I live near Hampstead in North West London, a cute village-like neighbourhood full of friendly people and great pubs! But because I’m from Holland, people often ask me, how did you get into this type of work? Here’s a short version of my story.

When I was a kid, my parents would send me to England for the summer holidays. In the plane, I could see that the stewardess couldn’t speak Dutch, so she gave me the mic and I did the in-flight safety announcements. This helped me discover the ‘power’ of my own voice.

Later, when I was studying drama in Belgium, a last-minute call came in for a voice over in Brussels. I had never seen a voice over booth in my life! I went in and read the script in one take, in my natural voice. The engineer said “Miss, I’m not sure what you’re going to do with your diploma, but this is what you should do”.

Next, I passed an audition for Classic FM Holland. On the show, I gave the script my own interpretation and it worked. People liked my Dutch directness because we say it just as it is. We speak from the heart. Today, I work with many international clients that are looking for a friendly, real, and authentic voice.

I’ve worked with many clients, small, big, and local. And I love bringing that experience with me in every job. I enjoy working for international companies, because as an employer once said, “your interesting Dutch European accent makes a brand stand out from the crowd” As they say, you can only make a first impression once!