Brechje Meijers

The big questions of life have always fascinated me.
I love to listen to people's views on life and its meaning. And I love to work creatively with words, objects and visuals, weaving them into rituals.

I work as a humanist chaplain: offering guidance to people who are going through big life transitions, or who are searching for purpose and meaning. You might also know this kind of work as existential counseling or spiritual care.

I am trained through the Master Humanistics: an interdisciplinary program drawing on ethics, existential psychology and sociology. I have worked in a hospital and psychiatric institutions, offering spiritual, emotional and pastoral care to patients, their families and staff, across all beliefs and backgrounds.

Through Tending Life I want to reach more people. And to work toward something I believe we need more of as a society: genuine space for collective grieving, and a restored place for ritual in everyday life.

I am also very open to collaborate with others who identify with this mission, including artists, researchers, activists, community organizers, facilitators and healthcare workers.

Other work

Currently I volunteer in a detention center as a philosophy teacher. Once a week detainees can join a 1-hour class where we delve into and discuss a philosopher.

I also work as a trainer for Humanistisch Verbond (Dutch Humanist Association). I give workshops focused on how to navigate polarization.

Prior to my MA, I gained a BA Liberal Arts [Philosophy, Film Theory] and I worked in the cultural sector for about 5 years.

Inspiration

Mother Nature, Human Rights Organizations, Jorge Luis Borges, Adrienne Maree Brown, M. Vasalis, Martha Nussbaum, Judith Butler, Irvin Yalom, Mary Oliver, Anthony B. Pinn, Simone Weil, Edward Saïd, Sadhguru, Friends and Family, My Ancestors..

I love to cook, meditate, do theatre, sing, write, bike, watch movies, read, and 'listen deeply' to music.

My views

My work is rooted in a spiritual-humanist worldview: I believe that every person carries inherent dignity, and that life has dimensions that we can never fully explain. At the same time, I remain curious about and interested in other worldviews.

I work with attention to the different dimensions of human existence: physical, emotional, social, existential, and spiritual.

I am interested in the connection between personal meaning-making and broader social contexts. Themes such as identity, belonging, and social justice play an important role in this. Informed by my background in decolonial thinking, I remain attentive to whose stories and perspectives are given space and whose voices may be overlooked.

My recent healing journey

In 2025, I unexpectedly became seriously ill and had to temporarily step away from my professional work. I underwent intensive treatments and surgery, and was confronted with the fragility of life in a profound way. Fortunately, my treatments were successful, and I have since taken the necessary time to heal: physically, mentally, and spiritually. This experience has deepened my awareness of vulnerability, recovery, and meaning-making. I have since started to gradually reintegrate into my professional life.