That is my mission. Not as a beautiful message. As my life. Everything I do, coach, train and write starts from that one conviction: the world needs leaders who lead from the heart.
This is not a tagline I once came up with. It is the conclusion I drew after everything I have experienced, learned and lived through. After more than 25 years of exploring psychology. After 15 years as a coach, trainer and facilitator. After an accident that changed everything.
The world has enough smart people. Enough strategies. Enough models and frameworks. What is missing is the heart. Presence. Courage. The ability to lead from who you truly are, instead of from the expectations placed upon you.
That is what I facilitate in others. And it is what I practise daily myself, in my own life, my own leadership, my own vulnerability.
"You can only facilitate what you embody yourself. That is not a beautiful quote. It is the foundation of everything."
In 2018, I had a mountainbike accident. I flew over the handlebars and landed hard. In the days that followed, while my body slowly recovered, something else in me suddenly became very clear: I had waited long enough. To live fully. To feel fully. To live the mission I had carried within me for so long but had never quite dared to live.
That accident gave me something back. Not the fear of vulnerability, but the courage to move through it. The realisation that the body always knows what the head sometimes prefers not to see. And the longing to pass that knowledge on to everyone I guide.
But let me be honest: the story didn't begin in 2018. It began much earlier.
As a young girl, I lived with my parents and sister in West Africa for several years. A different world. A different way of being. A childhood in motion followed. After my Masters in Psychology at the University of Amsterdam, I spent my twenties living in New York City and Sydney. In my thirties, I built my career from Amsterdam. I now live with my partner and daughter in Dubai.
Each of those places taught me something. About adapting without losing yourself. About being at home within yourself, wherever you are. About the power of presence in a world that is always in motion.
Over the past 15 years, I have guided more than 1,000 leaders in renowned organisations across finance, telecom, technology, retail, healthcare and government. I have seen what happens when people lead only from their heads. The exhaustion. The loneliness. The feeling that success doesn't truly fulfil. And I have seen what changes when they take the step towards the heart.
That is why I do what I do. Not as theory. As a conviction I live every day.
I don't work with one method or one framework. I work with what is there. With who you are. With what is alive. And with the scientific knowledge of the heart, the brain and the unconscious that I have built over the years.
Craftsmanship and heart belong together for me. Everything I offer is rooted in years of study, hands-on experience and continuous personal development.
Accreditations
"You are an inspiration. You literally live your vision: leadership from the heart. From a presence, honesty and vulnerability that touches. As an engaged, pure and warm human being, you create a safe, coherent environment in no time. The sessions were simply magical."
"You are truly one of the best coaches I have ever worked with, with a strong vision, a rare ability to connect, and a purity of energy and intention. Very inspiring."
"Tess is warm, soulful and a true inspiration as a heart leader. She truly lives and breathes her purpose, which is beautiful to see. As a coach, she is clear, direct and challenging. She walks alongside you, supports you where needed. And always leaves you in your dignity."
"Tess is a beautiful, warm and loving coach, and at the same time decisive and confronting, touching you immediately with her energy. Through her, I turned inward, asked myself deeper questions, and let go of what no longer serves me, which immediately felt lighter."
"You weren't a leader to look up to, but a leader who inspires and creates a safe space in which everyone comes into their own."
"I experienced you as someone who created the perfect conditions for both tremendous energy and connection in the group, and deep personal transformation."
"Wow, Tess. What a magnificent leader you are. Gentle power, with so much soul."
"I find you incredibly pure, loving and inspiring. You are an example, a leader, a beautiful, powerful, wise, sharp and authentic woman. You see right through me, without judgment. Curious, encouraging, mirroring, challenging."
"You are able to intuitively give people exactly what they need and support them in a powerful and loving way. Once again, I experienced you as an inspiring example."
"Your presence, humour, vulnerability and sparkling energy make you an exceptional trainer and educator. Your warmth, wisdom and craftsmanship create an environment for both depth and lightness."
"Your ability to see and feel with complete clarity what truly matters, combined with your Heart Leadership coaching skills, was simply impressive. I have honestly never experienced anything like it, and I have seen some very good coaches."
"She lives this work in all its vulnerability and strength. It is beautiful to see her at work. It inspires and gives direction to start working with it yourself."
"I had waited long enough. To live fully. To feel fully. To live the mission I had carried within me for so long."Tess Keijzer Heart Leadership Coaching™ Certification Work 1:1 with me in The Inner Authority™
Choose the path that fits you and discover how you want to deepen.