FEATURE
Interview Questions Katja Verbeek – Millitz
What inspired you to start Mallorca Soul and organize retreats in Mallorca?
From an early calling, I felt the urge to guide others on their life paths. It was essential for me to first be fully aligned with myself and to have sufficient education, courses, and life experience before I could truly realize this.
Throughout this journey, it took some time to discover the most effective approach that best suited my authenticity. I strongly believe in the principle of embodying what you preach – ‘Pray what you preach’.
As a transformational coach, I realize that I cannot walk beside you on your life path, but I do have the power to inspire and help you discover and experience the best version of yourself. It’s about creating a vision for your ideal future and exploring your deepest desires and wishes.
Mindfulness, meditation, mindset, understanding of energy, frequency, and emotions – all of these come to their best fruition when you retreat to a safe place, away from the daily hustle and bustle at home.
During my search, I came across beautiful places and found the inspiration to discover what best suits my authenticity. That is precisely what I want to offer others – a retreat experience that deeply resonates with their inner selves.
I create a space where others can meet their best selves, where blocks are lifted, and where room is made for a life lived from the soul – soulful living! It is my passion to guide others in finding their path to fulfillment and authentic well-being.
The Mallorca Soul Retreats are very small-scale, which makes them very unique. The fixed programs usually have 5 or 6 people, resulting in a group of like-minded individuals and a true sisterhood. The program is very diverse, including music, dance, and art therapy.
It also includes mindfulness, meditation, hiking, a cacao ceremony, wellness facilities, and a bit of depth and content during the coaching sessions. Our location is specially tailored to organizing retreats, a luxurious environment where you can come home and recharge yourself completely during the day.
Why did you choose Mallorca as the location for your retreats?
I have been in love with the Balearic Islands for a while. Mallorca is also called Papa Mallorca. It has a very special, powerful energy that inspires.
Can you describe what a typical day looks like during one of your retreats?
At Mallorca Soul, our days start at 9:00 am with a nutritious and colorful breakfast. The morning session starts at 10:00 am and includes coaching, mindfulness, meditation exercises, insight questions, and inspiring content. After this session, you will enjoy a colorful vegetarian lunch and have ‘me-time’ to relax.
Later in the day, we offer an evening or afternoon program, which can vary from a sound therapy session to a cacao ceremony. The exact timing depends on the program and can be before bedtime or just before dinner. And of course, we conclude the retreat with a surprise evening on the last day!
How do you ensure that your retreats are accessible to participants of all experience levels?
At Mallorca Soul, our retreats are designed around themes that are relevant to everyone, regardless of their level of experience. Choosing this path is not about obtaining a diploma, but rather a journey where you form invisible bonds, similar to the belt system in many martial arts.
These belts make your life more beautiful, pleasant, and authentic, ultimately bringing you into the flow. I guide people on this journey, where energetic shifts occur that make them feel lighter.
Chakras become more aligned, and mentally, you discover more about yourself and what your dream life could look like so that it can take shape. The concept of chakra alignment is used worldwide to find balance and connect with yourself.
What different types of retreats do you offer and how do they differ from each other?
At Mallorca Soul, I offer two different types of fixed retreats: grounding and uplifting. Both have unique themes focused on leading a ‘soulful’ life. The activities also differ between the two. The uplifting retreat delves deeper into using creativity to establish a connection with your higher chakras, with activities such as dance and art therapy.
On the other hand, the grounding retreats focus more on the lower chakras, with grounding activities such as hiking and other exercises. For example, the cacao ceremony is conducted very differently during the uplifting retreat compared to the grounding retreat.
What role does personal development play in your retreats and how do you support participants in their growth process?
Personal development is at the heart of my retreats. During the coaching sessions, you connect deeper with your soul, leading to a renewed view of yourself. We perform various exercises, and there is ample opportunity to ask questions and delve into your personal issues.
Can you share a particularly memorable moment from one of your retreats?
A memorable moment occurred during one of my retreats, where two women, Ans and her daughter Patricia, participated together to heal family matters. Ans, who had divorced her ex-husband years ago and had never seen him again, found herself in the same retreat as Patricia, who had been in occasional contact with her father in recent months. On the last day of the retreat, the father wrote a message to Patricia on WhatsApp, revealing that he had been thinking about
them all weekend. He suddenly realized how much the lack of peace had affected him and how much he would like to make things right, although he did not know that the ladies had come to the retreat for the same reason. This happened at the moment Ans forgave her ex-husband for everything that had happened.
This illustrates the power of energetic work and awareness. It is the art of entering the flow of seemingly impossible things without expectations, making your life more beautiful and lighter. Since then, the grandfather has also been welcome at family gatherings, and the family comes together regularly, which is a valuable experience for everyone. And this is just one of many inspiring stories!
How do you measure and evaluate the impact of your retreats on the participants?
Often, it’s concrete changes that people want to make in their lives or exercises they want to integrate that are also transformative. Participants often share their experiences through reviews and let me know how the retreat has changed their lives, through postcards, letters, and WhatsApp messages. Sometimes I even receive unexpected flowers or other gifts sent to my home! Most guests show their gratitude in various ways.
Significant changes are happening; people start new businesses or projects but also make small adjustments like eating healthier, finding more balance, and peace, living in the moment, and meditating regularly. Some just want to be with like-minded people, love depth, spirituality, and mystical moments, and want to get away for a while.
These desires often provide new perspectives for dealing with friends, staff, and the family. In addition to the retreats, I offer a magazine journal, along with a WhatsApp group where people can apply self-learning remotely for free. I coach them remotely with this concept. Some also desire a longer trajectory, often after a 1-on-1 retreat, so I stay connected until their goals are achieved.
How do you adjust your programs to meet the changing needs and interests of your participants?
When customers participate for the third time, they receive new assignments to delve even deeper and take further steps, after attending the two fixed retreats. Additionally, I also offer personalized retreats. I continuously develop myself and integrate everything I learn into the retreats.
How do you envision the future of Mallorca Soul in 10 years, and are there any new programs or ideas you hope to implement?
I also offer 1-on-1 retreats and personalized retreats and have given retreats to entrepreneurs, executives, and CEOs. I notice that due to my years of corporate experience, there is still a market I could help, namely integrating conscious living into their business. How do you ensure that employees feel truly engaged, have a heart for the company, and feel responsible for more than just their own tasks?
How do you stimulate them to actively think along and find a beautiful balance, making work more than just work? How can you sell from authenticity and know-how rather than just being product-oriented? How can you help your staff create a positive atmosphere that benefits everyone?
How can you set targets that fit the company, and the market, and are motivating, instead of just providing work? How can employees and executives be more balanced, and mindful, fulfilling their roles more from their own authenticity?
Express their creativity more, so that beautiful new processes, products, or services emerge that fit this time. These are all themes I can help with… I also see myself organizing large retreats for companies at beautiful locations on the island. I go with the flow, and at the moment, I enjoy the requests that come in.
I believe that what belongs to you comes to you when you focus on it and engage in what is your calling! I look forward to what the future holds! Everything is constantly changing, so it will undoubtedly take on a different form in the next 10 years! For now, I am happy with everything that arises from my flow!
How about your own brand? I see you have quite a few followers at @katjaverbeekmillitz. What are your personal goals with yourself as a brand? I noticed you’ve been featured on covers of fancy brands as a model and you’re also a coach. Are you thinking of combining the two one day?
Well, I’ve had some offers as a micro-influencer, but not for brands that I felt aligned with. Also, TV productions, where I did not feel aligned with. But YES, of course, if it’s a brand that I already use or something new that matches my lifestyle, then I might say YES next time.
Same for TV or any other new adventure… Yes, I’ve had some covers and advertisements for luxury brands and lovely beauty and sports campaigns over the last 30 years, and I’m still modeling on a regular basis, when the job is interesting and I don’t have retreats! I’ve learned a lot through my modeling experiences about totally different worlds than mine. For instance, I had a super yacht campaign on the island last year, and it was funny to really feel like the owner of a superyacht for one day.
It’s a completely different world, with workers who disappear like furniture and are always there to spoil you. When I was younger, I worked for very inspiring designers; we could behave like punk rock stars at haute couture events, which was quite unusual. I’ve been to many locations in nature that were closed to the public, in the early morning in nature reserves, because we had a production there for beautiful brands.
I have traveled, I’ve seen stunning locations, been to the most crazy and stylish parties, and met people through modeling who are living art pieces! That’s something I’ll never quit. I still want to model occasionally when I’m old and gray. But yes, part-time, on the side. Not full-time. I never really wanted a career as a model; it just came to me, and I love it. I always give my 100% best for every project I’ve ever done.
You mentioned you have lots of corporate experience. How have you managed that, starting modeling at 14 and working in corporate?
I’ve always valued experiences more than specifically targeting and specializing in just one theme or job. At times, I worked as a freelancer in marketing, product management, and sales. I could also take more modeling jobs, as I could create my own schedule. At other times, I worked for multinationals in full-time management jobs, which didn’t allow for much flexibility with modeling. But whenever I wanted to quit, it came right back to me.
It followed me, just like my passion for helping others live soulfully. Living soulfully is something I started myself around my twenties; I became enthusiastic about it and wanted to give back. I was always one of the best in sales and marketing for the companies I’ve worked for, and I loved it! I believe we’re all multi-talented; most just stick with one thing, while I enjoy many.
With the job I do now, I love creating blogs, creating retreats, organizing them, and doing everything at my retreats myself to make them a home for my guests. My last project before starting as a transformational coach was for a European Union project. I also loved that; I was the only creative in our very diverse team of scientists and technologists.
I had to travel all over Europe for meetings, and everywhere we got wonderful VIP treatments, so I could visit museums, for instance, when they were actually closed in the evenings. It was another dive into another world. I’m thankful that now, with so many different experiences, I can also understand my clients, who have totally different jobs, businesses, and backgrounds.
Do you think that your diverse work experiences attract other people during your retreats?
Yes, I do. With such a variety of experiences, I find that people from diverse backgrounds feel connected to one aspect or another of what I’ve done. It seems that the breadth of my professional journey, from entrepreneurship to corporate roles, has uniquely prepared me for the work I do now.
What is the biggest challenge you have encountered in organizing retreats, and how did you overcome it?
In the beginning, I often felt too involved because I am very empathetic, which has grown over time. However, compassion has been my biggest growth in giving retreats and coaching my clients.
Can you share a success story of a participant who has experienced significant change?
I will soon be going to Brazil and will see a woman who was on retreat with me 3 years ago, Barbara. She held a leadership position as department head/sustainability manager, with a team of 20 people under her, at a large Dutch company in Amsterdam. During the retreat, she realized that she had come to the Netherlands solely because of her ex-boyfriend and actually longed to return to Brazil. Moreover, she wanted to venture into entrepreneurship.
Normally, I always advise that such big changes should be carefully considered, and people should wait at least a month after the retreat before resigning from their jobs or making other big changes. But this lady called me on Tuesday after the retreat and told me firmly that she would resign the next day.
After speaking with her for half an hour, I knew her decision was well-considered. Now I will meet her this month. She has since written a book that helps people live healthier and more sustainable lives. How beautiful is that! I look forward to seeing her during my short vacation and hearing more about her! There are many stories like this! I don’t see everyone again, but this makes it extra special!
How does Mallorca Soul contribute to the local community and sustainability in Mallorca?
We have an eco-farm with 15000m2 of land, many plants and trees, solar panels, and our own well, providing water to all plants via our own groundwater. Furthermore, I also regularly organize events for the community.
Would you like to add anything extra as a final note?
Because I see it as my calling to positively change lives, I have compiled a journal and a journal magazine, which you can find on my Instagram. It is also linked to a WhatsApp group. In this way, you receive a journal and motivational coaching through a WhatsApp group entirely free of charge, so I can be your coach remotely. It’s a self-help concept that definitely works!
