A coffee with Claire
Welcome to the journal! To begin, who is Claire?
I’m Claire: a speaker and entrepreneur, who helps people & businesses towards more energy + clarity through using food, nervous system regulation and mindset optimization. I'm also a pilates teacher, love to travel and get excited about organic grocery shopping at the market :)
Where did you grow up and where do you live now?
I grew up in a small town in the south of the Netherlands, and I've been living in Amsterdam for quite some years already. It’s a city that inspires me a lot. But - as I'm a small-town girl at heart, I still often go back to the countryside over the weekends, or I always find unique forest homes to disconnect!
How did your journey lead you to becoming an entrepreneur and speaker in the wellbeing space?
My journey started when my own body told me very clearly that something had to change, when I was still in corporate. I was stressed, exhausted and completely disconnected from what I needed (read: insomnia and lost my cycle for three years...)
Exploring nutrition, the gut-brain connection and more holistic ways of living transformed my health, and eventually, my career. I launched Recover, a health bar built around whole, intentional foods, and after selling it I shifted my focus to speaking, teaching and guiding people toward a more grounded relationship with food, stress and themselves. Work that sits so close to your heart is the best way of spending your time!!
If you had to make your dream whole food dinner, what would the menu be?
Definitely lots of beautifully coloured shared plates:
roasted purple potatoes, slow-cooked butter beans, lots of fresh herbs, a crunchy radicchio salad with roasted pumpkin, toasted nuts, and a creamy tahini-lemon dressing.
And always dessert: I have a huge sweet tooth haha. Preferably something naturally sweet like baked pears with cinnamon or dark chocolate with dates.
What has been your favorite milestone so far?
Selling Recover, leaving abroad and then coming back because you realized you don't want to live abroad haha. It was such a defining moment, a closing a chapter I poured my heart into the trusting the unknown afterwards, and then finally listening to your heart and doing what makes YOU happy.
What’s something nobody would expect about you?
People often assume I’m always calm and intentional, but I used to run entirely on stress in my corporate years, fuelled by coffee and packaged foods :) And something lighter: I started my career with becoming a professional dancer!
How are you planning on stirring things up in the future?
Hard question: i'll stay close to my purpose of supporting people in regaining their energy - but I do miss building a brand, so i'll definitely launch one in the future!!
Or: open a retreat location abroad where I can host the most amazing dinners + teach pilates and breathwork for the ultimate reset!
And of course, the Lepelclub classic: how do you take your coffee?
I don’t: I take my matcha! A creamy matcha with pea milk, in a cappuccino size. Honestly my favorite moment of the day!
