We warmly welcome Wouter Ridder and Bram Nabuurs as new regional directors for region south. They hope to see you soon at one of the upcoming events in this region.

On the 17th of October, The Dutch Chamber of Commerce organised an event in Gothenburg with the topic: 'Sustainable City and Mobility'.
 
Once more our event took place in the wonderful office of The Techno Creatives and hosted a panel consisting of inspirational and engaged participants, discussing topics on how to behave in a sustainable environment, society and how this is connected to cities and mobility. The dialogue was led by Joel Rozada, CEO of Techno Creatives, who dared to touch upon delicate topics like carbon emissions, education and communication. Questions were answered and they were followed by an interesting dialogue between the panel-members.
 
Within the panel multiple representatives with a varied background were present. We want to thank;
Sofia Granath, Director at WirelessCar
Klara Jonsson, CEO at urbanista Stad AB
Martin Kotte, Sales Manager at AIR FRANCE KLM, and
Jaap-Willem Kleijwegt, Architect/Associate at UNStudio for their contribution and interesting views on these highly present-day topics.

Thank you all who joined us, and stay tuned for more of these interesting events.
/Armand Scheijen

Nanda Jansson recently changed her membership from associate to SME. We are curious to find out more about her and her company Poolside Holistic Counseling.

Who is Nanda Jansson?
I am a holistic counselor and professional communication expert as well as a mum, wife, sister and friend. I was born and raised in the Netherlands and moved to Sweden when I was 20 years old. A few years ago, I took a step into the unknown: I quit my job and moved with my Swedish husband and our two teenagers to a little village by the sea in Spain for a six-month timeout. From there I started my international education in holistic counseling and re-discovered my love for writing. When I moved back home again, I started my own company: Poolside AB.
 
Can you tell us more about "Poolside Holistic Counseling"?
At Poolside I offer people a space to take a break from our hectic world and ‘just be’ for a moment. Many of us live our lives feeling stressed, tired, numb or burned out. We sometimes have difficulty to sleep, focus or feel joy. And as Dutch people living and working in Sweden: life here can feel quite different from Holland, right? My work with people is sometimes described as ‘moving from your head to your heart’. It is not only about sitting on a couch and talking about what’s going on in your life. It is also about involving your body in the process, as I believe true wisdom and insights can be found there. I recently sat in a business meeting where I talked about my work and one colleague said: “I sometimes go into the woods to hug a tree. It really calms me.” I love that: real people and authenticity in the workplace. And I love being part of creating these environments.
Today I offer sessions in Swedish, Dutch and English, in my private practice on Södermalm in Stockholm or to people in companies. 
 
What is it like to have your own business in Sweden? 
When I started my business I wrote on my blog: “Congratulations Sweden! You just got yourself a brand-new female entrepreneur. After having learned a thing or two about the laws, rules and regulations around running your own company I must say: you have made entrepreneurship more like a (barefoot) walk in the jungle instead of the park. But regardless of all that, I am excited to hereby officially join the group of entrepreneurs in this country.”
Today, a year later, I feel pretty much the same: still excited and curious about where this path will lead me. But at times also frustrated about the rules and regulations for small entrepreneurs like me here in Sweden.
 
You were an associate member before but decided to become an SME-member instead. Why was that?
As associate member I enjoyed connecting with Dutch professionals in Sweden: a great way to connect to my roots and meet new and interesting people. With Poolside I now have a professional offer particularly to the Dutch community here in Sweden because I give holistic counseling sessions also in Dutch. I’d like to connect with Dutch Chamber-members also from this space and that’s why it felt like a natural next step for me to become an SME-member instead.
 
What are your expectations towards the Dutch Chamber of Commerce? 
To me it’s not so much about what the Dutch Chamber can do for me but rather what I can contribute to the Dutch Chamber. For example, I’d love to host an event together with other members who also work in the field of therapy/coaching/counseling. I believe we each have our unique way of filling workplaces and private lives with more ‘life’, joy and wellbeing and I’d like to be part of spreading this message to the Dutch Chamber-members who are interested to know and experience more!

If you want to know more about Poolside, check out:
poolside.se/en (in English), poolside.se/nl (in Dutch), poolside.se (in Swedish).
If you are curious about Nanda’s blog (in English), you can find it at: livingmytruth.se

/Marion Norman