Annelies Basten

Founder

Annelies’ curiosity about the “why” of people and the world began early. As a highly sensitive child growing up in a small, conservative village in the Netherlands, she often felt like she didn’t fit in. This sense of not belonging sparked a lifelong quest for deeper understanding—of love, life, and her place within it.

Her early survival strategy became high achievement. She was always top of the class, winning national medals in synchronised swimming (now called artistic swimming) and later in road cycling. The underlying belief was: “If I win everything, then I’ll be loveable.”But no matter how many accolades she collected, the inner void remained. She still didn’t feel truly loved, whole, or connected.

During university, her mental health declined. A period of intense struggle—including anxiety, depression, eating disorders, addiction, and suicidal ideation—led her to spend two and a half years in psychoanalytical psychotherapy within a psychiatric hospital. After earning her Master’s in Psychology, she knew she needed a radical change. Leaving old patterns and people behind, she moved abroad and eventually settled in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Here, she found a place—and a way of being—that felt more aligned with her heart. She began living and working in integrity with her values, always in service to something greater. Her work ranged from fundraising for charities to opening and running a plant-based café, all rooted in the desire to help create a kinder, more conscious world.

Drawing on both her academic training and deep lived experience—insomnia, anxiety, addiction, eating disorders, depression, high sensitivity, high achievement, and suicidal thoughts—Annelies now holds space for others to rediscover their own true essence. Her approach is safe, grounded, and non-judgemental. She gently guides people back to authenticity, connection, and inner peace.

Annelies believes in the body’s innate wisdom, the healing power of presence, and the intelligence of nature. Her daily practices—meditation, yoga, and sunrise ocean dipping—are ways she stays grounded, regulated, and attuned in an overstimulated world.