Monique Wijnen

About Monique Wijnen

In the first few minutes, you will be amazed when you see Monique Wijnen. Especially when she challengingly extends her arm to introduce herself. After that, you will listen breathlessly to her inspiring story and wonder why you complain, feel dissatisfied, and do not pursue the things in life that you would like to do.

Thirty-five years ago, this journalist and highly sought-after speaker came into the world. Her appearance surprised everyone. Where doctors said she would have no quality of life and might die, her parents fortunately had more faith in her. Her eyes radiated strength and optimism. Jan and Ria Wijnen took her home, where she grew up with her brother and sister. She was given all the space, trust, and support to develop herself in her own way and at her own pace. With ups and downs, she found her own strength. She is now an independent and self-aware woman who knows exactly what she wants. She is happily married and lives in a lovely house. Together with her self-trained assistance dogs, she travels across the country – and far beyond – to write beautiful and captivating (travel) stories with her “handy” feet.

For her work, she was nominated for the CAP awards, capability awards, in 2008. In the corresponding TROS TV program, she won the gold CAP award and was named Ambassador Unlimited NL for a year. She has given many lectures, built bridges between top managers from the business world and young people with disabilities, spoke with politicians, traveled to Bangladesh for a documentary, and appeared in various TV programs. Her goal was and is: to make people aware of their own strength, the strength of others, and the strength of each other.

Monique’s presence provides a moment of calm in this hectic life. Her appearance makes you aware of what you do have. Her story is not superficial and takes you deep into the subject. The things she wants to do in life, she does, no matter how impossible they may seem at times. She drives a car and rides horses, knits with her toes, left for Sweden alone at the age of 20, trains her Siberian Husky to be her right hand, and started her company “Eigen-Kracht.nu”.

How does she do that? “I close my eyes and see how I can do things in my own way. This motivates me and gives me confidence, creativity, and strength to achieve my goals. During this process, I regularly call on the expertise of people in my network, I like to be mirrored, I trust my own feelings, and my optimism helps me overcome obstacles. I wish everyone – including myself – the good, and I believe I am worth pursuing that. Do you?”

Monique is happy to think along with you in the search for your own strength and the strength of each other. Based on a preliminary conversation, she will determine together with you what the focus of her interactive lecture will be.