your mess, your light, and your darkness. Observing. Listening. Thinking clearly. Feeling.

From that place, compassion and living together with other human beings becomes honest, not strategic.

It starts, as always, with the man in the mirror. (thank you, MJ!)

What I have to offer in this 'becoming' is not a luxury item.
I want to zoom out of our every day hustle, together with all of you. To give words to the deepest felt realizations. To find your inner fire, your truth, the things that bring a spark in your eye and a spring in your step.

Every day you spend ‘existing’ while you feel ‘off’ drains your energy, your money, your joy, your expansion, your possibility.

It keeps you looping inside an identity you’ve already outgrown. And every day you postpone your evolution, the cost is pretty high.

Why? Because your choices don’t just shape your own life. They shape your children’s lives. And they shape the future of humanity. It has an enormous ripple effect.

Big words, right? Yep.
But they’re real and it gives me goosebumps to even write it down.

And here’s my role in all of this, as far as my human self can understand it right now: I’m here to stand next to you. To speak, to write, to broadcast, to guide. To create a field for people who feel the undeniable itch.

As you can read in this piece of my heart (aka blog). These writings are one part of my work.

I am totally at ease with being the weird woman now. Being misunderstood. Because I am speaking from my own truth. And because I know I am just early. It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it, hahaha!

My work is meant for those of you who are done virtue signalling, tired of being an acceptable version of themselves and who are ready to live from truth.

I’ve been feeling the nudge towards starting a whole movement, for the ones who feel this shift in their bones and know they’re not meant to navigate it alone. And having a lot of fun in the proces too! Be ready for a lot of aha-moments.

Let’s start small and play big!

If your body lights up reading this, let me know!

Let’s build what’s actually true. Together.

Love, Annemarijn