ARTICLES ABOUT CREATIVITY

Sometimes you meet someone and relax within minutes. The conversation flows, silences do not feel awkward, and you sense that you do not have to keep explaining yourself. With someone else, the exact opposite happens. They have barely said anything wrong, yet you already feel resistance. You become restless, critical or tired. Perhaps their speaking pace irritates you. Perhaps it is the way they look at you, hesitate, make decisions or seem unable to move towards anything at

On charisma, energy and Silent Authority Thought Leadership. Years ago, I met Satyanarayana Dasa Babaji in Faridabad, India. He was a spiritual teacher with followers around the world. During our meeting, he asked whether he could stay with me whenever he visited the Netherlands. What stayed with me most was not only what he said. It was the calm he radiated. There was something mystical about his presence, yet at the same time something remarkably grounded. He seemed to have

The tuning fork methodology, resonance, and the difference between attunement and compatibility. Place two identical tuning forks opposite each other. Strike one and leave the other untouched. The first tuning fork begins to vibrate visibly, setting the air around it in motion. Because the second tuning fork is tuned to the same frequency, it picks up the vibration. Without anyone touching it, the silent tuning fork begins to produce sound as well. This phenomenon is called r

Six memorable communication and listening principles for leaders, meetings, workshops and difficult conversations Whenever I lead a group session or give an on-stage presentation, there is usually at least one person who catches my attention before they have even said a word. You probably know the type. Their posture is slightly closed, their eyes are alert and they seem to be carefully examining every sentence for the one detail that may not be entirely correct. While most p

I did not start with the idea of replacing myself. That was never the point. I did not sit down one day and think: how can I build a digital version of Ben so I no longer have to show up? The thought was much more innocent than that, and also more interesting. What would happen if AI was not only fed with information, but with a way of looking? Not just articles, frameworks and methods, but also tone, rhythm, questions, beliefs, boundaries, irritation with vague answers, and

AI Ben surprised me again. Not because the avatar looked realistic. Not because the voice worked. Not because the technology did something flashy. This time it was much simpler than that. After every session, someone can receive a transcript of the conversation. Someone I coach sent me one of those transcripts, and for the first time I could read how a conversation with AI Ben had actually unfolded from the inside. The conversation was about setting boundaries. At least, that

I still remember typing the final words of the manuscript for my first book on a Thai beach almost twenty years ago. In the weeks before, the words about how I looked at entrepreneurship, business and companies had poured onto the screen like a waterfall. AI as we know it today did not exist. Making spelling mistakes did. So I knew a good editor would still have to go through it, but that was not my main problem. The real problem was whether I dared to let anyone read it. Bec

If there is one thing that still amazes me almost every day, it is how creative people are. Sometimes brilliantly creative. Sometimes hopelessly creative. Take the spoon, for example. Spoons already existed in ancient times, among the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. So you might think we had figured that thing out by now. A handle, a bowl, food in it, done. But no. Every year, hundreds of new spoons are designed again. Not because the existing spoon has suddenly failed on a mas

I still remember the first time I decided to take singing lessons. It was years ago, together with my former wife. I had asked for the lesson myself, so there was no one to blame, but the moment the teacher looked at me and asked, “Do you ever sing?” I immediately felt something tighten in my body. “Yes,” I said. “In the shower. Or in the car when I am alone.” She smiled and said, “Good. Then let me hear something.” The shivers went through my whole body. Me? Singing in front

Why some people sound like noise, and others sound like a future you want to join. As a kid you asked it all the time. “Why, mom?” Why are we doing this, why are we going there, why does it matter, and why now. You were not being dramatic. You just wanted a map, because without a map everything feels random, and random feels unsafe. Then you grow up and you stop asking it out loud. You still think it, though. You sit in a meeting while someone announces, “We need to change th

We all do it, whether we realise it or not. We speak from fear. Sometimes that is obvious. Your voice trembles, your stomach tightens, and your mouth says “yes” while your whole body is really screaming “run.” But more often fear enters in a much smarter way. Then it wears a neat suit. Then it sounds reasonable, mature and strategic. Then it calls itself logic, certainty, common sense or experience. You would be surprised how many discussions, plans, decisions and even grand

Ships don’t sink because of the water around them. They sink because of the water they let in… I was sitting on a terrace when a friend of mine walked up. Even from a distance, I could see it in her face. She was trying to smile, trying to show that she was happy to see me, but anyone could see something wasn’t right. Her sadness was visible long before she spoke. I asked her gently if she was okay, but before I could even finish the question, a tear had already formed. She s

My stepson recently hosted his end-of-school-year party at my place. Dozens of energetic sixteen-year-olds - boys and girls - bouncing through the house, the garden, and in my case, the jacuzzi. It can be a bit of a challenge, sure. But mostly, it’s joy. And yes, finding a stray sock or swim trunk weeks later in some unexpected corner of the house? That’s just part of the deal. But that evening turned out to be different from the ones before. Around six in the morning, when I

At the beginning of this century, my marriage was struggling. I was drinking a bit too much and often found myself emotionally unbalanced. I never became physically aggressive, but I could become quickly and intensely irritated or agitated over all kinds of things. My then-wife, much gentler by nature, would sometimes watch me with a shake of her head and a heavy heart. One day, we decided to address both our marital issues and my unhealthy relationship with alcohol by hiring

Public speaking is not one single skill. It is not only standing on a stage, speaking clearly and hoping people keep listening. Good public speaking is the ability to make an audience feel that what you say matters, and that it matters now. That can happen in very different ways. Simon Sinek does it through purpose and simplicity. Mel Robbins does it through energy and immediate action. Tony Robbins does it through presence and emotional intensity. Brené Brown does it through

Freedom of speech is increasingly under pressure, raising questions about who decides what "misinformation" is and how far censorship can go. From Elon Musk's X and Pavel Durov's Telegram to Chris Pavlovski's Rumble — prominent figures and platforms are increasingly facing bans, fines, and arrests. While some are targeted, others remain untouched, prompting the question: Is this a battle for democracy or against inconvenient truths? Elon Musk and Jair Bolsonaro: Victims of Ce