“Visual empathy brings the speaker and the audience on the same page, like a mediator helps two parties understand each other’s point of view.”

— Mireille van Bremen

Mireille van Bremen

Graphic Recorder, Visual Mediator & Conflict Coach, Visual Empathy Trainer

Hi, my name is Mireille van Bremen and I work internationally as a Graphic Recorder, Visual Mediator and Visual Empathy Trainer.

I help organizations promote human rights, wellbeing and peace by visualizing their strategies and vision of the future.

My years of experience in the field of visual communication as an art-director and design department leader stimulated me to learn and integrate empathy in my work. For the past ten years I have been intensively trained in Nonviolent Communication (NVC), and NVC based mediation and conflict coaching.

While I continued working as an illustrator, graphic designer, graphic recorder and visual facilitator, I developed my own methods and courses to bring these two fields together in my Visual Empathy Courses.

To articulate the essential skill participants develop through my courses, I came up with the term ‘Visual Empathy’. I define it as ‘the visually attuned expression of our understanding, expressed with the intention to create connection with ourselves and others’.

Visual Empathy helps us understand the audience we communicate with and visual expression increases the efficacy of training and development activities. This increases both the relevance as the impact of learning experiences.

More details about me

Education & Training

Education

Bachelor of Design: Design and Visual Communications, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, (Willem de Kooning Academy) (2003, 3 years, The Netherlands)
Bachelor of Arts: Illustration, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, (Willem de Kooning Academy) (1996, 4,5 years, The Netherlands)
Glendale Unified School District (July 1995, 3 weeks, California, USA)
IJsselcollege (1991, 5 years, The Netherlands)
Jenaplan School Het Mozaik (1990, 10 months, The Netherlands)
Vrije School Rotterdam Waldorf/Rudolf Steiner School (1982, 8 years, The Netherlands)

Various Training – Participation / Certification

ThetaHealing Basic DNA, Level 1 (2020, 4 days, Teleclass) – trainer: Dr. Lisa Cooney
Genos Emotional Intelligence Practitioner Certification (2019, 4 days, Slovenia) – trainer: Pam Welsby, FastForward
Awakening Coaching Training – Deepening Course (2016, 5 days, Greece) – trainer: Arjuna Ardagh
Awakening Coaching Training – Basic Skill Course (2016, 5 days, Germany) – trainer: Arjuna Ardagh
Methodology / Didactics, Training Design (2015, 3 days, Germany) – CNVC trainer: Klaus Karstadt
Art of Participatory Leadership (2014, 4 days, Slovenia)

Nonviolent Communication Training – Assisting / Co-trainer

Designing and Building Impactful NVC training (July 2019, 2 days, France) – CVNC trainer: Roxy Manning, PhD (Principal Based Teaching) and Mireille van Bremen (Visual Facilitation)
Taste of BayNVC Leadership Program (July 2018, 8 days, California, USA) – CNVC trainer: Roxy Manning PhD
BayNVC Leadership Program (July 2017, 20 weeks, California, USA) – CNVC trainers: Roxy Manning & François Beausoleil

Nonviolent Communication Training – Participation

The Giraffe Business School (May 2023, 8 weeks, Teleclass) – trainer: Marie Miyashiro, Elucity Network, Inc.
Mediate Your Life (September 2021, 9 months, Teleclass) – CNVC trainer: John Kinyon
NVC for Real: Coaching Across Racial Microaggressions (September 2020, 5 weeks, Teleclass) – CNVC trainer: Roxanne Manning PhD
Street Giraffe (2017, 2 days, Slovenia) – CNVC trainer: Marjeta Novak
BayNVC Leadership Program (Yearlong NVC training) (2016, 12 months, Teleclass/California, USA) – CNVC trainers: Roxy Manning & François Beausoleil
Empathic Livelihood Coaching Program (March 2016, 4 months, Teleclass) – CNVC trainer: François Beausoleil
Contact Improvisation & Nonviolent Communication (2015, 2 days, Slovenia) – CNVC trainer: Robert Kržišnik
Brain Science – on healing childhood pain and trauma (2015, 4 days, Germany) – CNVC trainers: Sarah Peyton & Sarah Hart
Awakening the Flow of Life Retreat (April 2014, 6,5 days, Slovenia) – CNVC trainers: Robert Gonzales & Robert Kržišnik
Intensive International Training (IIT) (2014, 10 days, Palestine/Israel) – CNVC trainers: Klaus Karstadt, Robert Kržišnik, Roberta Wall, Arnika Kashtan, Hagit Lifshitz
Self-Empathy (2013, 2 days, Slovenia) – CNVC trainers: Robert Kržišnik & Marjeta Novak
Communication with Children (2013, 2 days, Slovenia) – CNVC trainers: Robert Kržišnik & Marjeta Novak
Deepening Course on Nonviolent Communication (2013, 7 days, Greece) – CNVC trainer: Louise Romain, Marianne Götlin, Towe Widstrand, and Kaspar Ritz
Nonviolent Communication based Conflict Resolution (2012, 2 days, Slovenia) – CNVC trainers: Robert Kržišnik & Marjeta Novak
Introductory training on Nonviolent Communication (2012, 2 days, The Netherlands) – CNVC trainer: Nicole van Ladesteijn

Experience

Graphic Recorder, Visual Mediator & Conflict Coach, Visual Empathy Trainer at The Visual Mediator formerly known as The Visual Catalyst (2019) and Empathic Pathway (2015).
Assisting / Co-trainer

> Designing and Building Impactful NVC training (July 2019, 2 days, France) – CVNC trainer: Roxy Manning, PhD (Principal Based Teaching) and Mireille van Bremen (Visual Facilitation)
> Taste of BayNVC Leadership Program (July 2018, 8 days, California, USA) – CNVC trainer: Roxy Manning PhD
> BayNVC Leadership Program (July 2017, 20 weeks, California, USA) – CNVC trainers: Roxy Manning & François Beausoleil
9 years Head of Design & Art Director in an internationally operating advertising agency in Slovenia
5 years owner of Studio LiEF – graphic design & illustration studio based in The Netherlands
Trained hundreds of trainers, coaches, facilitators, leaders, designers, project managers, lecturers and teachers in developing their visual empathy skills
Supported many entrepreneurs in being more impactful with their marketing & communications
Created countless graphic recordings, visual summaries and other visual representations & illustrations

Skills

Visual literacy
Digital literacy
Critical thinking
Leadership skills
Organisational skills
Trainer skills
Communication skills
Facilitate trainings, conversations, meetings, workshops, …
Empathic listening & Empathy skills
Visually capture the essence of a story, conflict, idea or plan with striking clarity
Visualise the bigger picture of ideas, concepts, models, processes, visions, plans, etc.
Generate new value & tons of ideas
Reduce complexity to what truly matters
Make the invisible visible & tangible
Graphic Recording, Visual Translation
Art direction, Graphic design
Illustration
Conflict Resolution, Coaching & Mediation
Nonviolent Communication (NVC)
(Online) Marketing & Business

Expertise

Visual communication
Empathy
Graphic recording
Graphic Facilitation
Training
Coaching
Facilitation
Nonviolent Communication
NVC based Mediation & Conflict Coaching

Languages

Dutch (native)
English (professional)
Slovene (professional)
German (basic)
Any other language with simultaneous or consequative translation

Locations

Internationally
In person
Online
Hybrid

Empathic lifestyle

Co-parenting

I am a Dutch national with Asian roots and live in Slovenia for 15 years. I am a mom and co-parent of a teenage son who lives with me every other week.

Complexity

I thrive about complexity such as complex situations and conflict, but I also enjoy creating simple and clear visual summaries of concepts and complex information.

Harmony

I have a strong need for visual harmony and am a color freak. Besides daily meditation, I also paint as a meditation practice and sell my artwork.

Visual Empathy

As a visual empathy trainer I coach and train trainers in learning organizations and training & development departments, to expand visual communication skills and toolboxes.