Marianne Canters

“Always be the student of yourself. The better you get to know yourself, the more you understand and can further develop to ultimately become the best version of yourself and live your happiest life…”

What is your personal story?

As a child, I always wanted to attend hotel school, but life took me in a different direction. I studied Dutch at the teacher training college in Tilburg. Ironically, Dutch was my worst subject in high school, but I always enjoyed writing essays and compositions despite that. It turned out to be a fantastic choice. All those different writing courses, film and literature, storytelling… I realized that this was my thing, and even in that first year, I knew how I would pursue it further.

I knew that I wouldn’t become a teacher, but I would learn everything there was to know about writing. I would gain varied experience in writing in the first few years after graduating and then start my own freelance writing business. And that’s how it happened.

After graduating, I started writing texts for jingles and commercials, I wrote manuals, worked as a content manager, and edited texts for a large publishing company. In 2005, I got the opportunity to write for a brand-new supermarket magazine, the Echt Genieten van Jan Linders. That was the moment when I could start my own business as a freelancer: Tekstgericht.

Not the most logical time, as I was pregnant with my daughter. But I felt that the moment I had been waiting for had arrived.

Blindly trusting my intuition
That has been the common thread in my life. Feeling. Following my intuition and learning from what arises and happens. I now trust it blindly.

I make decisions based on what I need to learn and what my intuition tells me. This eventually led me to my mission, which is empowering (entrepreneurial) women as a writing coach, content strategist, and publisher.

Who are your role models?
Oprah Winfrey, who worked so hard on herself, her sense of self-worth, and her impact on (women in) the world.
Maya Angelou, for her beautiful quotes.
Iris Apfel, for her unique appearance, personality, and way of approaching life.

Share some of the significant challenges or breakthroughs in your career that have led you to where you are now

Passionate entrepreneurs inspired me
I discovered as a writer that I enjoyed writing for smaller businesses much more than for larger ones. When you work with smaller businesses or solo entrepreneurs, you see their eyes light up when they talk about their products or services.

After a few years, I decided to do things differently. I had a feeling that I needed to make this switch. I always follow my feelings when making choices. I would only work with these smaller entrepreneurs and instead of writing texts for them, I wanted to teach these passionate entrepreneurs how to write their own texts. I believed that they could do it better themselves, given their passion, than I could.

Now, I teach female entrepreneurs (as part of my mission) how to create their own authentic content that aligns with their mission and the great work they do. I help them tell their own stories, do their own marketing, and grow their businesses. This way, I help them live their mission and, as I see it, make the world a better place, visibly shining in the process.

Growing and facing my inner critics
Unfortunately, when my daughter was almost three years old, I got divorced. It was a difficult period.

Fortunately, opportunities come your way – for me, it was writing my first book project, the art biography of Teun Gijssen, a painter.

I almost didn’t do it because I thought, “Who do I think I am, writing a book?” You know that voice in your head, right? “I’ve never written a book before. I can’t do this.” I was fretting about it because I wanted to do it, but I was so afraid it wouldn’t work… Until one of my best friends asked me, “What if you do it and it doesn’t work out? What’s the worst that can happen? Will you get sick or worse?” That made me decide to go for it.

It’s a question I still ask myself when I’m about to embark on challenging, larger projects. Even though intuition and my feelings guide me, those voices sometimes resurface. By asking myself these questions, I always get that final push I need.

I wrote the book. And then two more. Number four is on the way.

Learning from behavior that holds you back

In our interviews, we like to talk about the “12 behaviors that hold you back” – which have been researched and published in the book “How Women Rise” by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith. We asked Marianne if she could identify with any of these 12 behaviors that hinder women from advancing in their careers.

Struggling to showcase your accomplishments
During my life I noticed certain tension points that all revolved around the same issue. I had to learn to “receive.”

It became apparent with my ability to accept compliments. My first business coach taught me that sharing reviews for your online marketing is crucial. So I had to start asking for reviews. It was a struggle. Sharing that you’re good at what you do… who does that, right? I had something to learn. I started asking for reviews and sharing what people said, but truly accepting the compliments, receiving? I couldn’t do it.

This applied to various aspects of my life, including earning money.

I later realized that it had to do with the fact that I didn’t value myself very highly. It was quite challenging when it came to receiving money – directly related to setting my rates. When I had to create a quote, it would give me a stomachache for an entire day.

I’ve done a lot of inner work on this. Why couldn’t I receive? Why was it so challenging for me? I’ve worked through this issue, but it still creeps up sometimes.

I believe that many women struggle with this. Many women find it challenging to receive, more so than men, in my opinion. Men tend to have a stronger sense of self-worth and are better at projecting and exuding it.

As women, we often downplay ourselves. This is not surprising, given our history. When women stood up for themselves and their expertise in the past, they were brutally punished. (Unfortunately, in some places, this is still the case.) Speaking up could cost you your life if you were a woman. So, when we receive a compliment, we tend to dismiss it with phrases like: “Oh, it’s nothing, you’re welcome. It’s fine as it is… No, really, take it as a gift.” This is how I used to do it.

We have work to do as women. We need to break these patterns so that future generations of women don’t have to be afraid when they follow their passion (and talents) and consciously want to be visible.

Ruminating on mistakes
I often reflect to evaluate the steps I’ve taken. To learn from them, make adjustments, and consciously move forward. In the past, I would dwell on things that had gone wrong in my head. Pondering, pondering, pondering. Since I started my business, I’ve gradually changed my approach to this. Dwelling takes away energy that you need.

Besides coaching female entrepreneurs, I also like to be coached myself. I consciously choose women who have more experience than I do, who are further along in life and wiser. Women who have made mistakes. I can learn from them. I learn from what they’ve learned. This has allowed me to take many significant steps in my business and in my life.

Minimizing
Another thing I was very good at was minimizing myself in my speech. “I’m sorry to bother you with this question… Sorry for disturbing you.” “Sorry” was one of my most frequently used words. I almost got to the point of saying, “I’m sorry for existing.” (Here, again, you see the connection with how valuable I considered myself to be.)

I discovered this when someone bumped into me while I was standing in front of the store I had just visited. I apologized to this woman even though she continued walking as if nothing had happened. That’s when I realized, “Hey, this is really not okay. I’ve become too apologetic.” I became acutely aware of my own use of language. If you recognize this behavior, pay close attention to your language.

If you find yourself in a difficult situation, what is your go-to skill?
When I’m in a tough situation now, I immediately turn to my feelings. If possible, I distance myself physically. I go outside, take a walk, or let it be overnight. This way, I can pinpoint exactly what I’m feeling. And I write. Of course, I write. By stepping out of the situation, you give yourself a chance to rise above it and look at what’s happening from a different perspective. Writing also helps with that.

If you’re in a difficult situation, I always say, start writing. Write to clear your mind. And when you think you’re done, don’t put a period, put a comma. Keep writing. Until that point, you were speaking from your head. And making space for intuition to emerge. Intuition comes into play after that comma. The more you train yourself to do this, the easier it gets. (The best advice for this is: start writing every day!)

Do you think personal branding is important for professional women?
Absolutely. Personal branding helps boost your self-confidence, which in turn helps you professionally.

Personal branding is indeed like a moral compass. It reflects your values, standards, mission, passions, and what brings you joy. Discovering and understanding these aspects about yourself is crucial. It helps you distinguish whether what you’re doing aligns with what you want to achieve in your life. As the saying goes, “Make sure you have your own plan, or you’ll become part of someone else’s plan.” I see a personal brand as your own compass that assists you in this journey. It helps you stay on course and keep a close watch on your boundaries.

For professional women who want to shine in their careers
I would advise them to view everything as an opportunity to learn. Be a student of yourself. When you face resistance or challenges, ask yourself why it’s there. Where does it come from? What can I learn from this? The better you get to know yourself, the more effectively you can follow your intuition. You have a sense of where you want to go, and your intuition guides you in that direction. This is how you continue to develop. Keep asking the question: What can I learn from this? And especially if you incorporate this question into your journaling practice, the answers will naturally emerge. Just remember to place that comma and keep writing.

To learn more about Marianne
Visit her website, Tekstgericht, explore her book “Boek van Betekenis,” or discover “365 Geluk.”

Photo credits go to Jessica van Duren.