Stuttering?
So what!
Hi there, I’m Niels!
For years, I found it hard to say my own name or complete a sentence without stumbling.
There wasn’t a single day that went by without me thinking about a life without stuttering.
For more than fifteen years, I tried to get rid of it instead of accepting it. In the end, acceptance turned out to be the key to recovery and freedom!
How it started...
I grew up as a quiet, introverted child, with an older sister and two younger brothers. Along with my youngest brother, I was the least talkative. Whether this contributed to my stuttering, I cannot say for certain, but it certainly didn’t seem to aid my speech development.
As I grew older, I noticed that adults and peers reacted to me differently than to others. Insecurities began to form, and I unconsciously started avoiding certain situations and specific words. Without realising it, I developed social anxiety.
Avoiding words and situations
For many years, this anxiety shaped much of my life. I avoided situations and career paths that required communication, such as speaking in class, joining group discussions, giving presentations, making phone calls, and everyday social interactions.
I often struggled to pronounce my own name or certain words. Some people offered tips, like singing or slowing down my speech, while others warned that my stuttering could limit my career opportunities. I spent many days and nights worrying, consumed by the fear of rejection. This left me feeling insecure for years.
Niels in a nutshell
- Born in the ’80s!
- Down-to-earth Dutch mentality
- Married to Iris and father of Tobias and Stefan
- Back in the Netherlands since June after nine years in Australia.
- Sporty, serious about keepie-uppies 😎⚽
- I love traveling, music, camping, multi-day hikes, and adventure!
The tipping point
At a certain point, I couldn’t go on the way things were. I was tired of self-pity, pain, and shame, and decided to take control of my life. I quit my job and gave up my apartment, and went travelling. That marked the beginning of a new chapter, where I discovered that growth starts outside your comfort zone.
While travelling and afterwards, I encountered inspiring people and explored personal development, meditation, breathwork, and speech training. Instead of running from my fear, I faced it head-on, and as my confidence grew, so did my speech. In 2013, I finally enrolled in the Communication and Multimedia Design program – a dream I had put off ever since earning my vocational diploma.
The liberation
Changing my lifestyle brought me back in touch with my creative origins. As a child, I was constantly building, writing, and designing, and that playful curiosity continues to drive my work today.
After some years of working full-time as a UX designer, I founded Digital Soulmate in 2020. Today, I work mainly with organisations that embrace humanity, foster community, and value sustainability and personal growth.