Wendy Van den Bulck (°1974)
I help people dare to move in the direction of their choice
My expertise
My focus is on leadership and communication. From 2010 to 2014 I mainly coached groups within the Flemish and Federal government, since 2014 my work area has mainly been within the academic world. I guide workshops, team coachings and individual coachings within different ‘layers'(Professors, Postdocs, temporary mandates, PhD students, administrative & technical staff) in various universities and research institutes:
My expertise is coaching people who are so passionate about their job that they (risk to) lose themselves in it:
• Researchers who, in order to grow as scientists, have to expand their group and thus end up in a people management role in which they do not always feel comfortable;
• Doctors, psychologists, therapists,… and also veterinarians,… struggling to find a healthy balance between caring for others and caring for themselves;
• People in a management role who feel like having to be ‘the spider in the web’ that has to keep all the threads together
Insights from natural horse behaviour and an experiential approach through working with the horses are particularly helpful in guiding people to new insights and new habits.
Red thread in all my coachings – and in my life – is the Solution Focus approach (Steve de Shazer & Insoo Kim Berg). Horses taught me the core essence of this valuable approach, and I continuously deepen my knowledge and experience through trainings, workshops and conferences in Belgium and abroad, by following and guiding workshops and presentations. Since 2016 I have been an active member of the SOL World Community and I’m a co-organizer of the yearly international Solution Focus Summer Retreat.
In 2019 I wrote my first book with a solution focused approach, in English (“Connective Clarity. When Horses Invite You to Take up Authentic, Solution Focused Leadership”) and in Dutch (“Verbindende Duidelijkheid. Als paarden je uitnodigen tot authentiek, oplossingsgericht leiderschap”).
My story
My expertise lies in guiding people who are passionate about their job and (risk to) fail in this respect:
• Researchers who, in order to grow as scientists, have to expand their group and thus have to take up a people management role in which they do not always feel comfortable;
• Doctors, psychologists, therapists struggling to find a healthy balance between caring for others and caring for themselves;
• People in a management role who feel like having to be ‘the spider in the web’ that has to keep all the threads together.
Horses have always been a passion, since I was a child. However, I’ve walked a long path to arrive at getting into contact with the real nature of horses and how we can learn from them. A horse trek in the French Pyrenees (in 2002) was a key moment: in actually living together with the horses I finally found what intuitively I had always linked with them: contact, togetherness, trust, authenticity, respect, clarity, peace… The search for where I could find those qualities somewhere closer to home brought me to Terra Natura in the Netherlands, where I started a training with Pieter Baalbergen in 2004. After Pieter’s death in 2006 I continued to give direction to this organisation for a couple of years, together with some colleagues. With Equoia I am now walking my own path.
Working with people is another thing I’ve always been attracted to. It fascinates me to bring about something in people. At first this took shape in leading a musical ensemble, later on when I got my master’s degree in Germanic languages, I was a language teacher for 14 years. Gradually I evolved towards training and coaching, thus finding what I really wanted to do. In 2010 I stopped being a teacher and I became a self-employed trainer and coach.
More and more, horses play a large part in my coaching and training, combining my passion for horses with my passion for working with people. In February 2012 my late husband Kristiaan and I started to develop a centre in which we help people and horses to find their way to use their core power. Working with horses once began as a favourite pastime, it has since become an enriching path that I walk with passion.
Little Clown
The Connective Clarity model is based on a tumble clown I came across in January 2012, when I was looking for a meaningful gift for a good friend. I was immediately touched by Little Clown: he was – and still is – the summary of what I have learned from horses about (self)leadership, and he symbolises who I want to be and what I want to (re)awaken in people:
- He shows that, when you are in contact with your core, circumstances can have an impact, but you always feel the reflex to stand up again and you know (rather than hope) that this will happen indeed.
- His joyfully spinning head indicates the importance of being in touch with the world around you, having an overview, being 360° aware of everything going on around you.
- And he shows us how important it is to hear the music in life, in yourself and to keep loving Life with a broad smile, whatever happens.
Little Clown accompanies me in all my coachings, mentoring and leadership programmes and has already inspired countless people.