“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
- Bachelor in Arts (Illustration) of the Willem de Kooning Academy of Art, Rotterdam, NL
- Bachelor in Visual Communication (Graphic Design) of the Willem de Kooning Academy of Art, Rotterdam, NL
- Over 150 days of training in Nonviolent Communication, conflict coaching & mediation since 2012, Worldwide
- 3 years BayNVC Leadership Year Program (participant & assistant), USA
- Graduate of the Giraffe Business School with Marie Miyashiro
- Training in Empathic Coaching
- Training in Participatory Leadership
- Training in the Art of Hosting
- Training in Awakening Coaching Basics
- Theta Healing Basic DNA Practitioner
- Genos Certified Emotional Intelligence Practitioner
- Training in (online) marketing & course design
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).
- 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
- 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 translation
Location
- Internationally
- Live
- Online
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.
Vegan cooking

The kitchen is the most magical room in our home, where I daily cook vegan meals. I post about it at The Empathic Concern.
Home grown

Preferably I create my own improvisations with home grown veggies.
Nature

Nature is my daily go-to place for self-connection, mountain biking, hiking and silent solitude.
Fun fact

Depending on the culture or religion, my name Mireille means ‘to look’, ‘to admire’, ‘peace’ and ‘miracle’.
Or connect through email
