Claudia van Zuiden Personal Coaching

07/09/2026

Really looking forward to seeing many 16G friends there 🤩

☀️ 𝘾𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚:
𝘈𝘯 𝘪𝘯-𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘭 𝘌𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘎𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘤𝘰𝘵𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥

Dear friends around the world, join us this month for a nourishing retreat in the heart of the Aberdeenshire countryside, in Scotland! Over three days, we’ll pause, reflect, and explore the 16 Guidelines for Life as a practical framework for cultivating compassion, resilience, and deeper connection.
This gathering welcomes anyone interested in living with greater compassion, meaning and awareness, whether you are new to the 16 Guidelines or looking to deepen your practice.

25-27 September 2026
at Sir Arthur Grant Centre Aberdeenshire in Scotland
Capacity limited to 38 on-site participants (off-site lodging available nearby)
For more information and to to confirm your participation, please contact Gillian Cruickshank: [email protected] Gillian Cruickshank - Wellbeing for All Beings

What to expect:
🧘‍♀️ Gentle daily practices: Qi Gong, guided meditation, journaling & mindful eating
☺️ Deep dives into the Guidelines: Exploring Humility, Kindness, Patience, Generosity & more to strengthen inner resilience
🍀 Nature & community: Grounding walks, a visit to a local stone circle, and heartfelt shared reflection
☀️ Experiential learning: An empathy circle, the 16 Guidelines Game, and a special workshop on Grief, Grace & Gratitude with Claudia van Zuiden Personal Coaching

Find more info on our website:
https://compassionandwisdom.org/event/cultivating-a-compassionate-and-meaningful-life-an-in-person-universal-education-gathering-in-scotland/

See you soon!

05/09/2026

Personal transformation is one of the most underestimated leadership strategies.

We often talk about leadership development in terms of skills, competencies and business outcomes. But what happens when the leader changes at a deeper level?
It creates more self-awareness, more energy, less reactivity, greater presence and a stronger sense of purpose.

And this does not stay with the individual.
It becomes visible. People observe how leaders respond under pressure, how they communicate, how they listen and how they take care of themselves. Behaviour is contagious. What leaders consistently model, others often begin to mirror.
The potential organisational impact is significant: healthier relationships, less stress, greater engagement and, ultimately, a workplace where people have more capacity to thrive. And there is an even bigger opportunity.

When work becomes healthier, people have more energy left for life beyond work; for family, relationships, community, creativity, volunteering, learning and contribution.
This is where I see leadership connecting with social sustainability. The question is no longer only: “What results can we create through our people?” But also: “What kind of lives are we enabling people to live?”

When people finish their workday, will they have enough energy and time to make a difference in the world and live a meaningful life outside their work?

That is the question we should ask ourselves of conscious leadership.

I am also taking this on board and will have restful weekend myself. Hope you will be able to do the same.

FutureOfWork

25/08/2026

Not long before it starts, and really looking forward to being one of the facilitators at this event:

Cultivating a Compassionate and Meaningful Life

An in-person Universal Education Gathering in Scotland

An Invitation to Pause, Reflect, and Reconnect

Join us for a nourishing Gathering – Retreat in the heart of Aberdeenshire, where we’ll explore the 16 Guidelines for Life as a framework for cultivating compassion, resilience, and meaningful connections.

Set against the backdrop of the Scottish countryside, this gathering offers time to reflect deeply, connect with like-minded people, and bring fresh inspiration into your daily life. Together, we’ll combine gentle practices such as meditation, journaling, mindful movement, and shared reflection to explore how the Guidelines can enrich both inner growth and outer relationships.

Across three days, you’ll be guided through a balanced flow of learning, practice, and connection.

The retreat will take place at the Sir Arthur Grant Residential & Outdoor Activity Centre, a peaceful venue surrounded by nature.

To find out more: link in the comments 🔗

Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom

19/08/2026

I loved the positive energy and dynamics in today’s training session.

Sharing practical skills that support leaders in building on their strengths, developing their team members, and creating greater alignment and commitment led to some really meaningful conversations.

What particularly stood out to me were the insights around more reflection, asking more questions, and listening more deeply.

Leadership is an ever-evolving process. It asks for self-awareness, curiosity and reflection — recognising what works, building on it, and having the willingness to change what doesn’t in order to create better results.

I was especially impressed by the team in Brussels, who managed, in a relatively short time, to create a safe space where participants could openly share their thoughts and experiences.

And perhaps that is leadership at its best: creating the conditions where people feel safe enough to speak, curious enough to listen, and aligned enough to move forward together.

08/08/2026

Lion’s Gate 🦁✨

Today, in meditation,
I was taken back to the white lions of Timbavati.

Their quiet power.
Their presence.
The way they simply ‘are’.

And I heard:

“Have a lion-heart.”

Not a heart that fights.
Not a heart that builds walls.

A heart that remembers.

No ‘Power Over’.
No hierarchy.
No fear.

Only connection.

I saw the three spirals of my triskelion tattoo
reaching towards Sirius, Orion’s Belt and the Sun…

meeting in the Centre.

And from that Centre,
a vortex spiralled through the white lions
and down towards Earth.

Then, slowly,
it spiralled outward.

Perhaps this is the invitation:
‘Return to the Centre. Remember Oneness. And expand from there.’

No fence.
No gate.

Just a lion-heart,
open to life. 🦁🤍🌀

With love,
Claudia 🙏✨

07/08/2026

I love it so much when I asked to sign one of my books so it can be given as a personal gift 🎁

Not because it will have my name on it, but because it touched someone’s heart and they want to give it forward. This time it was (again) my son who asked, which is a huge compliment for me.

And I must say, every time I open the book again to sign it, it puts a huge smile on my face to see the drawings from Ben Duncan Higgins and to read the feedback from all the children who read the book 📖🐻‍❄️from different schools and beyond, with all the great teachers like Gillian Cruickshank - Wellbeing for All Beings & Lorna Lees 💕

Thank you Daniel and thank you everyone who read the book over years 💕

I am thinking of writing one about sea turtles next… 🐢

04/08/2026

We loved our time in Italy with family ❤️

Lovely places to visit, great conversations, beautiful food and enjoying the gorgeous sea.

It was a honeymoon for us, and the Full Moon shining above us reflecting in the sea was such a beautiful gift.

On our journeys we were very touched to witness the work people are doing to protect the sea turtles and to inspire others to join.

We will do our part as well. We feel very strong about protecting the turtles, and all endangered animals, for that matter, so we are exploring how to get involved more. We gave lots of Reiki to the wounded turtles and hopefully that will support their healing.

Of course, we were aware about all the fires going on in so many countries, and our hearts were aching to see the devastating impact. Such gratitude for every one who helped to bring the fires to an end.

On our travels to one of the most beautiful places, we saw the Merkabah symbol on top of one of the Trulli houses, which has been a strong symbol for me for many years, I actually had one as a pendant on my necklace for years.

Seeing this symbol again, felt like a gift. Like a reminder that we all have been given a certain amount of time on this planet and to be the best version of ourselves in that time. Having said that, our best today can be different than yesterday, depending on how we feel. I have to remind myself of that every day.

It also reminded me about taking good care of the planet, all that lives on the planet, including ourselves. To be kind and respectful, to be present with love in our hearts. So that is still my path forward, one step at the time.

What a special journey again. Super grateful 🙏

‘The best is yet to come’ ( says - Van Morrison)

Thank you Antoinette Aris and family for your hospitality and all the fun ❤️

With Arturo Massaro-van Zuiden

26/07/2026

So looking forward to this weekend ❤️

Cultivating a Compassionate and Meaningful Life - 25 - 27 September 2026 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

We are delighted to be welcoming our dear friend, Claudia Massaro-van Zuiden, as one of our facilitators for the weekend. Her session is going to be much appreciated, a topic that is rarely fully addressed:

'Grief, Grace & Gratitude'

A two-hour experiential workshop with Claudia Massaro-van Zuiden

Grief is something we all experience, yet many of us have never been taught how to meet it with compassion. Whether we are grieving the loss of a loved one, a relationship, our health, a dream, or simply a chapter of our lives, grief invites us to slow down and listen deeply to our hearts.

In this two-hour workshop, Claudia gently explores how grief, grace and gratitude are intimately connected. Rather than trying to "move on" from our grief, we discover how embracing it with kindness can become a doorway to healing, wisdom and a deeper appreciation for life.

Drawing on personal experience, timeless wisdom, reflective practices and insights from her book, Claudia creates a safe and nurturing space where participants are invited to explore:

Understanding grief as a natural expression of love
Finding grace in moments of uncertainty and change
Cultivating gratitude without denying our pain
Practical mindfulness and reflection practices that support healing
Transforming loss into a deeper connection with ourselves and others
Instead of talking about fixing grief, this workshop is about learning how to walk beside it with courage, compassion and an open heart.

Participants will leave with practical tools, renewed hope and a gentle reminder that even in life's most difficult moments, gratitude can become a quiet light that guides us forward.

Claudia is an international leadership training consultant, executive coach, author, artist and facilitator with more than thirty years of experience supporting people to live and lead with greater awareness, compassion and purpose.

Her workshops weave together wisdom, storytelling and practical experience, inviting participants to reconnect with their own resilience, humanity and capacity for joy.

23/06/2026

Once a week, I still teach yoga online and love the group of people who have a genuine interest in ta***ic yoga and actually live it, not just on the mat, but in real life.

My yoga teacher in India always told me, that it is easy to teach those who are already on the Path. He told me that I should also teach those who struggle with life and its challenges.
So for nearly 30 years, I share what I was taught and my own experiences with it.

Tonight we explore the ancient yogic understanding of the two fundamental energies that exist within all of life and within each of us.
In yoga these energies are often represented as Shiva and Shakti.
Shiva is pure consciousness. He represents stillness, awareness, presence, clarity, structure, and the witnessing mind. Shiva is often associated with the masculine principle, not as male, but as the quality of stillness and direction.
Shakti is the life force itself. She is movement, creativity, intuition, emotion, transformation, and the power that brings life into form. She represents the feminine principle, not as female, but as the energy of flow and creation.
Neither exists without the other.

Neither exists without the other.
Without Shiva, Shakti becomes scattered energy without direction.
Without Shakti, Shiva remains potential without expression.
You might also recognise these as Sun and Moon energies.

Besides asanas etc, the questions we will be reflecting on are:
Where am I overusing effort?
Where am I needing more presence, receptivity, or trust?

What would you answer to those?

23/05/2026

It is Pinksteren and beautifully warm here in the Netherlands. I’m sitting by the water, cooling down and re-reading a book that was gifted to me by my colleagues after I left my job at the maternity hospital in Torphins, Scotland, back in 2004. What a wonderful team of women I had the privilege of working with there.

The work itself was deeply rewarding and humbling, and I look back with great gratitude on those 8 years.

The book is about a woman’s path to enlightenment, with many women sharing their stories and experiences from a Buddhist perspective. Having studied and applied Buddhist principles for more than four decades, I become increasingly aware of how profoundly they have shaped my life.

More and more, I see how important it is to create spaces where people can realise they have a choice: to live from a reactive mindset or from a creative and conscious one. The moment we become aware of this, we begin to uncover the full potential of our consciousness.

This is rarely a straight path, I know that from my own life experiences. But it is a path towards freedom. A path that helps us recover from being trapped in old patterns, fears and conditioned reactions.

And once we truly begin to understand that we are not limited beings, but beings of immense potential, our life experiences themselves can transform into something deeply meaningful and fulfilling.

As I look around me now, children laughing and playing in the water, people enjoying the beauty of this place, I find myself sending love out into the world.

Can we all, just for a moment, meet each other in peace, presence and love?

Perhaps that is where it begins. 🤍💫🪷

And…Next Friday evening, at our home, we have 2 places left for the Wo’moon Circle I will be facilitating. DM me if you want to know more about it or want to be there.