“I have been interested in health and fitness for many years. So one day I thought, why not study it? And now I am planning to make a career out of it, too,” says expat partner Kim Van Nieuwenhove.
A new beginning
“After quitting my job in procurement, I left my hometown Antwerp and moved to Switzerland, where I initially concentrated on the family,” says Kim of her expat journey, which began seven years ago in Zurich. She now lives in Addis Ababa. “Although I was keen to explore new opportunities as an expat partner, to be honest, I wasn’t sure what I would do or what was even possible.”
Hitting the books
“It was after talking to Josien from Global Connection that I decided studying online would be a good option. It would give me the flexibility that I needed as an expat partner and a mother of three. It would also create an opportunity for me to establish a completely new career path. So with the support of the expatriating company, I signed up for a Health Coach course when I was in Zurich. There were three main components: Nutrition & Fitness, Anxiety & Stress, Wellness. After completing this course, I took another course on hormones to specialise as a Hormonal coach.”
What’s next?
“Through my studies, I became even more intrigued by the human body and how everything is connected. I was reading a lot of informative books about nutrition, exercise, sleep and holistic medicine as well as listening to science-based podcasts on these subjects. From sharing my learnings and discoveries with others (family members and friends), I realised that I truly love to empower others and give them the knowledge, tools and energy they need to have a healthy lifestyle. So I am very excited to now be setting up a portable business as a health coach, specialising in hormone changes.”
Sense of purpose
“It was obviously a huge contrast moving from Switzerland to Ethiopia. It definitely took us all a while to settle into a rhythm in Addis. As an expat partner I once again had to deal with feelings of uncertainty that come from being in a new place, where you don’t know anyone. But this time, I had a sense of purpose because I know that being a health coach is the goal. So step by step, I’m putting my business plan together and I’m excited to see how it goes!”
Photo: Kim Van Nieuwenhove
All Global Connection’s corporate clients are leading multinationals. Due to some of their policies, we do not use their name in public articles. However, expat partners signed in to our private Media & Network can see the multinational’s name.
