Inspiration session Snail Philosophy

Trainer/Coach, Experience expert

45 min

NL

Vitality,
Mental health,
Personal development,
Fitness

Relax,
Inspire,
Happiness at Work

Marleen Bekker cycled 2000 kilometers by herself. More do that, but she did it at a snail's pace. In her interactive and humorous inspiration session, she talks about her adventures on the bike. Because he who slows down can do great things.

Marleen is currently writing a book about the Snail Philosophy, was featured in Flow Magazine with an article and was interviewed in several podcasts.

Cycling two thousand kilometers on your own in two months—plenty of people do that. But Marleen Bekker did it at a snail’s pace. That gave her the time and space to fully experience every encounter, every mountain, and every blade of grass. She discovered how to overcome her fears and, as a result, accomplish great things.

In her inspirational session, she wants to encourage you to be brave enough to slow down every now and then at work, so you can experience more peace, connection, and joy—with yourself, your coworkers, and your clients.
And no, you don’t have to cycle a long way to get there—she’s already done that for you.

What is the Snail Philosophy?
The Snail Philosophy is a way of living and working that she discovered while cycling two thousand kilometers through Spain on her own. By consciously slowing down, she learned a number of interesting things that she shares in her inspirational session for organizations hosting a meeting, event, or conference.
• By slowing down every now and then, you don’t do less—you do more
• Slowing down brings peace, clarity, and fulfillment
• Taking time to rest makes genuine connection possible—with yourself and with others
• Even when you go slowly—or perhaps especially when you go slowly—you can accomplish great things
• Being a snail isn’t for wimps. You’ll have to face your “monsters” head-on, because there are bound to be voices in your head that think this “slow business” is just silly.

How does this benefit the audience?
In the “Snail Philosophy” inspiration session, she uses her cycling stories to bridge the gap between personal insights and the questions and challenges of working life. It’s great that she’s experienced the value of slowing down, but it’s even better if the attendees at your event can apply these insights to their own busy lives. She wants to encourage the audience to be brave enough to honor their own pace, so they can experience more peace, joy, and connection with others—and, as a result, take better care of themselves and do better work.

What are the topics?
She always tailors the specific cycling stories, exercises, and topics to the occasion, the purpose of the gathering, and its attendees. In any case, the focus is on:
• daring to pause and reflect on how you’re feeling, so you can give yourself what you need
• building in moments of rest—or “snail moments”—so you can gain perspective and work more efficiently
• recognizing “monsters” and learning to listen to your inner snail, which tells you that it’s really okay to slow down a bit
• learning to set goals—besides performance targets at work—that make the journey there a little gentler

Your audience will go home with:
• The courage to regularly check in with themselves, so they don’t frantically chase after a to-do list that’s long since become outdated
• Practical tips for building in “snail moments” throughout the day, so they don’t get completely “overwhelmed” by everything coming their way and can ease into the evening more relaxed
• More peace of mind, so they can once again choose what’s truly important to them, instead of letting themselves be rushed by things that may be urgent but certainly aren’t important
• A lighter feeling, because they were able to laugh at me—and at the craziness of their own frantic rush
• And, of course, that awesome sticker that reminds them it’s okay to take things a little slower

Who is Marleen Bekker?
Marleen is the author of and a speaker on the Snail Philosophy. To her own surprise, she’s writing a book about my bike trip and the art of slowing down. When will it be published? When it’s ready—she writes at a nice, slow pace, of course.
As a stand-up comedian, she’s created several shows, including two full-length ones: *Moederziel Marleen* and *De Pelgrimsshow*. Even though the inspiration session isn’t a comedy show, there’s definitely humor in it. Marleen can’t help herself.

She always tailors her inspiration sessions to the purpose and target audience of your event. She learned that as a senior training actor at Boertien Vergouwen Overduin. Marleen isn’t the kind of speaker who just does her thing without making the audience feel that it’s all about them. She truly connects with your guests.

If you’d like to know what she studied at the University of Groningen and at which university of the arts she earned her degree in Drama Education

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