A little about me…
Hello everyone!
Welcome to my website and blog! I’m delighted to have you here. I’ll be sharing new stories twice a week—on Sundays and Thursdays at 7:00 a.m.—so make sure to keep an eye on this space. You can expect a mix of topics that are not only research based, informative and engaging but also fun and thought-provoking. Don’t miss out on what’s coming next!
My name is Nammu, and I’m the child of two immigrant parents who both came to the Netherlands when they were young, from opposite sides of the world. My father came from Suriname, with roots in India, and my mother came from Turkey, with roots in Syria. I grew up surrounded by multiple languages, cultures, which made for some amazing dinner conversations. I have two lovely brothers who are the same age as me—yes, that means we’re triplets! Another thing that made my life far from boring. We fought, laughed, and played together from day one in our mother’s womb, and we’ve never stopped. Home life was chaotic and busy but always fulfilling. We’ve each gone our separate ways now—I went off to study in another city, one brother did too, while the other stayed behind to start his own company. But whenever we need each other, we’re always there.
Over the years, I’ve had my ups and downs and faced personal challenges. In high school, I was the rebellious kid who skipped class all the time and talked back to teachers. But, to tell you the truth, I felt wildly misunderstood. I skipped class because I struggled with extremely low energy levels and other health issues I didn’t have answers to at the time. I was attending a school that wasn’t inclusive (or even close) and faced conscious and unconscious discrimination for being brown and from a foreign background. At home, I was taught it was okay to ask questions, even tough ones, but at school, there was no room for that, especially not from someone with different insights due to her background. Friends at the time were afraid of my background and never dared to visit my home, fearing they’d encounter parents who didn’t speak Dutch well. For the record, my parents are amazing. They speak Dutch perfectly (sometimes even better than I do) and are incredibly warm, funny, and generous people. Though they’re divorced now, they live close to one another, and I visit them regularly. Family will always have a special place in my heart.
So, in a nutshell, I skipped school a lot and never graduated because of it. When you’re 16 and living in the Netherlands without any kind of diploma, life gets interesting. I went traveling, but all I really wanted was to get into university. I studied hard, but without a diploma, the road was tough. I attended VAVO, a school for people who need specific subjects to qualify for university, but I was still struggling with my health, and that ended up being a dead end too—I didn’t graduate. I traveled again, and the cycle continued. I became depressed, and mental health issues started to creep in as well. After some dark years, I pulled myself out (for the most part) and got a job that broadened my horizons, developed me further, and pushed me out of my comfort zone—as a croupier at the Dutch Casino. It was one of the most interesting times in my life, and I loved every bit of it. Simultaneously, I kept trying to get into university through 21+ exams and IQ tests, and guess what? I got in! I couldn’t believe it—it was the beginning of turning my life around. At 22, I started studying Creative Business at Utrecht University of Applied Sciences. It was an amazing course, even though I started in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. But I didn’t let that stop me. I made friends, expanded my knowledge, developed a solution-oriented mindset, grew tremendously, and even graduated with honors. And I’m not done with my academic journey yet—in two weeks, I’m starting my pre-Master’s program at Utrecht University for a Master’s in Innovation Sciences. A few years ago, this would have been unthinkable for me.
I want to show that you can still study and achieve whatever your heart desires, even if you take a non-traditional path.
Here are some more random facts about me:
I absolutely love nature and all its little inhabitants.
I find joy in everyday life, in the most mundane things—whether it’s walking to the train station and seeing someone enjoying their music, or simply getting my groceries.
I’m very comfortable being alone, but I also love to socialize.
I’m a huge philomath.
I love exploring new things—music, foods, etc.
I’m passionate about cycle living, biohacking, and living a healthy, clean lifestyle.
Alongside my academic and professional career, I began addressing my health issues, and the results are something I want to share with you. I also started exploring my menstrual cycle and how to restore hormonal balance. This exploration helped me tremendously—I wouldn’t have been able to work, study, and socialize as I did without it. It took me 26 years, but I figured it out, and I know you can too. That’s why I created these courses, and I’m excited to share that my book will be coming out in a few weeks. The book is a kind of summary of the course, filled with amazing pictures and colors that allowed me to fully express my creativity. I poured my heart and soul into it, and every page is a reflection of me. It makes a great coffee table book, sparking interesting conversations, and it’s also a thoughtful gift for yourself or a loved one. You can revisit the content whenever you need quick answers to your questions. The courses provide a more in-depth view and are regularly updated with the latest research. Both the book and the courses are products I’m incredibly proud to present. Let me know what you think, and together, let’s make the world a better, more colorful place.