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Have you ever noticed the About the Author page is always somehow written in the third person? I’ve never understood this. I’m going to mix things up a bit. Let me tell you about myself. I grew up in the small rural town of Rodney in Ontario, Canada. I’m the oldest of four, and now I have five siblings, including my brother- and sister-in-law. Family has always been very important to me. I’ve been fortunate to have amazingly supportive parents and a large extended family of around ninety aunts, uncles, and cousins. I can say family gatherings were always a blast.
Have you ever noticed the About the Author page is always somehow written in the third person? I’ve never understood this. I’m going to mix things up a bit. Let me tell you about myself. I grew up in the small rural town of Rodney in Ontario, Canada. I’m the oldest of four, and now I have five siblings, including my brother- and sister-in-law. Family has always been very important to me. I’ve been fortunate to have amazingly supportive parents and a large extended family of around ninety aunts, uncles, and cousins. I can say family gatherings were always a blast.
After a short diploma study as an Electronics Engineering Technician in Toronto and several years working with my father, the call to explore grew, and I took the leap to teach English in Italy. That didn’t work out so well. Yet it kicked off a greater desire for more of Europe.
After a short diploma study as an Electronics Engineering Technician in Toronto and several years working with my father, the call to explore grew, and I took the leap to teach English in Italy. That didn’t work out so well. Yet it kicked off a greater desire for more of Europe.
Being of Dutch heritage, I jumped across the pond once more to achieve a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree in International Finance and Marketing in Groningen, the Netherlands. Along the way, I created amazing friendships that have lasted for twenty years since that first day of university.
During these years, I spent two semesters abroad in the Czech Republic and Hong Kong.
Being of Dutch heritage, I jumped across the pond once more to achieve a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree in International Finance and Marketing in Groningen, the Netherlands. Along the way, I created amazing friendships that have lasted for twenty years since that first day of university.
During these years, I spent two semesters abroad in the Czech Republic and Hong Kong.
After university, I took my first role in a software company in Munich, Germany. The world of finance and software opened for me. One could say it was really the best of times. Met amazing people, had amazing times, and got to ski a lot. But it wasn’t where I was to remain. After some years in Germany, I changed jobs, and that led me to settle down in Vienna, Austria, where I worked for HP/HPE Software and Micro Focus for ten years.
Life in Vienna was good. It really was a kind of “it was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” So many wonderful memories and friends and people, yet also some of the hardest times of my life in the last several years. All these experiences really had grown in me a heart of compassion. More than ever, I realize, we all go through our difficulties in life and a bit of kindness goes such a long, long way.
In 2018, I left Micro Focus and stepped out into self-employment. I set up my company called TwelveGates, and I had planned to do some tech consulting with it. Instead, however, I found myself inspired to take all of my research and analysis over the years’ and put them into my two books and hence this website. (You can visit the “Inspiration” page for more pics of Vienna and life in Vienna.)
After university, I took my first role in a software company in Munich, Germany. The world of finance and software opened for me. One could say it was really the best of times. Met amazing people, had amazing times, and got to ski a lot. But it wasn’t where I was to remain. After some years in Germany, I changed jobs, and that led me to settle down in Vienna, Austria, where I worked for HP/HPE Software and Micro Focus for ten years.
Life in Vienna was good. It really was a kind of “it was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” So many wonderful memories and friends and people, yet also some of the hardest times of my life in the last several years. All these experiences really had grown in me a heart of compassion. More than ever, I realize, we all go through our difficulties in life and a bit of kindness goes such a long, long way.
In 2018, I left Micro Focus and stepped out into self-employment. I set up my company called TwelveGates, and I had planned to do some tech consulting with it. Instead, however, I found myself inspired to take all of my research and analysis over the years’ and put them into my two books and hence this website. (You can visit the “Inspiration” page for more pics of Vienna and life in Vienna.)
Sometimes even the best laid out plans end up taking you to places you never planned to go to. I started off January, giving up everything in Vienna and planning to move to Latin America. After two months, I ended up in Canada for six wonderful months and in October took a one-way flight to Vilnius, Lithuania. Needless to say, if you told me in January 2022 I would end up in Lithuania in October, I would have laughed to death. Yet here I am. I have joined a friend of mine in his blockchain startup called MYKOBO in which our product is a Euro stablecoin called the EURC. All I can say further to all of this is, let’s see what develops.
In the end, I can say I’ve become very passionate about exploring the hearts of people and getting to know what really makes them tick. How do they see the world around them and why? I’ve also become passionate about history, kingdom law, kingdom economics, information, and data analysis, and challenging and testing cultural norms.
This all includes my own beliefs and ideas about the world around me. I believe strongly in unconditionally loving one’s neighbor as oneself. It’s not always easy, but I do the best I can. I believe all people have value. Yet not all ideas have equal value. My desire is one day to see all people everywhere walking in the meaning and purpose for their lives. I look forward to the day that I see this happen.
Sometimes even the best laid out plans end up taking you to places you never planned to go to. I started off January, giving up everything in Vienna and planning to move to Latin America. After two months, I ended up in Canada for six wonderful months and in October took a one-way flight to Vilnius, Lithuania. Needless to say, if you told me in January 2022 I would end up in Lithuania in October, I would have laughed to death. Yet here I am. I have joined a friend of mine in his blockchain startup called MYKOBO in which our product is a Euro stablecoin called the EURC. All I can say further to all of this is, let’s see what develops.
In the end, I can say I’ve become very passionate about exploring the hearts of people and getting to know what really makes them tick. How do they see the world around them and why? I’ve also become passionate about history, kingdom law, kingdom economics, information, and data analysis, and challenging and testing cultural norms.
This all includes my own beliefs and ideas about the world around me. I believe strongly in unconditionally loving one’s neighbor as oneself. It’s not always easy, but I do the best I can. I believe all people have value. Yet not all ideas have equal value. My desire is one day to see all people everywhere walking in the meaning and purpose for their lives. I look forward to the day that I see this happen.
