I’m so excited to share the very first episode of The Choice, by Isabella! In this episode, I introduce myself, share my story, and talk about what this podcast is all about—fashion, beauty, lifestyle, mental health, and self-care. Whether you’re looking for tips, inspiration, or just a friendly chat, this episode is the perfect way to kick off your Friday listening routine.
Voor wie mij nog niet helemaal goed kent, ik ben Isabel en ik heb mijn VWO diploma behaald. Na het behalen van mijn bachelor Internationale Betrekkingen aan de Universiteit Leiden heb ik gekozen voor de master Internationaal Publiekrecht aan de Universiteit Utrecht. Ik heb daarom een brede achtergrond en veel interesses aha! :)
In gesprekken met scholieren en studenten merkte ik steeds hetzelfde: veel mensen lopen vast in hun schoolwerk of studie, niet omdat ze het niveau niet aankunnen, maar omdat persoonlijke begeleiding ontbreekt. Iedereen leert op een andere manier en in een ander tempo, terwijl het onderwijs daar lang niet altijd op kan inspelen.
Met Bijles bij Isabel wil ik die persoonlijke begeleiding wél bieden. Al bijna 8 jaar geef ik bijlessen, en in die tijd is het echt een passie geworden om kennis over te brengen en leerlingen verder te helpen. Mijn focus ligt op online bijles, examentraining en scriptiebegeleiding, volledig afgestemd op de persoon achter de leerling of student.
Elke leerling is anders. Zo begeleid ik bijvoorbeeld volwassenen die hun Engels willen verbeteren voor hun werk, help ik PABO-studenten met Nederlands, en ondersteun ik 6VWO-leerlingen die zich voorbereiden op hun eindexamen Geschiedenis. Het is precies die variatie en die persoonlijke aanpak die het werk zo leuk en waardevol maakt, want elke leerling groeit op zijn of haar eigen manier.
Online bijles is super flexibel. Je kunt leren vanuit je eigen omgeving, in je eigen tempo, met persoonlijke aandacht van iemand die écht met je meedenkt. Geen reistijd, geen gehaast, gewoon focus op jou en wat jij nodig hebt om vooruit te komen.
Bij Bijles bij Isabel krijg je:
één-op-één begeleiding
uitleg op jouw tempo
oefeningen die écht werken
begeleiding die motiverend en overzichtelijk is
Zo maak ik leren niet alleen effectiever, maar ook leuker.
Examens kunnen best stressvol zijn. Met mijn online examentraining help ik je structuur aan te brengen, moeilijke stof te begrijpen en gericht te oefenen. Zo weet je precies waar je op moet focussen en voel je je veel zelfverzekerder tijdens de toetsweek of examens.
Bijles bij Isabel is er voor iedereen die extra hulp kan gebruiken: scholieren die vastlopen op school, studenten die hun studie beter willen plannen, mensen die zich willen voorbereiden op examens of hulp nodig hebben bij hun scriptie. Alles gebeurt online, persoonlijk en afgestemd op jouw situatie.
Het starten van Bijles bij Isabel voelt voor mij als een logische volgende stap. Ik hou ervan om anderen te helpen groeien en zelfvertrouwen te krijgen in hun leren. Met mijn online bijlesbedrijf wil ik leerlingen en studenten écht vooruit helpen, zodat leren leuker, makkelijker en minder stressvol wordt.
Wil je zelf ervaren hoe het is om persoonlijke online begeleiding te krijgen? Stuur me gerust een berichtje of klik HIER voor een GRATIS PROEFLES, ik help je graag op weg! 😊 --> isabelfunari7@gmail.com
Hi! Long time no see! ;) I'm very happy to be back and very excited to share my new post with you. For me the month of December is a lovely month. It's festive everywhere with cute decorations, cozy moments with friends and family and really appreciating the day light there is and turning more towards your inner self by slowing down. However, December for me can also be a month where there is more pressure to attend social gatherings, dealing with more workload before the holidays or just having difficulties with the darker days and less sunlight. And that's okay and totally understandable! If you say yess that's me and can use a few tips to feel both mentally and physically extra strong, then grab your tea of coffee and let's get right to it! 
One of my favourites for this month (but also whole year round) is magnesium bysglicinate. It's especially helpful if your nervous system feels extra on edge during this month. It's kind of a secret weapon aha! This form of magnesium absorbs very well. Better than magnesium oxide for example. It's also quite easy on your stomach and it helps to sleep better, gives you steadier energy throughout the day and you'll notice you just feel less on edge overall. It has a calm effect on your body. So I started with 150mg every other day for my body to get used to it.
I was a bit skeptic at first because I read on fora such as Reddit that women's cycles got delayed or became very irregular. I haven't noticed that myself yet. I think it might have to do that my dosis is quite low and I let my body get used to it. So that's quite important! And fun fact: I noticed when I take this type of magnesium regularly my pms is much better and my stomach cramps are gone almost completely! Can you believe that?! Super happy haha. But if I have a month with more stress or less good eating habits, of course that makes the pms worse. So try not to eat too much sugar. Best thing for any diet I would say is just the 80/20 rule. 80% of the time healthy 1 ingredient foods, like tomatoes, bananas, etc. Enough protein and fiber and than 20% you can just snack something nice. And to just focus on what you can eat instead of only what you cannot. Otherwise it's going to feel mentally draining.
The magnesium bysglicinate I use is from Holland & Barrett. I live in the Netherlands so I'm not sure if it's available in other countries from this exact same brand. But I find this one quite good and a fair price for what you get. Make sure to check the ingredient list that there aren't any or many additives. Magnesium bysglicinate from Amazon is also very good!
Besides taking my magnesium, I find it very helpful to just be extra mindful of your boundaries. December can be a hectic month and that's why saying no a bit more often can sometimes help. It can help you with calming your nervous system and giving your body a break from getting overstimulated. And of course it might sometimes make you feel a bit guilty if you're not used to setting boundaries to a certain extent. That's completely normal and I have that too sometimes. But in the end it's much better if you feel ok rather than pleasing someone else and you not feeling right afterwards. Hey, there's only one you right?! So be mindful of yourself this Christmas season!;)
I love dancing so it's definitely on my list for go to mental and physical health tips! Dancing just has the power to lift your spirit, especially when the days are getting shorter. I've listed a few of my top favourite dance channels on Youtube below.
Remember, self-care isn’t selfish it’s essential. Make your wellbeing a priority this month, and you’ll feel more energized, focused, and joyful, ready to embrace the holidays fully.
Which of these tips are you excited to try first? Share your favorite ideas in the comments below, and don’t forget to pass this guide along to friends and family who could use a little December wellness magic. Let’s make this season joyful, balanced, and healthy together!
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| I got these cute tiny cat figures when I was in Mexico a few years ago! Couldn't resist doing a mini photoshoot with them aha! |
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| In 2020 I went on a trip to Mexico and came across these lovely key chains. I love that they're so colourful and they're handmade! The giraffes are also handmade but I got them in a shop in the Netherlands. It was a store where you can get all kinds of decorations made for instance in Bali etc. |
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| This is the Valentine's Collection of Kiko. I love that it has a more terracotta shade and a lighter shade to combine with it. I combined it with a heart shaped box! |
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| Went for a walk in the forest and dunes in Noordwijk in the Netherlands. If you're not familiar with the country, Noordwijk is a small beach town and you have a lot of dunes and forests nearby. |
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| This photo is super random but wanted to include it here haha! |
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| A tiny purse to put in coins. It's so cute! It's a tiny mouse and you can also use it as a key chain. Super handy! |
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| I went with my boyfriend (hi Bjorn if you're reading this ;) to Rome and we went to a nearby beach called Fregene. It's actually very close to the Rome Fiumicino airport. And one day it was very windy so the hung up the red flag that you're not allowed to swim in the sea. |
Vera works with lots of layers of paint and uses extensive color palettes. Her paintings are made with acrylics on large linen canvases. Vera Schröder creates mostly art series. All canvases in a series are based on a theme. They are all unique and different, but all connected with the theme through color, size and material. Her art is powerful, elegant, pure, energetic and dynamic.
Hello everyone! I hope you had a lovely Christmas and a good start of the new year! I can still remember years ago thinking 2024 sounds already so far into the future aha.. and now it's suddenly here! It's been a while since I have written something on my little corner on the internet here and now that I have a few days of holiday left, I thought why not write something here. Today I would love to share with you my goals for 2024, because I love making goals and having a vision in mind of things I want to accomplish in the future. I'll also write down a few tips on how to achieve them if you find it a bit difficult, so no worries. It really is all about getting the most out of yourself and learning something new. When goals are going to feel like it's something you have to do and they feel like work, it probably will not work anymore. That's usually the case for me! 🙈 So, most importantly, goals shouldn't feel like an obligation. With that in mind, let's get right to it!
"If the plan doesn't work, change the plan, not the goal."
This is my favorite quote! I've had many times that I had a goal in mind but, and I was doubting whether this is not a goal or thing for me to accomplish. But.. I learned with time and realised more and more that sometimes it's better to change the way you're aiming to achieve your goal, instead of quitting your goal all together. Think of new strategies and ways you can incorporate and doing a bit of self-reflection why you think it's currently not working. Does it have to do with your lifestyle? Is it too much? Or too little and not pushing yourself enough?
Also, working on your mindset can maybe really help you with achieving something. I learned that thinking not like your glass is half empty but instead is half full with lead to a more positive outcome and will really help with achieving something. You'll stay motivated longer! Keep in mind that also the journey towards your goal is just as important as the end goal reaching it itself. In life, sometimes we tend to go from achievement to achievement, and that's okay of course. However, life is more than just reaching goals. It's also about enjoying the journey you're on towards reaching it, and realising that you're improving every single day is beautiful in itself. Because that work is done by no one else but YOU!:)
Should I plan? It's a question that I asked myself and the answer is, it depends I would say. If you're someone who works better by having made a schedule, then definitely go for it. If you goal is to be able to do 50 squats without break by the end of this month, than you can write and make a schedule that gradually increases how many squats you'll do and how often. If you're someone who works better having no schedule and have more flexibility, than you can write down very flexible ranges of how many squats you aim to do this week and the week after etc.
Set the timeframe you have for your goal and make it realistic. In the end, choose something that's doable and that you can gradually ease into. And don't forget to reward yourself. Depending on how long you have to achieve your goal, reward yourself with something small.
And I'm reaching the end of this blog post! Thank you very much for reading. I really appreciate your time and hope to see you next time for another blog post. Have a lovely evening!! xx Isabel
Soms kan het kiezen van sierraden voor een ander nog best lastig zijn. Maar wees gerustgesteld, want er zijn genoeg tips die je misschien op weg kunnen helpen bij het maken van de juiste keuze voor jezelf of voor een ander. Misschien dat je iets aan deze tips hebt!
1. Persoonlijkheid is de sleutel: Net zoals elke persoon uniek is, zo moet ook jouw juweelkeuze uniek zijn! Ben je een avontuurlijk type? Kies dan voor gedurfde en opvallende stukken die je persoonlijkheid weerspiegelen. Ben je meer een rustig type? Ga dan voor elegante en verfijnde juwelen die je subtiele charme benadrukken.
2. Comfort is koning(in): Laten we eerlijk zijn, wie wil er nu een juweel dat de hele dag aan je huid trekt als een kleverige snoep? Kies juwelen die niet alleen mooi zijn, maar ook comfortabel om te dragen. Je wilt tenslotte vrij kunnen bewegen zonder je zorgen te maken of je oorbel je oor eraf trekt!
3. Kies een kleur: misschien weet je van jezelf of van de ander dat sommige kleuren misschien net wat minder mooi staan. Kijk daarom goed naar of je zilveren of gouden sieraden wil geven en als de sieraden gekleurde stenen hebben, wat je daar mooi aan vindt en of dat goed bij de huidskleur, haarkleur en oogkleur past. Als iemand bijvoorbeeld rood haar heeft, staan kleuren als rood en oranje misschien net wat minder mooi.
4. Less is more, soms: Hoewel het leuk is om op te vallen, kan het soms ook goed zijn om subtiel te zijn. Een enkelvoudige ketting met een kleine hanger kan een verfijnde touch toevoegen aan je outfit. Eenvoudig betekent niet saai, maar eerder stijlvol en minimalistisch.
5. Regel nummer één: Volg je hart!❤ Uiteindelijk is het belangrijkste dat je van je juwelen houdt en dat ze je een goed gevoel geven. Dus, of je nu kiest voor een sprankelende ring, een glinsterende armband of een paar oorbellen die je laten stralen als een ster, zorg ervoor dat je hart erbij betrokken is!
1. The people in my life
I'm very thankful for my parents, my lovely boyfriend (if you're reading this hi!;), friends.. grandmother.. It's a really nice feeling to have some people around you that care about you and can say everything to. I can say that these people feel like home to me.
2. My health
I'm also grateful for my health. The only thing I'm coping with are my pms symptoms, like restless legs, tiredness, etc. Especially in high school I didn't know how to cope with it. But now luckily with taking magnesium, having a good sleeping routine, picking out foods that help with specific fats etc, and working out it has become a lot less. Now I know that a week before my period I'll probably have less energy so I plan a bit around it if possible to make that week a bit less busy, because I noticed extra stress can increase the symptoms.
3. Being able to witness growth
Sometimes I don't realise how much I have progressed and grown. It's usually in moments like when I go for a walk and thoughts pop up that I realise for example I handle some things differently like how to cope with failures or mindset or things like that. And I find it beautiful to see that in the people in my life as well! Nobody is perfect, we're all human so seeing a friend progress and growing compared to last year is really nice to see. Because really I believe the people you spend most of your time with influence you as well, even just a tiny bit. So choose wisely who you spend time with and give your energy to.
We're nearing the end thanks a lot for reading! I hope you enjoyed it and maybe even that it helped you even a tiny bit towards creating a more positive mindset. And remember that having a positive mindset does not equal being happy all the time. It's more the perspective you take in life. I wish you a lovely weekend and will be back soon for another post!
Question time --> What are you most grateful for? Let me know in the comments below!
Xoxo Isabella ❤
