ARJANNA VAN DER PLAS
Leadership Coaching
WHAT IF YOU COULD LIVE A MEANINGFUL, JOYFUL LIFE ON YOUR OWN TERMS, RATHER THAN ALWAYS DOING WHAT YOU THINK IS EXPECTED OF YOU?
I help you free yourself from the burden of doing what you believe you are ‘supposed’ to do, so that you can become the boldest, truest version of yourself - whatever that means for you.
You’re always working hard to be a good partner, daughter, friend, colleague, mom, and you are good at what you do.
But you feel trapped in a cage, and are going through the motions of life with little excitement and passion.
Deep down inside, you know there is more to you than this, but when you even start thinking about breaking out of your routines, you get scared and overwhelmed.
And yet, you admire people who dare to be themselves, and you know that the world needs more of them.
Download my free ebook with practical tips for living a meaningful, joyful and impactful life.
"I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me."
From the book The top 5 regrets of the dying, by Bronnie Ware
DO YOU RECOGNIZE THIS?
In which area of your life are you holding yourself back? Here are some examples from my clients:
You’re secretly dreaming about a career where you could have real impact, but believe it’s too late to change jobs now. At night you lash out on your family after a frustrating day at work, and feel a sharp bolt of jealousy when you talk to your friend that is excited about their career.
You’ve always imagined to become the first female CEO of a Fortune 500 company in your field one day. It feels like you owe that to the world because you’ve got the talents and skills, but you are already suffering from stress-related headaches in your current job. Often, you go to bed at the same time as your kids, because you’re so exhausted.
After an evening with dear friends, you feel empty. You wanted to ask for their advice on your personal situation, but instead you spent the whole time exchanging platitudes about the pandemic and the latest Netflix hype.
You blame yourself for avoiding deep topics, and you’re wondering what’s wrong with you that you’re not able to have intimate friendships. You worry that you will have no-one to support you when you really need it.
Your colleagues see you as a ‘one of the guys’ type of woman, that knows what she wants and is always up for an inappropriate joke or two. But you are much gentler and more sensitive than you dare to show, because you’re afraid to be perceived as weak - or worse: drown in your suppressed emotions in front of others.
You wish your partner would be more supportive, sexy and thoughtful. But people always say you two make such a great team, so you guess you should be content with the way things are. And yet deep inside you, you resent him, because you hate that you’ve become a ghost of the effervescent woman you were at the start of your relationship.
You’re secretly jealous of your curvy friend who doesn’t let the size of her clothes hold her back from going to yoga classes filled with skinny fit girls. The one time you went with her to a ‘yoga for stress relief’ workshop, you ended up more stressed, because you couldn’t stop comparing your sweaty, clumsy, chubby body to the graceful yogini’s next to you.
Whenever you visit your parents, you see yourself slipping back into the teenager version of yourself. You crave having a more equal relationship with them, but have no idea how to start that conversation. You start dreading visiting them more and more, and you worry that your parents will die before you are able to really connect with them.
You’re kind of interested in spiritual stuff, but you can’t rationally explain why, so you hide your healing crystals and angel cards in the back of your closet, praying that the cleaning lady won’t accidentally find them. At the same time, you feel weak for hiding your spiritual side. If this is so important to you, why can’t you own it?
You feel like you are always falling short as a mom because of your stressful job, but you’re also frustrated that you can’t work as hard as you used to. You can’t remember the last time you felt truly satisfied about either roles. Your self-confidence as a parent and as a professional is at an all-time low, and you have no clue how to solve it.
You nearly die of embarrassment when your toddler has yet another meltdown in the middle of the supermarket. While you angrily drag your kid out of the store, you can almost hear the other shoppers think what a terrible mom you are. At home you feel awful: what did you do to your poor kid?
Talking about embarrassing: you actually feel mildly embarrassed to be reading this website and even considering a coach. Aren’t you supposed to be able to fix your problems yourself?
SO WHAT IS NEXT FOR YOU?
Do you really want to keep doing what you’re doing, just because you think that is expected of you?
Yes, change is scary.
But you know that if you keep burying your head in the sand, you’ll end up exhausted, checked-out and cynical.
Isn’t it time for you to finally start living YOUR life?
IMAGINE THIS INSTEAD
You know who you are, what you want and why that matters to you.
And because of that, you feel much more confident in your role as a professional, partner, parent, friend - or whatever else you choose to be🔥
Your fear of judgment, failure and conflict no longer stops you from pursuing your dream career, a thriving relationship or that woo-woo spiritual passion of yours😉
So you spend your time on things that energize you, instead of things you feel you should do.
Your relationships with your loved ones are much deeper, because you show up vulnerably with them, and you accept them as they are, with all their quirks and perks.
You feel more free, happy, relaxed and strong, because you’ve let yourself out of the cage of expectations you’ve build for yourself.
And that will allow you to have much more impact, because you can let go of societal norms and play life by your own rules!
WHY COACHING?
GAIN CLARITY
What are your dreams, your passion, your unique life purpose? It's often surprisingly hard to come up with the answer on your own, but when you do know, making big life decisions becomes a lot easier.
Let's explore together what a fulfilling life looks like for you.
ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS
So you know that you want to quit your job, or find the love of your life, or have a healthy lifestyle. You've actually known that for years, but how to turn that intention into action?
Let me be your sparring partner, accountability buddy, and cheerleader to make your dreams happen.
OVERCOME INNER CRITICS
Your mindset makes a big difference in achieving goals. We all have little voices in our head that tell us that we're not smart, strong or worthy enough.
Let's get to know these inner critics and explain to them that they don't have to fear your success.
HOW I WORK
You're unique, and so is your coaching trajectory. However, there are a few things that I can say about my approach to coaching.
I'm a coach. Not a mentor, and not a consultant. That means that I believe that you have the answers, and I'm simply here to mirror, champion and challenge you, and provide you with tools and exercises that might benefit you. Your coaching trajectory might be action-oriented or introspective, down-to-earth or deeply spiritual, based on what is beneficial for you in the moment.
With most of my coachees, I do bi-weekly 60-minute coaching sessions via Zoom, for 3-6 months.
And if you're a nature lover like me, you might enjoy a walking coaching session!
READY TO START YOUR COACHING JOURNEY WITH ME?
Fill out this form if you want to explore what coaching can do for you, and I'll get back to you soon.
Or if you can't wait to get started, book your first coaching session here right away and I will send you everything you need to kickstart your coaching journey!
ABOUT ARJANNA
Hi there!
I'm Arjanna van der Plas, a formerly Silicon Valley-based Dutchie, who has recently settled in Zurich (for now at least;)).
In the past 10 years, I’ve helped many leaders, entrepreneurs, and students to design the life they want to live, overcome mental barriers, and achieve their professional and personal goals.
I’m certified as a co-active coach by CTI, the largest in-person coach training school in the world, as well as by the International Coach Federation .
Moreover, I’m trained as a yoga and meditation teacher (Yoga Tree, RYT200), which inspires me to incorporate mindfulness and somatic exercises in my coaching practice. I also draw from my background in industrial design engineering to find creative solutions for my clients’ challenges.
I am a former instructor at Berkeley Haas and the co-founder of WOMEN'S HUB Zurich together with Nele Clüver.
TESTIMONIALS
I've worked with people at among others Google, Uber, ETH, IDEO, Deloitte, McKinsey, UC Berkeley, World Bank, UCSF, Picnic and many startups. Here's what they say about me.
R.S.
Arjanna was key to taking an active role in my future and discovering my self-confidence and self-worth as a leader. She was incredibly insightful, patient, and encouraging, but not afraid to challenge me. Together, we built mental tools to tackle obstacles at work and within myself.
This resulted in huge changes in my life such as standing up for myself at important meetings, to facing my fears with networking, to taking ownership of my skills - and even being proud of them. Arjanna truly helped me get unstuck. I now feel excited for the future and to grow into the vision I have for myself. This work takes a lifetime, but without Arjanna I would not have started.
J.L.
If somebody offered me $50,000 and said I had to wipe my coaching experience and its effects from my life, I wouldn’t take it.
Not only did coaching help me become better at my job, but it also helped me get clear on a question I’d been stewing on for a long time: Should I ask for a raise? (Spoiler alert: the answer was Yes.) A month later, I got a raise and a promotion.
When I think about Arjanna's role in my personal and professional growth, some phrases that come to mind are: a cheerleader, a kick in the pants, a detective, a mirror, and a partner in crime.
Coaching was the best investment I’ve ever made.
J.B.
You allow me to dive deep in a fun and easy-going way. I benefit tremendously from your huge coaching and life experience.
L.G.
Your questions give me instant clarity.
It is like a huge wall breaks down in a couple of seconds, and all of a sudden I see the whole picture.
N.H.
Arjanna is incredibly present, intelligent, intuitive, warmhearted and passionate.
She provides a safe, nonjudgemental and compassionate environment to work through every kind of life challenge. With Arjanna’s guidance, I was able to drill down to the very core of a challenging work-related issue. The session didn’t only provide great tools for immediate implementation, it also gave me a new way of looking at things, a new framework with which I am now able to make wiser choices in many areas of my life
S.A.
I appreciate the openness of our conversations, and how it makes me think outside of the ‘normal’ schemes.
You make me feel at ease and confident in taking decisions.
E.S.
Arjanna helped me structure my thoughts, build confidence, find balance in my life and ultimately make better choices. Which resulted in finding a great job at the end of our coaching trajectory. Arjanna is a very approachable, honest, calm and at the same time energetic coach. I would highly recommend her.
M.D.
My coaching sessions with Arjanna were open and frank conversations, based on mutual trust. She helped me analyze and solve my personal challenges with practical solutions. As a result, I’ve regained focus and confidence in my everyday life.
A.S.
For me, it is the art of simplicity that makes the difference in your coaching.
C.D.
Arjanna has helped me to understand my fears and struggles, structure my thoughts and express these in words. With clever and penetrating question she knows how to get you out of your comfort zone and then equip you with the right tools to get back behind the steering wheel. Arjanna is devoted, sharp-witted, easy to talk to and easy to trust. It is with pleasure that I recommend her coaching!
K.S.
In my coaching sessions with Arjanna, I had various breakthroughs which changed the course of my life. I learned to value the work I do as a therapist and am therefore making more money at my work. I also learned not to settle in romantic relationships, and I am finally dating a man that is fantastic for me.
I could not have accomplished that all without the guidance and coaching I received from Arjanna. I am eternally grateful for what she helped me get in my life and feel that the tools she helped me access will benefit me forever. I highly recommend her as a coach to anyone who wants to improve their life and be more fully who they are.
R.K.
You help me get to the heart of why I feel stuck in a non-scary way that feels like an adventure and challenge me to take steps to move towards my goal.
K.R.
Ultimately, what changed for me was more confidence in myself to act in an authentic way and call myself out when I make excuses for myself out of fear. I’m being more active in forming and evaluating romantic relationships and exploring new career opportunities as opposed to just feeling trapped and bored with my present situation.
S.M.
Arjanna brings so much coaching wisdom and knowledge of different techniques to our sessions, but the thing that I was impressed by most is how good she is at being present and truly listening. She's sharp-witted, always picking up so quickly on the things underneath the surface that deserve more attention. This, plus her super positive, supportive attitude, was invaluable to identifying the true challenges and getting them out of the way to make progress in defining the next steps for my career.
S.C.
I really liked how all the exercises you gave me made me see myself from the outside and helped me put things in perspective.
The most insightful moment for me was when you showed me how my inner critic voices were holding me back, and how to break through that pattern.
Thank you!
L.K.
It's been a year since I contacted Arjanna after seeing her posts on LinkedIn and she has had a life changing impact on me, likely even on some people around me.
Arjanna's very gentle yet firm coaching style was exactly what I needed. She taught me how to stay true to myself, how to embrace my strengths, follow my heart and stick to my own words.
Session after session, I felt stronger on my feet and allowed myself to let more natural light shine through me.
I am so, so grateful that we crossed paths and I can only recommend meeting her to see if her vibe touches you too.
If it does, enjoy the ride as she has so much expertise and experience to share!
I'VE WORKED WITH PEOPLE AT AMONG OTHERS:
CONTACT ME
Questions? Comments? Ideas?
Let me know!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT IS COACHING?
That’s a good and surprisingly difficult to answer question. Here’s my take on it: as a coach, I’m basically here to help you find your own answers. I’m not here to give you advice on what I think you should do, and I’m not going to dig into your history and find out why things are a certain way. I basically serve as your guide in the forest of your dreams, fears, emotions, thoughts and questions, exploring what’s there and pointing my flashlight at things that seem to be important to you.
I often refer to the Disney movie Inside Out to explain what that might look like. In the movie, the main character is Riley, an 11-year old girl who moves to San Francisco. Most of the movie actually takes place inside her head, showing her emotions as actual characters that steer her decisions and behavior. This is an image that you might recognize yourself: when you’re facing a difficult decision, there seem to be many voices in your head that have different ideas about what’s best for you. One voice might tell you to follow your dream, while the other thinks it’s best to avoid conflict, and yet another keeps emphasizing the fact that you’re a useless, talentless being. Making distinctions between these different voices, and deciding which voice you want to listen to, can be immensely helpful in defining your vision, achieving goals and changing habits. Depending on what works for you, I have different tools and methods for how to do that.
WHO NEEDS COACHING?
Nobody ‘needs’ coaching, and yet everybody can benefit from it. Coaching can help you get clarity on what you really want and need, set goals and achieve them, and overcome your inner critics. I find that coaching can be especially beneficial when you’re considering of facing a big life transition, such as changing jobs, moving to a new country, starting a family or losing a loved one. While these times can often be overwhelming and stressful, coaching can help make the transitions a more fulfilling experience, even if they’re painful.
WHAT ARE GOOD COACHING TOPICS?
Coaching generally focuses on where you want to make change in your life. It can be about finding a new job, or about becoming a better leader in your current job. It can be about finding a romantic partner, or about thriving in your current relationship, friendships or family relations. I often use the Wheel of Life in my free sample coaching sessions to show what kind of areas we can explore in coaching. At the start of a coaching trajectory, I ask my clients to define up to three goals that they have with the coaching, and they are usually in different areas of their life.
What we often find out is that the coaching goals are often related. For example, someone who is looking for a new job and a romantic partner might struggle with an very judgmental inner critic voice that tells him that he is not good enough for the dream job he really wants, and that no romantic partner will ever find him attractive. Him and I are likely to work on his self-esteem, from both the career and the romantic perspective.
WHAT DOES A COACHING TRAJECTORY LOOK LIKE?
All my coaching trajectories are custom-made, but with most of my clients I have biweekly 60-minute video conference sessions, and most trajectories are 3-6 months.
WHAT ARE THE COSTS OF A COACHING TRAJECTORY?
For private clients I charge 155CHF (± $165 | E140) per coaching session, payable through Paypal or with credit card. I also offer walking coaching sessions of ~2 hours for people in the Zurich area for 310CHF per session.
For corporate coaching I offer different packages based on the size and mission of the organization with hourly rates between 250 and 450 CHF.
With most of my clients I have biweekly 60-minute video conference sessions, and most trajectories are 3-6 months.
I also offer an exclusive 1:1 coaching program for woman leaders, for which you can find the details here.
If you are interested in working with a group, I recommend Thrive, the group coaching program I lead with Nele Clüver (currently no cohorts available due to her maternity leave).
Often employees can spend their personal education/training budget on coaching - just ask your manager what the policy for your company is.
CAN I GET A FREE SAMPLE COACHING SESSION TO SEE IF COACHING IS FOR ME?
Yes, you can book it here. It's an open conversation, no strings attached. And if you decide you want to work with a coach, but I might not be a good fit for you I'm happy to refer you to other coaches in my network.
CAN I ASK MY BOSS TO PAY FOR THE COACHING?
Absolutely! Many employees can spend their personal education/training budget on coaching - just ask your manager what the policy for your company is.
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