This fall, we are putting the spotlight on brand professionals working with our Brand Thinking Canvas, and alumni of our Brand The Change Trainers’ Programme. I always jokingly refer to our trainers as ‘my snowflakes’: entirely unique people, with widely different cultural backgrounds, levels of experience and fields of expertise. First up in the series are Juliette Schraauwers and Marlene Zehnter of the Purpose Playground.

When I created the Brand The Change Trainers Programme, I put a lot of thought into which type of people we want to train, how we cast a diverse group of talent from all over the world, and how we can foster a tight community that is eager to collaborate and lift each other up.

I had not expected how close some of these collaborations would get! I matched Juliette Schraauwers, founder of Brand it Forward and based in The Netherlands, with Marlene Zehnter, a German brand developer living in Portugal, as a peer coaching duo.

It only took two skype session for these two smart young women to realise they had a joint vision for change, and they took their peer coaching support to a whole other level.

This May, they launched the Purpose Playground: unique 1, 3 and 6-day retreats at the intersection of branding & self-care, including sustainable growth, daily routine, money, yoga and teamwork.

Juliette: “I was working in brand strategy & design for over 9 years. Branding for businesses that care for the world is the driving force of her business. From a young age I questioned things about life that seem so normal to others. During my studies at the Design Academy in Eindhoven, where I graduated in 2012, I found that inner voice that gave me a deeper understanding of the connection between all life and our fragile ecosystem.”

I was one of Juliette’s teachers at the Design Academy at the time. Juliette made an immediate impression on me, because her entrepreneurial talent stood in sharp contrast with the other students who took a more artistic approach. She became a member of my extended design team, and when the second pilot for the Trainers’ Programme took place, I was excited to have Juliette be a part of that group as well.

Marlene was cast to the group of trainers for similar reasons: young, daring, smart, and totally unique in her vision and talent. “I traveled around the world working as a freelancer in brand strategy. Throughout my travels I came to understand how important wellbeing is and that the lifestyle-norm in today’s society cannot be a fit for every human on the planet - and for sure was not for me.” She started a training in TRE® (Tension Release Exercises) which opened her eyes to the topics of trauma, tension and stress and how they unconsciously are a part of society’s idea of work today. Back to Lisbon, she became a community manager at Impact Hub, while dreaming of bring more awareness into her job as a brand strategist. That’s when she came across the BTC Trainers Programme.

They connected on a similar passion for wellbeing at work, and how purpose can drive all aspects of your life, the physical, mental and emotional.

The Purpose Playground was developed during the course, and the pilot in May was supported by other alumni and members of the BTC network, who took part in the pilot. Another example of the amazing generosity and curiosity for life long learning in the community.

Besides the tools that they are developing themselves, Marlene and Juliette are using the Brand The Change tools for their own unique purpose. Marlene: “The Brand Thinking Canvas is the foundation on which we built the brand strategy part of our workshops and retreat. It is the core piece for our future holistic entrepreneurs, to move from the inner work (self-development, purpose-hunt and self-care strategy) to a truly sustainable project.”

The Purpose Playground is now offering retreats in the Netherlands and Portugal, and will soon be offering online sessions as well.

Join the #brandthechange community of professionals!

Are you a professional in the branding space and are you looking to build a career of purpose and to connect to a community of like-minded people from all over the world? Join our Brand The Change Professional Network, or take it a step further by applying for our Trainers’ Programme!