Hey, I'm Hendrika!

My business career and being a former top athlete have ensured that I truly know and understand what it takes to be a high performer and to use your full potential without freaking out or going crazy!

It is not always easy but with the right choices, focus, structure and mindset everybody can achieve top performance. This is not only my firm belief but I have the experience that it truly works!

This hasn’t been a walk in the park for me… I have learned the hard way how the business world works and what is needed to make your ambitions and dreams come true.

But not only how the business world works… Also, what it takes to stay close to yourself and to make a difference based on your own strengths and skills. To make sure that you are not only “successful” in business, but also in your personal life!

Fun facts

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Years karate
Years in Tech
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Years being an Entrepreneur

The big crash...

At a young age I already had a huge interest in IT and entrepreneurship. I was one of the few girls to follow an IT education and when I was eighteen, I joined my brother’s company: eXpertise-IT. We quickly grew into a serious company with large customers and a big revenue.

Six years later my life took a drastic turn when my brother passed away suddenly. Not only my private life was a huge mess, but also my business life was turned upside down. It was a very challenging time and learned the hard way how to run a business and how to survive.

With the necessary ups and downs, I successfully grew my business over the next four years as a female entrepreneur among all the ‘male violence’ of the IT world. After these four years it was time for a new challenge and I wanted more freedom. In my search for that freedom and the desire to do something new, I sold eXpertise-IT to one of the largest IT service providers in the Netherlands and became financially independent.

In the years that followed, I worked as the only female director on George Banken’s management team. The dynamics of a fast-growing organization and the developments that Detron went through have been extremely educational for me. Yet after three years it was time for the next step…

Hendrika Willemse | Female empowerment | Ondernemer | Coach | Spreker

What's next?.....

After almost 7 years of working for large American Tech companies, I felt it was time to take another step. Although I had a life that looked wonderful to the outside world, I was simply not happy…. Restless…. Stubborn…. Too driven…. Too driven to do things better and differently. Challenging the status quo….
 
The birth of baby boy Benjamin completely changed my life. Not so much the fact that I became a mother, but because I had a very hard reality check in the first weeks after he was born. Benjamin fell ill and had to fight for his life…. Luckily, he got through it really well, but for me, it was a different story….
 
Things had to change! I started my journey to bundle all my knowledge, skills, and experience to inspire and empower other people to achieve their full potential in life and in business. She in IT was born and my first book Kick-Ass was published. 
 
I’ve always been passionate about a high-performance lifestyle and high-performance teams. In 2023 I started my journey at Devoteam to leverage all my experience and to build a high-performing team.

Things to really know about me!

  • Started karate because I was bullied at school. Never thought I would ever be a 3rd black belt karate, three-time World champion and two-time European champion….
  • I bring a shitload of ups & downs, but that’s what made me who I am today
  • Strongly believe in the power of a solid morning routine
  • Built a multi-million-dollar company before I was 30 and successfully sold it which made me independent
  • What you see is what you get and action speaks louder than words
  • Slightly introverted so I get 1 latte every day at the same address in Haarlem

I practice what I teach and I know what it takes!

Hendrika Willemse | Spreker | Auteur | High-Performance coach