" I love your presence. I feel when you are with me you are with me, truly seeing and hearing me. And you have a willingness to learn: I feel your energy as a lifelong student, always curious to discover more, not only for yourself but for others." - Mandy
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Supporting
Life
Tamara Catharina
I am fascinated and wildly excited by the fullness of the human experience. I believe life is a great gift that wants to move to us and through us. I am committed to sharing my gifts and experiences with the world to support life in the fullness of what it is.
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My dream is to live in a world that works for all. A world where every person can feel and embody the excitement of living an authentic, creative, and inspired life.
A world where mothers can give birth and children can be born in the flow of nature, and where children can grow up with the freedom of authenticity and play. Where individuals can connect to the creative and loving life energy that moves through all of us and relationships are a source of exploration, growth, and healing. Where we live in community, share resources, acknowledge our interconnected relationship with nature and take care of each other and the land we live on.
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This is how I try to live my life in all that I do; as a partner, a parent, a friend, when I am coaching, teaching, supporting communities, and when I create and write. If you want to walk this path with me, I would love to be of support.
Nonviolent Communication
​My work is grounded in Nonviolent Communication (NVC); a model that was ​created by Marshall B. Rosenberg. Whether I guide individuals, couples or communities, non-violence is the base from which I operate and connect.
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NVC has fundamentally changed my experience of life; how I connect with myself and the way I approach the people in my life, both personal and professional. It is a tool that enhances the quality of my communication with myself and others and deepens my connection with the world around me.
NVC brought me self acceptance, taught me how I can allow all my feeling to be there, to trust in life, create inner clarity, acknowledge my pain, welcome my thoughts and have compassion for myself. It connected me to the magical world of needs underneath each feeling and thought.
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NVC helps me to speak from my heart and express myself authentically. To take care of my needs and the needs of others at the same time. To listen empathically and hear what people are trying to tell me. It is a process that follows the pace of life, allows silence to do the work and holds space for all that is alive in each of us. Integrating NVC is a continuous process for me; a lifelong learning.
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I am continuously studying NVC with different teachers from all over the world. Right now I am walking the path of becoming a certified trainer. NVC teachers that I am deeply grateful for are (among others) Yoram Mosenzon and Miki Kashtan. I love the different flavours that NVC teachers bring, that meet different needs that live in me. I love exploring the application of the principles and tools of Nonviolent Communication in different areas of life. I feel deeply grateful for the subtleties of this simple and profound practice that I discover every day.
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I have a wide network of people all over the world who just like me intent to work from the intention of non-violence. They form support groups around empathy, mourning, celebrations, purpose and core nonviolence commitments, which I regularly join. They meet a big part of my need for self-care. I have a dream for every person on this planet to have a circle of people for support.
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Embodiment
I have a vision of a world where all of us are connected to our body. Where we understand that our body knows our personal truth, that it can be like a compass and can show us where to go, when we are heading in the direction of our souls and when we are in the pace that resonates with who we are. That we can use our body to make important decisions and that it can help us to understand how to take care of ourselves. And that we can check in with our body and get answers to our questions.
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In my work, the body is always in the picture. When I am working with individuals on topics as liberation, leadership and birth. When I am working with couples on communication and sexuality. And when working with communities, groups and teams. The body is part of the journey, an important part of all of us that I want to include. I support anyone who is willing and wanting to discover body awareness, increase the connection to their body and start using their body as a compass of intelligence.
Bodies of work
These are the fields in which I bring my gifts and experiences. Each field I work in is grounded in empathy, based on Nonviolent Communication. To me all of those fields are parts of life. In the last few years, I have supported people from different places, backgrounds, genders and ages. My experience is that it is almost never only one part of life that is being touched. I want to invite people to see those fields as openings to a wider exploration that covers all of life.
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Healing & liberation
There is something inside of us that will not rest until it is liberated. As children, most of us have learned to adjust to what our surroundings reflected and forgot what the real longing of our heart is. What is it that makes us feel joy? What is really important? I do not know if we can become fully liberated...
Embodiment
One of the most important parts of self connection for me is to be connected to my body. For me embodiment is not just about feeling the body, but experiencing the world through the body. Becoming aware of the intelligence in it and learning how to listen to the different parts and energy...
Parenting
My voice will become the inner voice of my children. It becomes the blueprint for their life long self regulation. And so did the voice of our parents influence our own inner voice. That is when we don't do the work to heal and transform that into a more compassionate voice. Parenting to me doesn't only...
Sexuality
I dream of a world where we can all fully accept and express our sexual nature. Where we feel free to explore our sexuality in a way that resonates with us. Sexuality can be a super power and can have a healing effect. Yet many of us have a painful relationship with it, connected to shame or guilt...
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Intimate relationships
The most inspiring and fertile place for healing and growth for me is an intimate relationship. At the same time it can be the most challenging place for many of us. While deepening the connection we might feel triggered and even hurt. We might want to run away, because it is too painful and...
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Pregnancy & Birth
Being pregnant can be a huge transformation. And I want to acknowledge that this is also possible when a pregnancy ends in a miscarriage. The process of being pregnant, having a miscarriage, giving birth, becoming a mother for a woman can be the biggest shift in her life. I have a vision of...
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Leadership
For me taking leadership means to be connected to my values, my vision and my purpose. To stay in touch with how I want to show up in the world and to be aware of the effect that has on others and the world around me. To take responsibility for the whole. It helps me to let my energy flow in the...
Community
"It takes a village" is often heard when we hear people speak about the purpose of living in community. We can be part of different communities with different purposes. Being a part of a community can meet our needs for belonging, being part of something. It can meet a need...