What if the life you’re living is not really yours? And what if the beliefs shaping your choices were never actually yours to begin with?

In this episode of the Pink Nest Podcast, Nika sits down with Arnold Beekes for a thoughtful conversation about childhood conditioning, unlearning societal expectations, and the long journey toward authentic self-awareness.

From a difficult childhood in the Netherlands to a life devoted to exploring the inner self, Arnold shares the experiences that shaped him and the insights that followed.

Arnold’s story is a reminder that personal growth is not always about adding more. Sometimes it’s about subtracting what was never truly yours. He speaks openly about feeling like a misfit, the difference between being alone and being lonely, and why pain can become a powerful catalyst for transformation when we choose to face it honestly.

This episode also explores the inner critic, self-kindness, and the everyday work of becoming more authentic in a world that often rewards conformity. If you’ve ever questioned the life you’ve built, or felt the pressure to fit into expectations that don’t feel aligned, this conversation offers space to reflect, reset, and begin again.

"Most people live someone else's life." This episode is an invitation to notice what has been conditioned into you, and to ask what becomes possible when you start living from within.

• Arnold’s childhood in the Netherlands and the experiences that shaped his sense of self.
• His transition into technology, leadership, and eventually psychology and personal leadership.
• What unconditioning means and why it matters for authentic living.
• The difference between being alone and being lonely.
• How pain can become part of personal transformation.
• The role of the inner critic and how self-kindness changes the process of growth.

Connect with Arnold

https://about.me/arnoldbeekes

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ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Pink Nest Podcast.

What if the life you were taught to want was never really yours? And what if walking away from it was the bravest, most clarifying thing you ever did?

In this episode of the Pink Nest Podcast, Nika sits down with Tom. coach, recovering alcoholic, world schooling dad, and accidental adventurer, for a conversation that is honest, grounding, and quietly life-changing.

Tom's story begins in the UK, shaped by all the rules that tell you what a successful life should look like: the career, the status, the social rituals that come with it, including alcohol. For years he followed the script. And for years, something didn't quite fit. It was the decision to get sober, and later to uproot his family and move to Malaysia, that cracked everything open. Not into chaos, but into clarity.

What makes Tom's approach stand out is the absence of drama around it. He doesn't frame sobriety as a battle or life abroad as an escape. In his world, intentional living is a quiet, deliberate practice, asking better questions, tolerating uncertainty, and building a life around memories rather than milestones. He calls it living deliberately, and once you hear him explain it, it's hard to think about your own choices the same way.

This episode goes deep on identity, not in a theoretical way, but as a lived experience of what happens when you strip away the external markers of success and ask what's actually left. Tom also speaks openly about world schooling, what it really means to raise children outside the system, and the fears that almost stopped him from making the leap at all.

"Live your life deliberately." This episode is an invitation to question the script, sit with the worst case scenario, and start building a life that is genuinely, unmistakably yours.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Tom's childhood in the UK and the early conditioning that shaped his idea of success
• The role alcohol played in his professional and social world and the turning point that changed everything
• What sobriety actually opened up, beyond the obvious
• The decision to move to Malaysia with his family and what it took to get there
• World schooling in practice, the reality, the challenges, and why they chose it
• How Tom rebuilt his identity and career outside the structures he had always known
• Why asking "what is the worst case scenario?" is one of the most liberating questions you can ask
• Living deliberately as a daily practice, not a one-time decision
• What it means to measure a life in memories rather than achievements.

Connect with Tom
💼 a2scoaching

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🌐 WEBSITE: http://pinknestpodcast.com
📷 INSTAGRAM: @pinknestpodcast
ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Pink Nest Podcast.

What happens when the discipline of a bodybuilding champion meets the complexity of artificial intelligence and both are applied to the events industry?

In this episode of the Pink Nest Podcast, Nika sits down with Anca Platon Trifan, AI strategist, international event producer, and bodybuilding champion for a conversation that is as unexpected as it is essential.

Anca's story begins in Romania, shaped by early dreams and a drive that never needed much external fuel. Over the years, that drive took her across industries, across borders, and eventually to a place very few people occupy: the intersection of physical performance, creative production, and technological strategy. She didn't arrive there by following a map. She arrived there by being willing to keep moving when the road ran out, including during a global pandemic that dismantled the events industry almost overnight.

Where others saw collapse, Anca saw a laboratory. COVID-19 forced a reckoning that she believes the industry needed and she used that time to build, to think, and to develop frameworks that have since shaped how she trains others to lead.

This episode goes deep on something the events world is still figuring out: what AI actually means for creative professionals. Anca is not here to hype the technology or to fear it. She is here to help people understand it, because understanding how things work, not just how they look, is where real power lives. She also brings her Fit for Events framework into the conversation, connecting physical discipline with professional resilience in a way that makes complete sense once she explains it.

"Consistency beats intensity every single time." This episode is a masterclass in what it looks like to build something that lasts.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Anca's childhood in Romania and the early influences that shaped her discipline and drive
• How bodybuilding became a school for mental strength, resilience, and leadership
• What COVID-19 revealed about the events industry and how Anca used it as a turning point
• The Fit for Events framework and how fitness principles translate into professional performance
• Navigating AI in creative industries without losing the human edge
• Why consistency and behind-the-scenes work matter more than visible intensity
• The unique pressures facing newcomers in events and what they need to hear
• Why the future of the industry belongs to those who understand the tools, not just use them

Connect with Anca

• 🎙️ Miss My Podcast: missmypodcast.com
• 🎪 3Find Event Production: 3findevent.com
• 💼 Anca on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ancaplatontrifan
  

☕ This podcast runs on coffee and quiet confidence that different minds build better worlds. Buy me a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/nikabrunet

📌 Don't forget to subscribe for more impactful conversations like this one!
🌐 WEBSITE: pinknestpodcast.com
📷 INSTAGRAM: @pinknestpodcast
ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Pink Nest Podcast.