April 2024 | Written by – Ariel Slaughter
Spring is finally here! And perhaps in keeping with the season representing renewal and starting over, the Talent100 Edition IV is changing too. In this edition, six new faces will take centre stage as coaches and trainers for the forty-eight Talents joining the program in April 2024.
Let’s extend a warm welcome to Raquel Alejandra López, Chiara Treglia, Gabriela Lodewijks, María José Quirós Castillo, Hannah Böhmer, and Christine Caviquiolo.
Say Hello to the New Coaches for the Talent100 Tracks
To introduce them to the Expat Spouses Initiative (ESI) community and learn more about them and their workshops, we asked them one simple question: “What is your motivation to work with ESI and the Talent100 program?”
Raquel Alejandra López: New Life & Career Coach for Career Discoverers
“I am inspired to contribute to ESI’s mission because, as an expat, I’ve been in the same situation as many of the women participating in the program. I know how vulnerable one can feel while looking for a job in a new country. I can’t wait to facilitate a space in which through reflection, play, and empowered action, participants start owning their gifts, freeing themselves from limiting beliefs and confidently creating the careers they desire.”
Chiara Treglia: New Life & Career Coach for Kickstarters
“My motivation stems from a deep belief in the fact that anyone can carve their own beautiful, unconventional and non-linear career paths and can find joy in doing so. I’m committed to providing practical guidance that fosters personal growth that goes beyond career growth. This program isn’t just about taking the next career step, it’s about equipping you with the tools and mindset to navigate and find your way in a rapidly evolving professional landscape.”
Gabriela Lodewijks: New Life & Career Coach for Women for Women
“For 6 years, I have been working with expat women in personal and career development, and I have always identified with this group because I was an expat in 2010. At that time, there wasn’t as much support network as there is now, so my satisfaction in being able to support expat women in their development and adaptation abroad is immense. Working with expat women is wonderful because I am in constant contact with incredible women from different countries, each bringing with them a vast cultural background, which also allows me to learn a lot from them.”
New Workshop Coaches
Besides the new career and life coaches for the program’s three talent tracks, coaches María José Quirós Castillo, Hannah Bohmer, and Christine Caviquiolo will also host workshops for all Talents in their respective expertise’s of human resources and recruitment, cross-cultural training, and mapping personal and professional journeys.
Here’s what they had to say when we put the same question to them
Hannah Böhmer: Intercultural Training and International Life and Career Transitions
“My motivation to work with Expat Spouses Initiative stems from a deep understanding of the unique challenges we face when uprooting our life abroad. Having experienced the complexities of expatriation firsthand, I empathize with the sense of isolation, uncertainty, and lack of belonging that often exists. By supporting Expat Spouses Initiative, I aim to provide a sense of community, empowerment, and purpose amidst the transitions of expat life, supporting to navigate this journey with resilience and confidence, ensuring that no one feels alone in their expatriate experience. Through personalized coaching sessions, I also aim to empower individuals to navigate cultural differences, manage transitions effectively, find strategies and thrive in their new environment.”
María José Quirós Castillo: Crafting a Stellar CV
“The best part of my job is the outcome. Every time I meet with a person who gets a job because of my advice and insights, it fills my heart with happiness and pride for the job I do. I moved from Costa Rica so I can fully understand how difficult it is to start from scratch in a new country. And as part of the team of ESI, I am super proud of the work we do and how step by step because of our contribution and the help of amazing partners we are changing the Dutch labour ecosystem. It’s an honour to help this fantastic group of internationals and get them to be closer to the labour market.”
Christine Caviquiolo: Mapping Personal & Professional Journeys in the Netherlands
“I moved to the techie and cloudy Eindhoven from the sunny and vibrant Barcelona in 2020. Despite working on various projects and meeting kind people, I struggled to find professional opportunities. Being a highly skilled expat spouse, I felt I could also get a nice job in the region. Fortunately, attending a Talent100 event and interacting with the ESI community gave me helpful feedback and advice. In all the meetings I attended with the ESI community, I was listened to with empathy and got helpful feedback and advice, which gave me a glimpse of my way as a professional in this new place. My motivation to work with ESI is to connect with the talents by sharing different ways to navigate the region and find meaningful opportunities and networks for their personal and professional growth.”
Back Again
Talent100 Edition IV blends new faces with seasoned program veterans. Anne Yianni, Anne-Pauline van Antwerpen, Ilse Wouters, Roopashree Narayan, and Kavitha Varathan will reprise their roles as coaches of their usual workshops focusing on branding, LinkedIn, pitching, understanding the Dutch labour market, and networking and storytelling respectively.
Together coaches, new and old, and their workshops offer a unique combination of life coaching, career assessment, and practical tools that are the hallmark of the Talent100 program. Embracing change can be difficult, but with uncertainty comes opportunity and strength. We look forward to seeing how fresh perspectives of our new coaches and trainers will enhance the program’s mission to accelerate international talent to the Dutch labour market and meaningful employment.
Author Profile
A natural storyteller and aficionado of the written word, Ariel Slaughter works as a freelance writer and editor. She has a dual Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Rhetoric and Japanese Literature and Language from the University of Pittsburgh as well as a Master’s of Arts in International Relations from the International University of Japan.