rikvandenberge@gmail.com

I take self-help very seriously. I only go for the big names. Jocko Willink, Jordan Peterson, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius have all profoundly impacted my life for the better. And I needed to get better. The past 10 years I’ve struggled with several physical and mental health challenges. Besides being plagued by asthma and eczema, […]

I have a graveyard of unfinished (read: unstarted) projects in my house. Boxes of suspiciously idle juggling balls, expensive but untouched crayons, a lonely soldering iron. And don’t get me started on all the intriguing software I’ve bought and lost on my harddrive. One time, fired up by the creative world of animation, I wanted

If you can make a green smoothie, you can basically call yourself a coach. To most people it’s unclear what you need to do to earn the title. A weekend workshop? Read a book? Do you get it when you buy one of those snacks from the counter at a gas station? This is what

The Western medical system is ignorant, arrogant, and myopic. There. I said it. I hope I can still get into a hospital after this…  I’m not faulting the people in the system here. Doctors, nurses, and specialists. They all work very hard and are in it for the right reasons. I’m not even blaming ‘big

I used to have a solid morning routine. It was the cornerstone of my day. My sanity depended on it. Last month my daughter was born. Amazing. I couldn’t be happier. But I have a little baby who runs my mornings now. Sanity gone. It had taken me years to build this routine and in

Ah, writing. You lock yourself up in a cabin in the woods until it’s done. Just you and the page, no distractions from everyday life. Buckle down. By yourself. Suffer in solitude. And then, at first light, you step out and present the world with your masterpiece. That’s how real writers do it. I’ve always

I’m no fun. I go to bed early, I don’t drink or do drugs, I’m on a strict diet so I never eat out, I’m not on social media, I don’t like shopping, I don’t drink coffee or even tea. No tea?! What’s wrong with tea?! Are you trying not to enjoy life? Quite the

‘So, you talk to people and give them advice about their life?’ Stumbling to explain what I do as a coach, most people nod politely before I crawl back into my shell. Years ago, when I heard the word ‘coach’, what came to mind were either yelling sports coaches, personal trainers & bootcamp instructors or