Although she started out as an industrial designer, Jacky van de Goor soon realised she liked people more than product. She switched gears and has been a leadership trainer and advisor for the last two decades. If this seems like a leap, Jacky disagrees, “developing a good training or change programme is also a creative and people-centered process, where I can put my designer skills to good use.”

In her free time Jacky participates in improvisation theater. She started off in Groningen and has been part of an improvisation team in Eindhoven since moving there. “Improv is a way of life. You always start with the positive attitude of acceptance. You adapt and build onto whatever situation you are in. It’s a ‘yes, and’ instead of ‘yes, but’ attitude.” It’s no wonder she applies this technique in her professional life as well.

Writer of two books on management and organisational culture and a game focused on culture and team building, Jacky has found an unconventional and original way of helping teams and organisations through workshops and coaching. In her work and as a person she has always been fascinated by purpose and what drives people in life.

“One night I was watching a Japanese film that posed a powerful question that leads to stories about the essence of life. I started posing the question to different people and soon had more than 100 stories.”

In the end, Jacky collected stories from friends and family to adolescents, homeless people and victims of domestic violence. In 2014 she joined Storylab at Twente University for a PhD study on the deeper meaning and patterns in these answers.

Jacky is no stranger to Venlo, she did an internship at Canon and completed her graduate assignment on Océ. There’s further links to TEDxVenlo, her husband Guido Stomp did a TED Talk on design thinking last year.

On November 7th Jacky van de Goor will challenge you with this unusual question. Register now!