Reviews

During the trail, I was completely secluded in the wilderness under the inspiring guidance of Martine—and no one knows better how to do that! After half a day, my senses and intuition were sharpened, my mind was clear, my need for control had vanished, and my inner peace had returned

This journey with Martine is the most beautiful thing I have ever done in my life. I so enjoyed her, our group, the people in the camp, the animals, and the beautiful country! And I learned so much!

This book is about following your heart and chasing your dreams. Fantastic, I read it all in one go. I visit Africa regularly, and this book also provides a wonderful 'insight' behind the scenes of wildlife parks and fauna management. I recommend everyone to read it! This is Ben Tiggelaar's 'dream, dare, do' put into practice. Everyone can learn from this. But above all, it is beautifully written. It is also impressive how personal suffering or discomfort is sometimes mentioned, yet described without becoming sentimental.

Martine has made a stunning literary debut with this book. What a magnificent narrative and wonderful writing style. It is as if you are right there with her. In addition to her breathtaking adventures as a wildlife veterinarian, this book is also a compelling call to drastically transform our all-consuming lifestyle into a sustainable society, where ecology and economy go hand in hand. A must-read!

Roeland Wessels

A beautifully written book about a woman with a passion for wildlife, and a fine example of perseverance. From the very beginning, you are drawn into the adventures of a veterinarian dedicated to wild animals in the African wilderness. I know Martine as a beautiful and extraordinary person, but after reading this book, I have even more admiration for her.

Ramon Gekko

Beautiful, personal, and a great read. An inspiring and honest life story in which ambition, courage, and decisiveness struggle with fear, uncertainty, and doubt. And all within the context of the African (and sometimes European) wilderness! Once again, a wake-up call about the value of nature, without being preachy.

W. Bertone

An extraordinary story and a captivating speaker. Perfect for when you want something different. Resilience in challenging times—that was the theme of our networking event. It was a day where we wanted to touch and inspire our guests in a different way. Rather than focusing on technical content, we looked for someone who could build a creative bridge to our professional practice through a theme. It became a bridge from wildlife to human nature—a bridge delivered with great energy, humor, and insight. Captivating, entertaining, and educational all at once.

Frederike Godron - TKP Pension

Sparkling! With her sparkling personality, Martine is able to capture everyone's attention immediately. She leads the group in a very natural way, using her photos to share her experiences and perspective. She also succeeds in holding up a mirror to the group.

K.M. Laagland Klaassen - Julianadorp

Inspiring, positive, and engaging. Martine held an incredibly pleasant session tailored specifically to the topic we needed! She speaks with enthusiasm and inspiration. We were very pleased! During the preparations, Martine was easy to reach and contributed a great deal of wonderful ideas.

Anne van Verre - Netcompany

Great lecture! Martine is a fantastic speaker who took us along on her journey in her own unique, spontaneous way. Her enthusiasm and knowledge about wild animals, and the valuable lessons she draws from them, are very interesting and engaging for any audience. She knew exactly how to strike the right chord for us in the context of Women's Day! Her warm personality makes you feel at ease immediately. We can absolutely recommend her!

Nadine Wassing - SodaStream International Ltd.

Highly recommended! Martine's enthusiasm was very infectious. Not only does she have a powerful story about her own desire to work with wild animals, she also draws beautiful parallels between how animals deal with difficulties in their lives and how humans do. And what we can learn from the animals. Very inspiring. The audience for International Women's Day wished her story could have lasted much longer. A great success!

Ingeborg Wind - Twente Library

Very inspirational and unique story for an international audience, illustrating the parallels between living in the wild and risk management: a ten out of ten.

Bob J Reichenfeld - Gallagher Re

With her infectious enthusiasm, Martine shared her story about wild animals, their unique talents, and how they collaborate in groups to strengthen one another. It was an original and beautiful reflection of how we can achieve the same within our organization and towards our clients.

Carlijn Backx - Nolost

We enjoyed an absolutely inspiring lecture by Martine during our annual off-site. She taught us about learning from wild animals and provided reflections on teamwork and leadership, while emphasizing the importance of diversity. Furthermore, she highlighted the importance of embracing elders—just as in nature—because they possess the knowledge and experience. In fact, we often behave like animals and navigate an 'office jungle' where, much like animals, we weigh and manage risks every day. In conclusion, we can say that we have much to learn from wild animals, not only in our professional lives but also in our private lives. Thank you very much, Martine, for your fantastic speech.

Kim Kropff - NIBC Bank

I wouldn't have missed this unique, beautiful experience for the world. Everything I learned, such as our connection with nature and the power of observing with all your senses, I can now recall and apply at any moment, for instance in stressful situations.

Martine is social, optimistic, and respectful of everyone; she also recognizes and appreciates the talent in every person. Furthermore, she is an inexhaustible source of knowledge and experience regarding wildlife.

The wildlife, the camp, the guides, the staff, the program and activities, the food, and Martine's contribution: they all get a 10, everything was perfect! I want to join again next time!

Having been on many African safaris, I learned during this trail to view wildlife differently. Instead of approaching as closely as possible like an intruder, I now became part of the wilderness myself.

I recently had the pleasure of attending one of Martine's lectures. I thoroughly enjoyed it! What an inspiring woman. Her translation of her years spent alone in the wilderness to the business world was truly thought-provoking. Nature as a wise source of insight. That same nature that is also our source, and from which we have unfortunately become so far removed, yet which is such a necessary connection as a guide for grounded and compassionate action. Highly recommended!

Linda Dubois - Dubois Coaching

With her infectious enthusiasm and a compelling story tailored to our target audience, Martine took us on a journey into her wonderful world as a wildlife veterinarian. In a striking manner, Martine managed to relate her extraordinary life lessons very concretely to themes such as collaboration and leadership within our own context. A story full of adventure, plot twists, and humor.

Anne Aantjes – Deloitte

As a keynote speaker, Martine managed to find the perfect balance between enjoyment, inspiration, and the connection to our company. She incorporated several of the day's key points and did so with great energy and enthusiasm. Following the lecture, we sent a survey to all our employees, and they gave her a total score of 9.1 out of 10. Honestly, it could not have been more perfect. A huge thank you to Martine!!

Nele Houbrechts – Royal Canin

Martine explains how animals are not only closely connected to who and what we are, but also serve as an honest mirror and source of inspiration for who we can become. In doing so, she zooms in with unprecedented honesty on herself in relation to the behavior of hippos, (human) apes, elephants, giraffes, snakes, spiders, and everything she has encountered in her practice as a wildlife veterinarian across the globe. She also regularly zooms out to advocate for the importance of nature knowledge and conservation. It is a BREATHTAKING and personal story that stays with me. Also because it is very exciting, featuring helicopters, chases, loves found and lost, staff uprisings, career shifts, shooting lessons, and so on. Honest, loving, confronting, yet at the same time constructive and inspiring. #mustread

I find it a beautiful book in every respect. Highly recommended! You learn a great deal about wild animals, their way of life, and their living conditions in an interesting way. And their relationship with us, humans. The book reads like an adventure novel and remains captivating throughout. I enjoyed it immensely and learned a lot from it. Parallel to the story about the animals and the knowledge shared, you also receive many life lessons. The author demonstrates such courage, perseverance, and a great deal of love. I find that very inspiring for my own life. Spirituality in practice. Furthermore, in these times, the book carries an important message about our relationship with nature in all its facets and consequences: I sincerely hope that the book will reach and inspire many people.

From the very first sentence, this book takes you deep into the wilderness! A delightful book about adventure, nature, and making choices. The love for wildlife is infectious and highly inspiring.

What a delightful and inspiring book about life in the wilderness and the pursuit of dreams. A book full of exciting adventures and beautiful moments of a veterinarian in the stunning African wild. You empathize with the author and quickly develop admiration for her perseverance and love for wildlife and nature. Read it in one sitting.

It is incredibly beautiful and inspiring to read how Martine follows her heart and pursues her great passion, despite setbacks and the opinions of those around her. It is heartwarming to read about the wonderful adventures she experiences and, above all, what she learns about herself and our existence as humanity on this earth. Having lived in the heart of nature myself, I recognize the somewhat spiritual insights she gained all too well. The tranquility, purity, and fundamental nature of the wilderness have much to teach us as modern human beings. Martine’s book has restored that sense of connection and inspiration from nature to me, even though I now live in the middle of a large city. It allowed me to relive it all; it is written so beautifully and straight from the heart.

What a delightful and inspiring book about living in the wilderness and chasing dreams. A book full of exciting adventures and beautiful moments of a veterinarian in the stunning African wild. You empathize with the author and quickly develop admiration for her perseverance and love for wild animals and nature. I read it in one sitting.

Highly recommended for anyone who loves nature, animals, and/or adventure. Martine takes you on an adventure and prompts you to reflect on your own life.

A heartwarming book full of adventure and love for animals. Martine shows us how a veterinarian makes a difference in our relationship with nature.

Frans de Waal

This book is about connection, inner strength, conscious living, service, and love. Read this fascinating book!

Princess Irene of the Netherlands

This adventurous veterinarian shows us that humans are fragile beings who are merely a small link in a vast ecosystem. Beautiful!

André Kuipers