Kelly Weekers

As a child, best-selling author and psychologist Kelly Weekers (33) was already intrigued by why people act the way they do. “I was an introvert and always observing others,” Kelly explains. Her interest in human behavior led her to choose a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Neuroscience. 

For years, Kelly worked as a model alongside her studies, and in 2011 she even became Miss Holland and was a finalist in the Miss Universe pageant. “It was a nice experience. My childhood was great. Simple. No big ups, no big downs. Modeling made me grow up a lot faster living and working around the world. I discovered the impact of my own thoughts and the opinions of others on my self-image and on the choices I made in life. Those lessons are still valuable to me today.”

Kelly modeled parttime for years and decided to go fulltime after getting her bachelor’s degree. “I went all-in, so that I could genuinely experience what life as a model would be like. I decided that if it didn’t work out, I could always pick up my studies again. In the end, that mindset saved me, since I’ve always pushed myself to work hard. If I hadn’t thought it through the way I did, the modeling world would probably have crushed me. It’s a though scene to work in”. In the end, it didn’t turn out to be the right environment for Kelly, and that’s when she decided to turn her passion into a career.

After getting her master’s degree in Clinical and Health Psychology in 2011, she started working as a psychologist. “I gained loads of experience in no time, mostly treating people with burnouts, panic disorders, anxiety and depression. And I noticed I quickly got them the results they were looking for. I’m empathetic, but my coaching style is also straightforward and no-nonsense. Therapy can sometimes be a bit like a comfortable blanket and is supposed to be life-changing. Clients get an overkill of daily routines that take hours and are therefore not feasible. Taking small steps everyday and offering perspective is more my style. You don’t have to change absolutely everything and immediately. Just work on that 1% everyday”

Kelly helps her clients to choose themselves and by that take back control of their lives. “The tips and tricks I used for people with burnout symptoms or who were suffering from depression also proved useful in my own life. Because of course, I too can feel stressed or have a bad day.” She compiled all her insights into the book Happy Life 365. A year later, the sequel Happy Lifehacks 365 was published. Both books became bestsellers. “Common sense is not common practice. We all know it’s healthy to go to the gym and to eat plenty of vegetables, but we don’t always feel like doing it. I try to motivate people to take small, attainable steps to become happier. Steps that everyone can understand and fit into their busy schedules”. 

In her latest book – another bestseller, The Power of Choice – she shares key insights and eye-openers based on her personal experience. “People often told me they were curious about how I dealt with things like motherhood, ambition, insecurity, and friendships. I didn’t want to write an autobiography and decided to focus on these important themes in my life in order to help my readers reflect on their own choices in life.”

It is Kelly’s most intimate book, in which she shares personal anecdotes about her own relationship and goes into how she struggled with motherhood and came to decide to break up with certain friends. “I prefer listening to someone who is also candid about the obstacles they have had to overcome. Since I dare to be vulnerable, people know they can be vulnerable with me as well.”

Meanwhile, Kelly has sold over 200,000 books, founded her own publishing house, and with her other company, Moonshot Coaching, she helps people bring out the best in themselves which helps them live a happy and fulfilling private and professional life. Kelly’s mission? “I would like to help people find the guts to choose for themselves a bit more often. Staying true to who you are sounds incredibly cliché, but how do you actually do that?! And how to know what makes you happy in the first place?”

Her motto in life? “I may not always have a choice in what comes my way, but I do have a choice in how to deal with it. As soon as you feel more in charge and know you yourself determine what you want life to be like, you will feel so much happier. Life isn’t good because everything is perfect. Life’s good because you have perfected how to enjoy it, despite all of its ups and downs.”