Leadership Coach in Amsterdam
No one ever taught you how to lead. Still, it's expected of you every single day.
Navigating difficult conversations, delegating, finding your feet as a leader. Most people learn this the hard way, years longer than needed. It can be faster, and even enjoyable. That’s where I help you, whether you’re just starting out or a few years in.
Let’s find out if there’s a match. If not? You’ve had a great conversation that gets you thinking.
Coaching is an unregulated profession. In the Netherlands alone, over 100,000 people call themselves a coach, and only a small share (less than 10%) is certified through a recognised body. I trained as a Co-Active coach, widely regarded as the global gold standard in coach training, have hundreds of hours of coaching experience and I'm internationally certified through the International Coaching Federation.
What resonates with you?
As your leadership coach, I build a tailored 1-on-1 journey around what is going on for you. Do you recognize yourself in any of these themes?
The problem:
Impostor syndrome. That inner critic telling you they will find you out. You don't always know how you come across, and you want to show up with more confidence.
How I solve it:
I help you recognize that self-critical voice for what it is: thoughts, not reality. We work on leadership presence and stress management. How you walk into a room. How you stay calm under pressure. How you position yourself.
RESULT:
You feel confident and project it. Your team notices the difference. That inner saboteur gets quieter. You lead without constantly doubting yourself.
The problem:
Until recently, you did the work yourself, and did it well. Now you manage the people who do the work. That is a completely different job. Maybe you are leading your former colleagues, sometimes even friends, and everyone is still getting used to the fact that you are the boss. Being too soft doesn't feel right, but if you are too strict, you are afraid of damaging the relationship. And you don't want to lose yourself in a role that doesn't feel like you yet.
How I solve it:
We work on that leadership transition: how you let go of doing everything best yourself, how you build authority without creating distance, how you manage existing relationships without damaging them, and how you set boundaries in a way that fits you.
RESULT:
Your team respects you, not because you are the boss, but because you lead from who you are. Professional relationships stay intact. You feel at home in your new role.
The problem:
You do your work. You manage your team. But somewhere it feels hollow. You react to what comes at you instead of moving towards something. You don't know exactly what drives you as a leader, and your team notices that. People don't follow job titles. They follow people who know what they stand for.
How I solve it:
We dig into what really moves you. Not the values that look good on paper, but the values that are so fundamental to you that you feel it in your mood and energy when you can't express them. From that basis, we build a leadership vision: where do you want to lead your team, and why. Not as a strategy document, but as a compass for the decisions you take daily.
RESULT:
You lead with direction. Your team knows where you are going and why. You make decisions from clarity instead of the chaos of the day. People feel that difference.
The problem:
You know you need to give feedback. You put it off. Or you give it, but the other person gets defensive. It doesn't work.
How I solve it:
I teach you to see feedback as a gift instead of an attack. We work with Radical Candor as a mindset and SBI as a technique. Through DISC, you learn how to adapt feedback to the other person's communication preference. Practiced using your real situations.
RESULT:
You give feedback, often and in the right way. Your team listens to it. They grow faster. You don't put it off anymore.
The problem:
That performance review you're dreading. A conflict that's simmering. Sometimes the other person goes on the attack, sometimes they shut down or become very passive. Both make the conversation difficult. These conversations require a different approach than giving feedback: more preparation, and more of you as a person.
How I solve it:
I teach you a powerful model to take the sting out of the situation, so that connection and a real conversation can return. We work on managing emotions, both theirs and yours, and on structure, timing, and setting boundaries without damaging the relationship. Practiced using your situations.
RESULT:
You have that conversation. It doesn't escalate. You achieve what you wanted. The relationship stays intact, or gets stronger.
The problem:
Your team functions, but you feel there's more in it. Sometimes you give in to keep the peace. Sometimes you have to push because otherwise nothing happens. And meanwhile you wonder how to get people not just on board, but genuinely motivated, so they take action instead of you constantly managing them.
How I solve it:
We look at the science behind motivation: what truly drives people, and why bonuses and compliments don't work in the long run. We work on influencing without power, and on assertive but empathetic communication. One key element is challenge: too little and people get bored, too much and stress builds up. In between is the zone where people are at their best. Through DISC, you learn to adapt your message to the other person, so it actually lands.
RESULT:
Your team works because they want to, not because you tell them to. People take initiative and perform at a higher level. You have to push a lot less.
The problem:
Your team constantly comes to you with problems. They wait for your answers. They don't take ownership.
How I solve it:
Coaching leadership will be one of the most valuable skills for managers in the coming years. AI is taking over more and more tasks. What remains is the ability to develop people. As an ICF-certified coach, I teach you to ask the right questions instead of giving the right answers. We work with proven models around delegation and ownership, so you let go without losing your grip.
RESULT:
Your team comes with solutions, not problems. They take ownership. You are no longer a bottleneck. They grow. You get time back.
The problem:
Everything is urgent, your calendar is full, and at the end of the day you feel like you haven't gotten to your real work. You take on too much yourself, say no too rarely, and the balance is lost. You know it can't go on like this, but you don't get around to changing it.
How I solve it:
We look at what swallows your time and energy, and what is truly underneath. Often it is not a calendar problem but a choice problem: difficulty saying no, wanting to do everything best yourself, or boundaries that have slowly blurred. We work on prioritizing, delegating without losing your grip, and setting boundaries that hold up. Where your boundaries lie also determines the standard for your team.
RESULT:
You get a grip on your time and your calendar. You do less yourself, and what you do matters more. You work in a way that is sustainable, and your team follows that example.
This item is slightly different from the rest.
Many managers don't come with a specific problem. They just want to become better. Grow faster. Know what good leaders do and make it their own.
In that case, I build a program around the themes that deliver the most value for you. Based on the challenges you recognize, I add topics that together create a complete and coherent whole. Think of upward management, stakeholder management, group dynamics, AI as a management tool, or leading former colleagues.
RESULT:
No standard program, but a journey built on what you need. With a clear picture of where you stand, where you want to go, and how you get there.
They started where you are now.
David's coaching and training were game-changers for me being new to management. Loved the whole experience!
I sought a Sherpa to guide my leadership journey. David was the best Sherpa I could have wished for. Through his insight and empathy, I finally discovered values and tools I had been searching for for years.
Recently I worked with David on a range of leadership challenges, and I'm very satisfied with the support and help he has given me.
What you need, on all three fronts.
Most coaches have one of these three. With me, you work with all three.
You learn from someone who has done it.
Ten years of leadership, five of them as Director of Operations of a global legal team of 75 people. Those tough performance reviews, leading teams through conflict and change, the moments of "what am I even doing here", these are familiar to me from the inside. So you work not with theory from a book, but with someone who knows your situation, and also knows how your own manager sees it.
You grow beyond your current challenge.
ICF-certified and Co-Active trained, the gold standard worldwide, with hundreds of hours of experience behind me. We work on what you're facing now, but also on who you want to be and the patterns holding you back. So you don't just solve what's in front of you today, you're ready for whatever comes tomorrow. You grow personally and professionally, and you feel that far beyond work.
It stays with you.
The most powerful way of learning is discovering the answers to your questions yourself, and that's what I focus on. But sometimes you need a new model or technique, and that's where training comes in, built on the neuroscience-informed methodology of the Brain Bakery training institute. So you don't just know what good leaders do, you make it your own in a way that lasts, long after the programme ends.
Companies almost always pay for leadership coaching. I can help you prepare the conversation with your manager.
Here's how it works.
Intro call
A 20-minute phone call. We see whether it's a fit.
Intake
If it fits, an in-person intake session of 30 minutes. Then you decide whether to start.
Ten sessions
Ten one-hour sessions over five months, in Amsterdam or online. Between sessions you can reach me directly by WhatsApp or phone, for a quick question or a tough decision.
Results
You lead more clearly and communicate more strongly. Your team feels it.
Frequently asked questions.
For more questions, check my contact page.
Coaching starts from the idea that you already hold the answers, even when it doesn't feel that way. My role isn't to tell you what to do, but to ask the right questions so you get clear on what you really want, what's holding you back, and the steps you'll take. It's forward-looking and practical: we start with what you want to achieve and work from there, and you leave each session with more clarity and concrete next steps.
Where a consultant gives you the answers and therapy mostly looks back at the past, coaching looks forward and helps you draw on your own strengths. Depending on what you need, I move between coaching, training and mentoring from my own leadership experience. What my clients consistently say: they grow as a manager and as a person. That development shows up well beyond work. The International Coaching Federation, which I'm certified through, describes this as maximising your personal and professional potential.
For anyone who manages people and wants to get more out of themselves and their team. Whether you just became a manager or have been leading for a few years: if you're stuck on difficult conversations, noticing your team isn't delivering what you need, or simply know there's more in you than you're showing right now, this is for you.
And you don't need a major problem to be here. Most of the people I coach mainly want to get better, faster, at something they can already partly do. Investing in yourself as a leader early is above all a sign of ambition.
For most managers the investment is around 3% of a gross annual salary. The global coaching study by PwC and the International Coaching Federation found an average return on investment of 7x: through better performance as a manager, higher output from your team, faster development of your people, and lower absenteeism and turnover. Many employers cover coaching from the training or development budget. I'll help you prepare that conversation with your manager.
Sessions take place at my location in Amsterdam or online. Not based nearby? No problem. A number of my clients are abroad, and the coaching is just as effective.
Coaching is an unregulated profession. Anyone can call themselves a coach, without training, without assessment, without any obligation. In the Netherlands over 100,000 people call themselves a coach, and only a small share of them is certified through a recognised professional body such as the ICF, EMCC or NOBCO.
A certification requires an accredited training programme, a minimum number of practice hours, supervision, and demonstrated competency and ethical conduct. And you have to keep developing to maintain it.
I'm an ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC), trained through the Co-Active Training Institute, which is widely regarded as the global gold standard in coach training. Because I also work with expats, I deliberately chose ICF certification: internationally recognised, and valid in the Netherlands and across Europe.
No. If you want to work on a specific theme, I can put together a shorter programme of 6 sessions. That's enough to work on a concrete question in a focused, in-depth way. We start with an intake to get clear on what you want to achieve and how we approach it. The programme can be extended afterwards if you want to continue.
You don't have to figure this out alone.
A first introduction is totally free and has zero obligation. I take the time to understand your situation and to see if and how I can help you.