Floortje & Her Sport/Food Passion
Get the best out of your life
Interview inside
About Floortje
I always wanted to live in Eindhoven, because I love people here - more city people, creative people, a lot of designers. Before I worked in healthcare. I really love humans; I just have to be surrounded by them. And now everything that I love to do came together, and then EindhovenGym showed up in my life. I work as a club manager of the gym. I organize a lot of things, making sure everything works well, but also people who are coming to the gym are happy. Community is an essential part of the gym. So I am trying a lot of ways to connect people, to make them feel at home because we created this social place where people come with the same mindset, that try to get the best out of their lives; they can inspire each other.
- When you meet new people, what do you say about yourself
It depends. If it's a very formal thing, I would just say, hi, my name is Floortje, whatever. But for me, working in a gym, it's not a good description of everything that I love to do.
❝ I love to be busy with a feeling "as good as possible." So, I try to eat as good as possible, live as good as possible, have as good as possible people around me and sports, to stay fit, to feel the energy. And so that's my life. That's what I do every day. ❞
- How did you start to work in the gym?
My brother started this whole idea years ago, and when he was almost opening the gym, he was like, okay, what kind of people do I need? People with very big sports talent or breakfast talent or management talent or whatever. Most important, he needed someone with a lot of passion for it. I was working in healthcare; I was not even thinking about going this way. For me, that always seemed like a hobby: sport and food. It was like my private life. But then he just asked me one day if I would like to start in the gym full time. And I got super excited and also about the gym location at Strijp-S and Strijp-T because I'm having a big heart for that place.
The main idea of EindhovenGym
❝ In a very social space get the best out of yourself
- Tell us about your working day??
The gym opens at 6:30. Mostly till 10:00 its time for cooking and having talks with our members that are coming for their workout and breakfast. I ask them how their day was. I try to remember the things that they did that week. So, we have a lot of social talks. And also, being there, I try to make people at the table having a good time by having good talks. Most of the times, they don't need me for that. They have it with each other, but I always try to see if that's happening. For the rest, I do a lot of different things in the organization. From creating a healthy kitchen to organize events. Besides that, I teach yoga at the gym.
❝ My focus is more mobility - our natural body movement, like move your body in flow, provide it with space and freedom to move. When you cannot do something because your muscles are too short, you want to make them longer to get that space in your body. ❞
And I also try to focus on breath, which is super important when you're sporting, but also for stress relieving. Most of the time, I have softly background music. So, you go with a chill feeling away.
- What was the most difficult in starting to work? Which mistakes you were making?
When you start in a company you have tasks, you have protocols, a lot of structure, you know, when is your start time, but we were figuring out ourselves. First months sometimes I felt a lot of insecure about what I was doing, and I had to do things I've never done. I was thinking was I good enough. And no one's telling you if you do it wrong or right. That made me stress. But now everything starts to fall in place. That took a while. I go to work, and I know what I can do. I managed to create a structure for myself. It let me grow a lot.
- What are your plans? What is your next step?
EindhovenGym has so many possibilities. I would like to start to organize weekends. Bringing more and more people together with the same passions. A weekend where you can learn and dive deeper into a subject. Learning new skills and meeting new people. And just relax off course!
For myself, I will go deeper into yoga, and with saying yoga I don’t mean just the physical part. My next step will be breathing. It’s something that helps me a lot and which I believe can help a lot of people. Knowing how to use it.
- Which quality do you value the most in yourself?
Being social, it comes back in everything.
- What brings you energy? Which activities take your energy away?
People, cooking or yoga, having good connections give me a lot of energy.
When I have too many things to do, and I become chaotic in my mind. And I stop to enjoy because I get busy with the next step instead of enjoying. I have to make a list because thinking about what you have to do takes a lot of energy.
- What inspires you and gives you the strength to go through a difficult time?
I love to see people trying to make life as good as possible. Doesn't matter when, which way or what - work normal, work hard or like only want to work 10 hours per week. Not just complaining, but trying.
- Which habits help you in life and work?
I think it's that I always try to make good for others. It's a habit. I don't even have to think about it! It's really come by nature. I just want another person to be happy. Actually. It's very selfish because I'm not happy if the other person is not happy. That helps me in my work doing a bit more than expected.
- What would you recommend to a newcomer to see in Eindhoven?
I would say - go to the Strijp area, which has a perfect vibe for me. The people that are living there are very open-minded, creative. They want to go for it in life. And you can feel that vibe, you get inspired to move in life. You cannot sit down because everyone around you is trying to move and go forward, you cannot just sit on a couch and watch TV. That's what I like about living in Ehv - you're not lost in the city. You are living in a town, but it feels like a village (people are more open to talking).
❝ You're not just a number in the world. ❞
And I think even more, when you are from another country the last thing you want to feel like a number not in your work, but also not in your life. So, first I would go just take a walk to Kleine berg and having a coffee there or somewhere; or Zwartwit coffee, like just go to a nice coffee place. Go to Kazerne or Tac. Then Strijp S, it's very industrial, so I would not go to the centre. And yes, I do love coffee that’s why I recommend coffee places all the time.
- Your favourite place in the Netherlands?
I really like places like a cafe in a forest. Hut van mie pils, for example. Go for a walk in nature and then you can have a coffee or a special beer. Life can be so simple.
- Book, what are you reading/listening now?
1. "The world book of happiness" - it's easy to read (Short stories) but even more because I love to read about what happiness means for different people and cultures and religions.
- Who are you following on social media from Eindhoven? Recommend 3 accounts
@ingervierhout - you go, girl. I also know her because of work. She has a lot of girl power. And she inspires people to go for it.
@Carbsfortought - a coworker. She is very inspiring with her sports and vegan food and also very funny and always herself.
@foodieseindhoven - she takes you to all good food places in Eindhoven
- How Eindhoven community can help you?
I think I would be open, for example, to talk with people that are a bit in the same area: healthy lifestyle, the mindset, getting the best out of yourself, what makes you happy. Like to talk about that with people, to see if you can do things for each other, a bit more like a networking group. But I hate the network groups because networking is always about like, they only want to talk about themselves: I can do this for you, and I can do that for you, take my card or whatever. But I would like to be in a community group without that you are going there for getting something like getting financial benefits. It just has to grow like, okay, we have the same passions. Can we maybe organize a cool day, or can I give a workshop at your place and would you like to come to give a workshop at my place? Like, do things for each other instead of only trying to get things from others.
- Share with us your interests, topic that you really like to talk about. What you don’t like to talk about?
- I like to talk about what people love to do in life with a peaceful feeling. Which means for me having less stress and enjoying life, it can be a bit of a struggle in a world where we feel like we have to do so much.
- or about food, nature and our body.
It's so many things that I don't like to talk about hahha. I don't like to talk about things like math or whatever. Like those things that are too far away for me. I hate when people talk about others or having only negative thoughts, complaining but never changing anything about it.
- How people can reach you? Find on social media? Are you open to meet new people?
I'm not much active on Instagram @Floortjeaben, but people can contact me through messages. They can also reach me, of course, by coming to the gym.
MARGARITA CRUZ DECEMBER 4, 2019