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I have always been a very independent person.
I left my parents’ home at sixteen and learned early that I needed to figure things out on my own.
Much of my life has been self taught, learning through experience, sometimes the hard way.
But over time I realized something important.
Even strong, capable people should not have to navigate difficult moments alone.
Alongside that independence, there has always been another natural instinct in me; the ability to sense when someone needs steady presence.
Throughout my life I found myself becoming that presence for others, especially children.
I would simply show up as a friend, someone calm, consistent, and steady. Many of them are still in my life today.
I did this naturally, without having a name for it.
THE MOMENT IT BECAME CLEAR
About ten years ago, I went through a major dental crisis while living in Costa Rica.
What I expected to be a simple visit turned into complex treatment filled with fear and uncertainty, in a country where I didn’t fully speak the language and had limited resources.
I empowered myself by taking my time finding the right dentist, nutritional advice and by researching other healing modalities to support the best possible outcome, but I realized something just as important.
I didn’t only need medical care. I needed support around the experience itself.
The most important, and - first time ever- step I took, was asking a friend to be there with me. Her presence changed everything.
That experience showed me something I would never forget.
Having a calm, supportive person beside you during a stressful event is a profoundly empowering experience.
After going through this myself, I began supporting others who were facing similar situations.
That’s when the concept of the DENTAL DOULA was born.
I supported my clients by helping them understand what to expect, and most importantly, made sure they didn’t feel alone.
THE BIGGER REALIZATION
Over time, something became clear though.
The role of a DENTAL DOULA covered just one small aspect of the life challenges that might come our way.
Life is full of situations and events where people feel overwhelmed, uncertain, or alone.
I experienced this again recently while supporting my partner through serious illness, and later while standing beside a close friend during a painful divorce.
In both cases, I could not fix the situation.
But I could do something that truly mattered.
I could make sure they did not have to go through it alone.
The LIFE DOULA CONCEPT was born . . .
That realization expanded everything. The role I had been living for years had a much bigger place in the world.
A Life Doula . . . someone who supports people during difficult moments and life transitions, offering calm presence, empowering perspective, and steady companionship.
Today, my mission is to help others practice how to provide this specific form of support, and to connect them with the people who need it..
A GLOBAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR HUMAN SUPPORT
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As a teenager I added May to my birth name.
This alias announced my independence and my courage to carve out an authentic path of life.
What started as a direction for this new chapter, slowly became a reflection of who I am at my core.
Over time, it became so much more than a name, it came to represent who I am fundamentally.
I AM AN ARTIST
A CREATOR
&
A LIFE LONG FINDER OF TRUTH
Born in Holland, I’ve lived a nomadic life, calling many places home.
Amsterdam, Milan, New York, Miami, Sweden, Costa Rica.
Each environment challenged me, transformed me, and taught me something essential about being human.
As for most of us, my life has been shaped by deep felt love & loss, colored by fear & courage and it has gifted me an abundant opportunity for profound learning.
These experiences didn’t just happen to me . . .they guided me to find myself.
Inspired, I wrote a book about turning inward . . . about cleaning up your Inner World so you can discover who you truly are beneath the noise, fear, and expectations.
Now, delightfully grounded, living on an old farm in rural Portugal, from those 6 decades of lived experience, emerged a strong calling to share my experience. To give back and to support others going through similar events.
And there emerged my most recent project . . .
THE LIFE DOULA CONCEPT
A Global Community designed to support people through major life transitions, especially during moments when they feel anxious, alone, or without family, friends, or guidance when they need it most.
My mission is simple and deeply human . . . to remind people that they are not alone, that support matters, and that life’s hardest passages can become meaningful, even empowering experiences.
