As a child, I sensed early on that I was a little different from most boys my age, even if I could not yet explain why. I seemed to have many talents and moved easily through different situations, but there was no manual for understanding my own personality.
At 36, my life changed forever when I lost both of my parents to cancer. That loss cut deeply, taking away the secure nest of family and leaving me to face life on my own. It became clear that I needed to find that same sense of safety within myself, and so my search began.
At the time, I was fortunate to work for a company that offered a wide range of personal trainings for employees, and I made full use of that opportunity. As I explored my own identity, I also began to question the world around me. Even though I had the chance to contribute to major innovation projects, I also saw the darker side of a career-driven environment: greed, fast money, and personal gain. Those values conflicted strongly with my inner beliefs, so I left.
With no job and no income, I began a deep exercise in self-inquiry. I still remember the large sheet of paper on my living room wall, covered with my talents, values, interests, things I wanted to try, and what gave me energy. I was searching for the core of it all: my natural gifts and my life mission. It was a powerful process on every level, and I would recommend it to anyone.
In those moments of stillness, everything surfaced: panic, freedom, anger toward a system that does not always support us, sadness, happiness, and eventually understanding. I came to see that all of these feelings need space to emerge, and that suppressed emotions can be harmful. Reason is useful in a fight-or-flight situation, but it is not enough to guide a meaningful life.
I also began to understand high sensitivity more clearly, and the strengths it can bring. Every talent has a shadow side, but that does not mean we need to “fix” ourselves in the way the working world often suggests. Awareness is enough.
As part of my bucket list, I wanted to do volunteer work, so I joined a nonprofit organization focused on short-chain food supply. Later, they hired me for 23 hours per week. During that period, I studied NLP, became an independent coach, and taught at a management school, because helping people had become part of my life mission.
When I noticed the same patterns in the nonprofit world that I had seen in the money-driven one, I followed the path that had emerged during my period of stillness and left again, once more without income. Around that time, I was also studying healthy food, permaculture, wild herbs, self-sufficient living, and natural healing. I discarded medication, stopped using chemical products on my body, removed dental amalgam fillings, reduced plastic use even for food storage, grew my own vegetables, began eating only organic food, and eventually became vegan.
All of this prepared me for what came next. I sold everything in Belgium and found a beautiful place in France, with the intention of living closer to nature, more independently and autonomously, and with better health. My focus is on what truly matters: growing food, taking time to prepare nourishing meals, enjoying the present moment, connecting with nature and the universe, and sharing that with others.
Abriecosy is still a work in progress, but I work on it every day to bring it closer to my vision:
Abriecosy is a place where people who feel called to this lifestyle are warmly welcome to enjoy, heal, participate, dream, support, and enrich the idea of a different world, one where mutual support is central and giving is the main action. It is a place focused on the art of being yourself and nourishing your body with respect and good food. Only then can we do the same for others and for the beautiful nature we are part of.