KATJA VAN KOTEN

Fun Fact

I decided to pick up Lego again after they released the biggest set: the Colloseum in one of my favorite cities in the world Rome. It was a wholesome experience during Christmas last year, it might even start a new tradition on Christmas Day, playing Lego. You're never too old.

Favorite Learning Resource

"Boxing! Good for mind body and soul And travelling to different places, via different way, like a train trip from London to Sicily or taking an 11 hour ferry to a remote Greek island!"

Areas of Expertise

Communication

Fluent Languages

English & Dutch

Meet Katja van Koten

Based in London, United Kingdom

We call Katja a Coach, but she calls herself a facilitator, giving others the space, positivity, and feedback they need to find and value their own unique strengths.

Through her own and her client’s experiences she has learnt the importance of ‘little things matter’. It’s the gentle steps we take on our life’s journey that have the most profound impact. Now, it’s more than a coaching approach — it’s the cornerstone of her work with customers around the world.

Katja holds a Masters in History from the University of Leiden, a field of study that inspired her interest in people’s stories and connections and how we share these. Starting her career at the largest bookstore in Rotterdam, she brought that interest to a career in Learning & Development with various organizations in the Netherlands and the UK. Katja was the founder and CEO of Sparkling Speech Ltd, a personal development company focused on communication and confidence coaching for introverts as well as bespoke training and workshop design and delivery.

With this experience she joined Own The Room in 2018 as Coach and Experience Designer. Apart from travelling the world as a coach, as a lead designer Katja has developed numerous training for Own The Room and LifeHikes, both in person, and virtual.

In her free time, you can find Katja boxing in Holland Park, enjoying a breakfast with poached eggs and a newspaper at her favorite local cafe, or listening to one of the many LPs in her cherished record collection. Katja is a proud resident of London and considers her move there to be one of the best decisions she has ever made.

"My decision to attend this 6:00am meeting might just be the BEST decision I will make today! Katja was engaging from the very moment it began. She had an ability to 'Own the Room' with her confidence and leadership, while making us feel as though the room belonged to all of us collectively. What a skill! As a coach/facilitator myself, I am always looking for new tools for my toolbag. The different angle for engaging everyone using the 'Around The Room' method was exactly what I had been looking for. "

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