New technology and communication
In 1995-96 when the internet was still in its infancy, Florence concluded her studies in communication at the Artevelde Hogeschool in Ghent with a master thesis on the ‘Social implications of the internet’. This was her introduction to the sector of digital media and the internet, after which she started her career at The Reference the first web agency in Belgium. She remained in the realm of web and digital innovation as an account manager and later as account director at ONE Agency and as a strategic consultant at DearMedia (now Duval Union Consulting).
The impact of technology and digital innovation on our daily lives and ways of communicating and the social implications of the internet have always fascinated her. Today she strives to raise awareness in these modern times dominated by technology.
Techno stress and Oriental medicine
Twenty years after her thesis the internet is omnipresent and so prominent that we’re unable to deal with it wisely. This is why digital detox and awareness of techno stress are so important. Florence trains people to be more skilled in dealing with stress in general and to lead a healthier and more balanced life. She draws on first-hand experience when it comes to stress, but by seeking ways to deal with this, a whole new world opened up to her. For years she intensively practiced hatha yoga, Tai Chi and QiQong. She studied shiatsu for three years at the Kimura Shiatsu Institute and enrolled in a two-year course to become Health Consultant (nutritional health and lifestyle) at the European Academy.
Do what you really want to do
All this knowledge and experience couldn’t however prevent her from suffering a burnout herself a couple of years ago. At that moment mindfulness brought the biggest change in her quality of life. After attending an eight-week training, she followed a postgraduate ‘Mindfulness Trainer’ at the Artevelde Hogeschool in Ghent (two years) and went to study under David Dewulf (IAM). Naturally it directed her professional life into a new direction. The starting points are the today’s hectic, dynamic and rapidly growing company environment, the collaboration between different types of teams (marketing, sales, IT, HR, production, customer service…) and her knowledge as a strategic consultant in digital innovation and transformation for a plethora of clients with very different business cultures. Florence uses this in-depth knowledge of the workplace in her keynotes, trainings and coaching on burnout prevention, digital detox, stress management and building resilience.
Photography: Ioannis Tsouloulis.