Don't wait for a miracle, build one yourself

Hospitality runs deep

As a kid I surprised my parents with homemade drinks and personal notes. That's where it started, my love for hospitality. And I had one big dream: working on a plane.

After several studies and jobs abroad, that dream came true. In 2018 I started in aviation, where I have since grown into the lead on board: purser.

Not sitting still

When in 2020 not only the world but also aviation came to a standstill, I told myself one thing: I'm not going to sit still. I took a university course and founded my first company, The Sparkle Factory.

I started as a host for luxury brands and private aviation and soon moved into hospitality consultancy and on-site training. I discovered a second passion, and The Sparkle Factory quickly grew into a large organisation.

Perfect on paper

At the same time, alongside flying and a life that looked perfect on paper, I noticed the first signs that things weren't right. But on paper everything was fine, so I pushed it away. I flew, gave trainings, travelled and filled my days. Until my body decided to take matters into its own hands.

From one week to the next, everything fell apart. Like a balloon you hold under water and suddenly let go, everything came up at once. Within a month I was at home on the couch, ill. Me, who always said everything was just a matter of rolling up your sleeves and pushing on.

What followed was a long period of illness, almost a year. A time when I completely lost myself for a while, and had to learn step by step how to get back on my feet.

The feelgood quote board

In those days I always carried a small, self-drawn book with me: Reddingsboeiend. My anchor in difficult moments. And one morning I thought: why are there so few bright spots in the streets? Why doesn't anything lift you up on your way home from the supermarket?

I bought a few pallets, nailed them together with two left hands, hung some markers on it and wrote: this is the feelgood quote board. Leave your bright spot here for someone else. As a one-off, I placed it in the centre of Alphen aan den Rijn.

A day later I went to see if it was still there. It was completely covered in writing. People were queueing, there were flowers next to it. That's when I realised: everyone carries something. Grief, loneliness, a divorce, illness. A small bright spot can do so much.

More boards followed, made in my back garden. It turned out to be the right therapy for me too: my creative brain slowly came back. Thanks to the attention from Alphen and the national media, the project got a name: Happierdays.

Boei on wheels

Slowly I started feeling better. But I knew: just flying and consultancy is not my path. I want to create real, tangible bright spots.

So on a whim I bought an old horse trailer, cleaned it up and turned it into a feelgood barista truck. I named it Boei, after my little book Reddingsboeiend. Then came the movie nights in the hay barn: The Cozy Barn. Hay bales, candles, a big screen and the food truck. It was a success, but it stayed temporary. And that felt like a shame.

The bridge keeper's house

Until the bridge keeper's house crossed our path. There was huge interest, but that same evening I wrote out my vision, made a moodboard and went to pitch it. I got ten minutes. That was enough: they could picture it.

What followed were months of negotiations and sleepless nights. In November 2025 I finally got the keys. The renovation brought everything to light: mould behind the walls, a collapsing ceiling, rotten floors, new pipes. But we kept going. Boei, but in a permanent home.