From burnout to Inner Child: my story

Hi, I’m Nona, the founder of #theNoniz Kids Art, kids coaching, and kids workshops. I’d love to share my story with you because my journey to where I am today hasn’t been without challenges.

Last year, my sister said to me, "It seems like you’re compensating for your childhood, allowing yourself now everything you denied yourself back then." And you know what? She was right.

I’ve always been a hard worker. At seventeen, I combined two years of study into one, while also completing an additional program. I was ambitious, constantly in control, and always busy with sports, personal development, and working hard. After a night of party? I was the first at 7am who was awake for an big run. Eventually, I pushed myself too far and hit burnout. The day after I finished my thesis for my second study, (commercial economics) It took me two years to fully recover.

During my recovery, I discovered something remarkable: the power of creativity and playfulness. It started with small things, like naming every dog I saw on the street. This simple game reconnected me to the playful child within. I started dancing in the mornings, joking around, and rediscovering how liberating it is to have fun. It felt like I was finally catching up on all the years I had been too strict with myself. I ate chocolate cake for diner. What if I just eat two instead of one? WHO CARES? I needed to learn that I'm okay as I am, also when I'm not that trained, don't do everything perfect and allow myself to just do what I feel like. 

Three years ago, I moved to Indonesia and completed a breathwork training and a yoga training. That experience was a huge eye-opener. I realized that I had been constantly striving to improve, grow, and reach some unattainable ideal. Until one day, I realized: I am already enough, just as I am.

When I let go of who I thought I had to be, I came closer to who I truly am. It was in that space of letting go that the Noniz were born—a playful, creative world where everyone is free to be themselves. The last years I worked a lot on my own Inner Child, from therapy to online courses, and going FULLY back to me as the young Nona. That was actually a lot of fun! 

Ps: did you know that my birthcard was a clown? 

Today, I see how important it is to revive that playful child in all of us. We often lose it amidst the busyness and responsibilities of adult life. But I know how powerful it can be to bring that joy back.

And that’s what I want to share. Because playing, laughing, and creating isn’t just for kids—it’s for everyone. It helps us move through life more lightly, take things less seriously, and embrace the fact that perfection doesn’t exist. It teaches us that it’s okay to make mistakes.

That’s why my mission now is to help adults play, laugh, and create again. Because in play, we find the freedom we so deeply need.

Thank you for reading,

Playful greetings,

Nona 🌈💛