Label Text

About the circles 

Through The Well of Being, Jolanda offers occasional online circles open to interested and resonant people from around the world. Held through Zoom, each circle begins with some brief context-setting, following which a pre-selected participant is invited to hold a 1:1 dialog with Jolanda around a specific challenge or personal quest that is alive for them. Others present have the chance to hold space as witnesses to the exchange. Time is set aside for shared reflections from the circle before closing. Jolanda makes it a point to clarify that she is not a teacher, therapist or guide. All her sessions, including these circles are designed to be peer-to-peer. In Jolanda’s eyes, "The most beautiful thing we can be for each other is just be open and loving. That is the most beautiful thing we can do."

To respect the privacy of the space, recordings of the circles with Jolanda are not made available online. However, if they wish, the person dialoging with Jolanda can choose to receive a recording of circle for their personal reference.

If you are not already on our mailing list, and would like to be notified when the next circle is scheduled, you can sign up here:

About Jolanda

Image

Jolanda van den Berg is a mother, entrepreneur, and community-weaver who lives in life's creative flow and inspires others to do the same. Over the last 25 years, the organization she founded, Ninos Unidos Peruanos Foundation—has transformed the lives of thousands of street children in Peru. Its work is supported by a series of boutique hotels that Jolanda runs in Cusco, staffed by community members and former students from the foundation.

A traumatic experience in 2016 catalyzed a profound experience for Jolanda. She had a felt-sense of not being a “separate self,” in the world. The experience awakened in her an understanding that, "We are each other." Since then, while continuing to be engaged in her foundation and hotels, Jolanda has sat in hundreds of deep listening sessions with people, 1:1. During these sessions she tunes into their stories, and intuitively mirrors back to them places of stuckness, in ways that can facilitate access to greater possibility and freedom.

Interviews

Intention & Offerings

Born out of a conversation between friends who believe in the uniqueness of each person's path - and in the power of community.

Our aspiration is to create online offerings that help bring us home to ourselves. A platform where people can experience various transformational modalities, engage with others, and learn from diverse practices and perspectives. Our growing palette of offerings include, Yin, Vinyasa, Critical Alignment, and Restorative Yoga, the Realization Process, workshops on Emotional Freedom Technique, and Reclaiming Your Full Voice, one-of-a-kind "Falling Through Our Stories" circles, as well as in-depth interviews with catalytic teachers, artists and more. The Well of Being is an unfolding creative journey of shared experience, reflection and connection. We welcome your friendship and participation.

Poetry

This page offers a selection of Jolanda’s poetry, excerpts from her conversations, as well as gratitude from past circle participants.

Image

Part 1

"She thought she knew the secret ... from the time she was a little girl she felt that every time she was swimming under water, she disappeared and became a mermaid without notice of time or space. When she came up it could have been hours or seconds, she couldn’t tell or remember. It was her secret for many, many years, through the difficult times at home. She felt she couldn’t share it with anyone-- because how could they believe that she disappeared with the water when she was under water?"

Image

Part 2

"Many, many moons later when she was an adult and didn’t believe anymore in mermaids, she found herself again on the beach. She looked at her feet, sand, people, sea, and suddenly all became clear... the images were there but she was gone...she and all became the same…The mermaid in the story, and the story in the mermaid…It’s that, looking at itself, through itself, as itself...without beginning, nor ending, no borders or words.. all in one as one… and so on and on and on and on…"

Gratitude from Past Circle Participants

  • account_circle
    I feel like you have given me the gift of myself. Yes, it was there all along and I am doing the work. But how sad if I had departed this world without even spending a single day living life as myself.
  • account_circle
    For us, every conversation with Jolanda somehow always begins with a light, exuberant laugh. This sets the tone for a liberating day time after time.
  • account_circle
    Jolanda broadens the view on the playing field and puts it in perspective. I don't know how she does it, but I always suddenly conclude: Indeed, that's how it is.

Well of Being
© 2023 Zita, Pavi & Fiona / Contact us