The Phoenix Frequencies

Stop Fixing, Start Facilitating

Seven years ago today, Nienke had her first brain tumour surgery. The anaesthetics failed, the tumour couldn't be fully removed — and yet the disruption she'd been living with seemed to resolve anyway. 
In this episode of Phoenix Frequencies, she explores why: the difference between fixing (forcing a result, chasing credit, suppressing the signal) and facilitating (partnering with discom...

When the Heat Is On: Navigating Crisis Through True Care and Instinct

What happens when the heat is on in your life, your career, or your business? When unexpected crises strike- physically, emotionally, or in business- KPIs fall short, and stakeholders start to complain? Do you get trapped by panic? 

In this episode, Nienke explores how we respond under extreme pressure. Using a powerful metaphor inspired by a nature reserve in...

Our nervous systems are hardwired to seek comfort, safety, and predictability. But what happens when the "inconvenient truth" shatters our carefully built routines? Often, our default is to retreat into denial, blame, or fight-or-flight, freeze-or-fawn mode.

What if we shifted from reaction to creation?

In this episode, I explore how stepping out of our comfort zone isn't a threat—it’s the ultimate portal to resilience, p...

Moving from the 'Controller' to the 'Conductor': Embracing the Indigo Perspective.

Have you ever noticed what happens to your focus when pressure mounts? We instantly snap into a sharp, analytical tunnel vision. While useful for deadlines, this high-stress state shuts down our deepest asset: our intuition.

In the latest episode of The Phoenix Frequencies Podcast, we explore a different way of navigating complex environments—The...

"Courage to move from the past. Trust to be with the present. Rise to create a new future."

These are the words at the heart of everything I do here — and today, they couldn't feel more alive.

This episode is recorded on Pentecost — a day of purifying fire, of breath, of new beginnings. A day that, centuries ago, was explained to the ancient world through the image of the phoenix: rising, immortal, a sudden miraculous beg...

Individual Intention to Collective Coherence: Are you ready for the "Point of No Return"? 
We all know the drill: the goals we set at the start of the year. But is your intention merely a "quick fix" because you want to escape something, or are you choosing a fundamental transformation?
Transformation is like a boiled egg: it cannot go back to its original state. It is new. It is Phoenixed.

In the latest episode o...

What do you do when the leadership style that made you successful for 25 years suddenly stops working? Drahomira Mandiková shares her phoenix moment in leadership. A big shift creates an impact in the workplace and is reflected in our personal behaviours as well.
That is the Phoenix lesson she brings in this episode: “Sometimes growth is not about adding skills. It’s about letting an old version of yourself burn - s...

Can you feel the shift? The world we once tried to control is moving beneath our feet. From the crumbling of old-guard power structures to the rigid KPIs that are draining the soul out of our organizations, we are standing in the "ashes" of a collapsing era.

But in this episode of The Phoenix Frequencies, we’re not just looking at the debris. We’re looking in the mirror.

As the "Old World" struggles with power, greed, and...

If you are feeling the density of the world right now—the politics, relationships, work, the stress, or your own health challenges—ask yourself: Am I trying to fight the noise, or am I ready to conduct the music?Destiny is what happens when you stop resisting the density and start leading the collaboration. It’s about awakening the healthy parts of your life—your joy, your resilience, your inner peace from i...

What is the secret of a good listener? They can hold space:
 "In the process of rising from the ashes, holding space is the stillness between the fire and the flight. It is the quiet, steady frequency that allows the 'redesign' of a life to take place in a safe and honest environment."  
Here is a checklist for you, "Holding Space to Rise".
It includes the 7 key steps for clearing your own mental noise, list...

As we look at the world today, we see a rapid shift in the global worldview regarding the pursuit of control. We are moving away from claiming power based on the past and toward an attempt to control a new paradigm—one that is often as substantial as the "emperor’s new clothes."

Think of the T. rex: an "eat or be eaten" mentality, focused on controlling everything you dislike. But dinosaurs are extinct. Why? Because they...

A new year, new intentions. Is that a habitual thing you can let go of, what doesn't work, and create something you love so much it goes deeper and stays real? 

If you lose weight because you don't like the scale now, be careful, weight might find you again.... 

Do you dare to change your frequency and step into what is a match for you in this moment? Free from comparison with the past, something you didn't like? 

Use w...

In this last podcast, Nienke invites you to reflect. 
What gifts did you get from this year, physically, mentally, emotionally spirtually/in behaviours?
In an honest share, she lists her gifts for 2025 across all areas. 
Gifts can occur as setbacks; we can take them as invitations to enjoy? Shift your perspectives?  
She ends with an inquiry as a gift to you. If you want, you can get it. Not only during t...

An existential crisis is a period of deep questioning about life's meaning, purpose, and values, often triggered by significant life events or a sense of meaninglessness, which can lead to feelings of anxiety and distress.
Existential growth is the positive transformation that can occur when a person navigates this crisis by reevaluating their life, gaining deeper self-awareness, and aligning their actions with their actual va...

Do you know these individuals who are incredibly loyal and work hard for everyone who asks? Those who become very upset by facing resistance tend to take critique extremely personally. But also comfort themselves with compensation food after serving half the world? Like Labradors. Friendly and social – Intelligent and eager to learn – Loyal and devoted – Gentle and patient –Playful and enthusiastic – A...

Acceptance is not about giving up; it is about releasing resistance to what you cannot change, so you can move forward with clarity and purpose. While giving up is a cessation of effort, acceptance is a proactive choice to acknowledge reality as it is, which creates a foundation for progress and allows you to respond to challenges with strength and grace. 

Reinhold Niebuhr's Serenity prayer says it beautifully.
God, grant me...

We can prepare and train ourselves by using virtual reality, a simulator of reality. Like pilots learn to act in all kinds of situations. 
We all use our human simulator as a re-living play. We act in real time based on what we have learned in the past. Or we pretend that how we show up for others is real. How many VR filters do you put on, an Instagrammable life? 
We can also use our human simulator in another way....

This is the 80th episode of the Phoenix Frequencies podcasts, exactly on my fourth anniversary of my re-birthday. It has been an intense ride and inquiry to learn who can stand ánd stay with me. Who can resonate sincerely or pretend by pleasing? Who can hear what I see, even without fully understanding the impact? And the people who can't or couldn't, I can be grateful for the mirror they gave me. I can feel remorseful for the time...

On International Peace Day, Nienke recorded a special podcast on peace again this season.
The elements of peace encompass both internal, personal qualities, such as patience, compassion, and inner tranquillity, and external, societal conditions, including justice, freedom, equity, and well-functioning institutions. Achieving "positive peace" requires a commitment to these factors, rather than just the absence of war, "negative p...