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 hospitals 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 in Philosophy & Film Theory and I worked in the cultural sector for about 5 years.

About me

Inspiration

Mother Nature, Human Rights Organizations, Jorge Luis Borges, Adrienne Maree Brown, M. Vasalis, Martha Nussbaum, Judith Butler, Irvin Yalom, 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 based on a spiritual humanist worldview: I believe that every person carries inherent dignity, and that life is mysterious and larger than we can fully explain. But above all, I remain curious and interested in other worldviews.

I aim to work holistically, as I view humans as multidimensional beings, encompassing physical, emotional, mental, socio-political, and spiritual dimensions. These dimensions are highly interconnected and influence one another.

I am particularly intrigued by the interconnections between the spiritual and the political.
I believe we need spiritual practices in order to heal from moral injury, systemic oppression and social injustice. Therefore, decoloniality and the work of decolonizing our minds forms an important perspective throughout my work.

My recent healing journey

Last year, in 2025, I unexpectedly fell ill and had to pause my career. I had to undergo intensive treatments and surgery and was painfully confronted with the fragility of life. Luckily my treatments turned out successful but I am still taking the much needed time to heal, bodily, mentally and spiritually, from this journey. Since a few months I started to slowly re-integrate in the life of work.

I am based in Amsterdam, NL