Creative Career Coach

Make room for the work you want to do. And the life you want to live.

Career coaching for experienced creatives who are ready to make a change without starting from scratch.

See how it works

20+ years in the creative industries50+ creatives coachedCertified coach

Daphne Maierna in a red jumper, sitting on the floor next to a laptop

Worked with

  • Playgrounds International Film Festival
  • CIEE
  • The Storytelling Company
  • Sint Lucas

You've built a successful creative career. But is it still the one you want?

Success can make change surprisingly difficult.

You're good at what you do. So people keep asking you to do more of it.

Your career can keep rewarding you for work you no longer want to be known for.

And there's so much more you want to do than you currently have room for.

That might mean stepping into a more senior or leadership role. Creating more for yourself. Building a business with steady work and enough time left for family and friends. Or having more control over what gets your best time and energy.

But making a change isn't as simple as deciding you want one.

There are financial responsibilities. People who depend on you. A reputation you've spent years building.

Knowing you want a change and making it work in real life are two different things.

Daphne Maierna

You don't have to throw away what you've already built to make a change.

Making It Real

Test possible changes before you make a big move.

Four months of 1:1 coaching for experienced creatives who want to turn the changes they've been thinking about into something real.

01

Start with you

Look at the career you've already built for clues in what you've enjoyed, avoided, outgrown and want more of. Work out what matters to you, what you're already good at and what makes your work distinctly yours. Then make a list of possibilities worth exploring.

02

Evidence before commitment

Test a few possibilities in real life before making a big move. Find out what works, what doesn't and which opportunities are worth pursuing.

03

Make the change

Turn what you've discovered into practical action, with coaching and support along the way.

You won't finish with another plan you might act on someday.

You'll have already started.

Explore Making It Real
  • “Through my conversations with Daphne, I realised I actually already knew what I wanted. She taught me to move forward step by step instead of waiting for the perfect moment. I'm no longer waiting. I've started putting my plans into action.”
    Marieke RiksConcept thinker, art director, designer, trainer
  • “I came to Daphne because my ideas had stalled and I wasn't getting to a finished result. She gave me the push I needed, helped me see things I hadn't considered, and most of the obstacles I had imagined turned out not to be there. By the end, I had a result I was really proud of.”
    Natasja NoordervlietPhotographer
  • “Daphne takes the time to really listen and ask the right questions. She has a real ability to get to the heart of what's going on, while also offering practical tools you can actually use.”
    Mays FandaklyOwner, Le Collab
  • “I was questioning whether I wanted to keep doing the same work and felt unsure about what I could and couldn't do. I now understand my talents and strengths much better, and I'm doing work that suits me. Daphne doesn't tell you what to do. She helps you find your own answers.”
    Carina NoordervlietCorporate Communication Coordinator
Daphne Maierna speaking on a panel at Playgrounds festival

My story

I was a creative long before I became a coach.

I spent more than 20 years in the creative industries.

I became the first female colourist in the Netherlands, worked with Steve Buscemi, and coloured a film that won the Camera d'Or at Cannes. Along the way, I learned a lot about ambition, pressure and what creative work actually asks of you.

I reached a point where the career I'd built no longer felt right for me, so I started trying different things. I began writing, hosting workshops and putting more of my own ideas out into the world.

Some things worked, some didn't. But that was how I found the mix of work that suits me now.

These days, I coach creatives, write Creative Being, a newsletter about work, life and creativity, and I also speak and teach.

And I feel like I'm only just beginning.

What else do you want to create?

More about me