Meet our coaches & guides
Founded by Lars and Tanja Faber in 2005. In the meantime, we have grown into a large organization with a team of 80 guides and 6 ceremonial leaders. All of them have been trained in the (international) Soul Coach training. They are experienced and beautiful people with a warm, open heart and wide-ranging capacities in the field of personal development, therapy and spirituality.
(Scroll down to meet more of our ceremony leaders and guides)
We work with a team of experienced and dedicated guides, ensuring a safe environment and loving support during your voyage & processes.
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Tanja Faber-Baetsen
Founder, teacher & coach
Loving, Warm & Dedicated
Together with Lars, Tanja founded The Sacred Voyage and its setting. Most of her time is now spent training Soul Coaches (Dutch & international) & Heartdancing® facilitators (Dutch). She still organizes women retreats without plant medicine. In 2022 she founded Sacred Lotus en is developing a new training especially for women. Dancing is her passion which she discoverd in a plant medicine voyage in 2006. Tanja is educated at university and has been taking part in workshops and trainings in the field of personal development for years. These include: Focusing, Intuitive Development, Voice Dialogue, EFT, Queen’s Code (Dallas), Tantra, different forms of breathwork, Sacred Breath, Wheel of Consent, Heart Connection, Full body dearmouring, Womens work, Kundalini Touch and (Tantric) Dance. Many participants consider Tanja to be very loving, authentic, genuinely engaged and highly experienced.
Lars Faber
Founder, teacher & coach
Experienced, Sensitive & Wise
Lars is the pioneer and founder of The Sacred Voyage. Musician and music lover in heart and soul. Incredibly experienced voyager in all possible states of consciousness, and therefore, a reliable and experienced guide in light and dark dimensions alike. Lars is both mentally and emotionally clearly and acutely empathic. Educated in human resource management and as Voice Dialogue facilitator. Broad personal development through numerous trainings and workshops. Many voyagers experience Lars as a teacher, guide and rock, who has supported many people and assisted them in embarking on new paths in their lives. He has just written his 13th book, a fairytale book for relationships (Dutch) and is currently busy creating music for meditations. He trains breathwork coaches Wounded Healer in his own company The Breathwork Coach which was founded in 2020. His youtube channel has over 11k subscribers.
(more info see at Soul Coach training)
Thijs Maassen
(Individual) guide
Warm & Present
When Thijs first joined a retreat at The Sacred Voyage he fell in love immediately with our organization. He remembered for the first time who he is behind the mask he had build during puberty. The plant medicines helped him to live from the heart which makes him feel much more rich from inside. His gratitude is immense. His passion is to learn to meet him self deeper and deeper. He wants to maximize his potential and to guide others in this process as well. Thijs loves to dance and is ceremonial leader to be.
As a physiotherapist on a haptonomic basis and haptotherapist in training he daily guides people to get in touch with their feelings. Exactly like the work at the Sacred Voyage. Thijs is experienced as a powerful, playful, warm and open presence. Since 2015 part of the Sacred Voyage tribe.
Rob Hulscher
Ceremonial leader
Loving & Strong
From the moment this beautiful man set foot on our premises, we were enamoured by this big man with his huge heart. Rob has done all kinds of meditation and healing courses, but that isn’t what makes him an amazing guide. He exudes a deep calmness and love that instantly makes any voyager feel safe. He loves humor. He once had a heart defect that was healed, and made place for a life lived from the heart (see video on our website). He is part of the Sacred Voyage tribe since 2010.
Judith van den Heuvel
Ceremonial leader
Playful & Strong
Incredibly grateful for the gifts given to her by Ayahuasca and Iboga, Judith puts her heart and soul into guiding other people in the awakening process of discovering their true essence. She felt very unsafe and unwelcome in her youth, in part, due to experiences of sexual abuse and emotional neglect. Following her intense search for herself and truth, going through everything and facing her demons, she is capable of guiding people in their deepest processes. Her experience is that everything - both the light and the dark - has the right to exist, and that there is tremendous lightness and humour in the core of everything. Her playful energy loves contributing to this. Thanks to her sensitivity, loving heart and healing hands, she is able to intuitively sense where someone is and what that person needs. Voyagers give the feedback that they feel extraordinarily seen and heard by her, and that she is a rock to lean on during their voyage. Her love for dancing, singing, sounds, rituals, nature, children and animals give her tremendous inspiration and vitality. Since 2012 part of the Sacred Voyage tribe.
Joanet van den Berg
Versatile
Joanet knows how to combine many sides in herself and in her guidance; feminine and masculine energy, softness, firmness, sensitivity and sobriety. She is caring, (a little stubborn!) wise, playful, has humor, a warm heart, loves to dance and likes to be the last to turn off the light. A great empathy helps her to be fully attentive, without judgement, to the inner processes of participants, in addition to caring for her team members.
After working for more than 20 years as a GZ psychologist within large mental health institutions, she got burned out and fell into a depression herself. Within the Sacred Voyage she was then able to deepen her own development process. Self-compassion and inner child work are important themes in her own practice and also in guiding on the Sacred Voyage. She supports people in the whole dare to be themselves and learn to live from their heart, head and body.
Sijtje Jansen
Ceremonial leader
Sensitive & joyful
Since her first experience with plant medicine 7 years ago, Sijtje has taken a journey towards being true to herself and enjoying life. Thanks to this she takes all the freedoms she has acquired with her in her work and in the ceremonies. This is reflected in her warm and careful guidance, enriched with sensitivity and playfulness.
She has a background in creative therapy and coaching with horses and also provides personal guidance. Her passions are dancing, making theater and everything to do with animals and nature. For Sijtje, working with medicine plants strengthens the connection between humans, animals and nature and teaches her to live peacefully with herself and the world around her. She lives in a beautiful quiet place in nature. Sijtje guides group ceremonies and one on one sessions at the Sacred Voyage.
Gerard Grimbergen
Accountant/finances & Guide
Cheerful, Warm & Quiet
Gerard came to the Sacred Voyage in 2017 as a participant in an Ayahuasca retreat. Then he knew instantly that he wanted to become a guide. Since 2018 he is a guide in our team.
Gerard is much appreciated by participants for his warm and reassuring energy and his loving smile. He is a happy man and meets others with unconditional acceptance. Therefore his presence is experienced as loving and supportive. He helps you to slow down and have a moment of contemplation.
Gerard works as a coach, trainer en hypnotherapist for companies and individuals. His focus in the work is by slowing down and make you feel at ease. He is responsible for the financial administration of the Sacred Voyage organisation. His spiritual and work related path have grown fast since he voyaged at The Sacred Voyage. He likes to tell you about it, so just ask him.
Renée Speijken
Ceremonial leader
Loving, autentic & intuitive
Renée guides and leads ceremonies from her heart, soul and body. From a deep connection with herself, Renée facilitates and inspires participants in rediscovering and expressing their individuality and soul wisdom. That was and is her own "sacred" journey in which the beauty, magic and supportive power of plant medicines play an important role. Through her loving attention, unconditional connection with every participant, but also with playfulness and spontaneity, Renée creates, together with the team, a safe, loving environment in which everyone can be themselves completely. Renée's heart opens in connection with nature, with people and animals, in the discovery of new worlds inside and out, in the surrender to conscious movement / dance and music! Travelers feel seen and heard by her. As a body-oriented coach, energetic therapist and trainer, she has extensive experience with individuals and groups in holistic awareness and change processes.
Mona van Gemert
Ceremonial leader
Intuitive, pure and open
Mona can be described as a woman with an open mind and open heart in search of her truth. She combines softness with strength, clarity with warm commitment and sensitivity with determination. Mona has been looking for who she is for a long time and has seen through and released many survival strategies in that search. Through this life experience, she is able to understand and help many people with similar themes to face their fears. Her encouragement and reflection help many travelers to take it a step deeper.
She is trained as a mindfulness trainer and (breath) coach and has years of experience with consciousness training, Being orientation and tantra. Her heart lies in guiding people who want to grow spiritually and get to know themselves deeply. You could call her a spiritual life coach. Travelers feel really seen by her and experience her as a radiant wise angel. She feels born to do this fulfilling and rewarding work.
Katinka Holzhauer
Guide, cook and Heartdancing® facilitator
Playfull and engaged
Katinka loves to dance! She rediscovered dancing during a 6 day Summer retreat years ago. It felt libereting to communicate with her body and inner world again.
She healed from breast cancer, which made her realize that she needed to change her habits and patterns. Through her illness she found the path of Heartdancing®, breathwork and plant medicines.
It is beautiful, sad, intense ánd liberating to discover the treasures and pains in our body. It has an immense wisdom. She loves to guide others in finding these treasures inside.
As a Heartdancing® facilitator Katinka shares her joyfulness and playfulness through the dance. She loves to cook and is sometimes a cook in our retreats as well. In daily work she guards safety in a big organization, and also in retreats safety has her full attention so everyone can dive in safely. She is a proud mother of a beautiful and musical daughter.
Petra van Bekkum
Email team, ceremonial leader & team leader
Big heart & dedicated
The first Voyages with The Sacred Voyage was during the Summer retreat of 2017. After this retreat she became aware of beautiful insights of life. Twenty years ago she started her training in natural health and nutrition to heal her physical body and became a cook and therapist. This led automatically to her desire to explore the spiritual depths of life. After the year’s training 'The Rebirth of the Soul’ of The Sacred Voyage she felt definitely reborn and enjoys life more than ever. Being able to play in life, allowing herself to make mistakes and to be compassionate towards herself and people have seen the light. Petra takes care of the international communication together with the mail team of The Sacred Voyage. She also is a loving guide during retreats. The creation of the field of safety and immense compassion during the retreats reminds her of the magnificence of life.
Bas Janssen
Energetic & Easy going
Bas wouldn’t hurt a fly, but could have you flat on your back in the blink of an eye, thanks to his decades of experience with Eastern martial arts. Voyagers enjoy his calm and loving aura. He doesn’t think twice about spontaneously teaching Qi Gong for an hour in advance of an Ayahuasca ceremony, allowing voyagers to experience a deep calmness, and become conscious of how and where their energy flows or stagnates. He carries his knowledge and expertise with him in guiding personal processes. Bas relishes the depth of Vipassana, Taoism and shamanism, and loves a good party. The adventurer in him loves delving into the deepest crevices of his mind. Part of the Sacred Voyage tribe for already 15 years (2007) and facilitates a special ceremony at the 6 day Summer retreat each year.
Jenneke van Genechten
Playful, loving, powerful
Jenneke loves dancing, music, laughter, acting crazy and connection. She is hired by companies as a text writer and vlogger but also vlogs about plant medicines, all kinds of therapy and other holistic matters. In 2015 she experienced her first Ayahuasca voyage as a last hope after years of struggling with an eating disorder. Nowadays the struggle is in the past and she can enjoy her body and food. "Through plant medicines I became more soft and a different person. Not only for myself I became more loving, also for my environment, animals and nature". In her first voyage she saw herself guiding and becoming a ceremonial leader. But she didn't believe it, her? Being a healer? Since 2017 she guides at the Sacred Voyage and facilitates her own truffle ceremonies in the south of Holland. Voyahuasca therefore suits her well. It wasn't her live that changed, but mainly her view on it. "I can see magic again. And I have trust, something that I had lost for quite some time."
Jim Kellerman
Portugal
Silent rock & open hearted
Plant medicine changed my life and gave me more consciousness. Early 2019 I moved with my partner and animals to Portugal where I am surrounded by nature. It makes me feel more in the here and now. Nothing is coincidence and all is meant for a reason. I worked for 20 years in the health care system as an ambulant attendant and worked with a group of difficult-to-treat childeren. Shamanisme, healing, voice dialogue and NLP are even as long part of my life and since a few years ayahuasca as well. I guide at retreats in Portugal and am one of the brewers for the Sacred Voyage. I feel grateful to be able to do this work. At the moment I am creating a retreat centre of our own in Portugal.
Frans Boelen
Grounded & present
Frans is someone whose calmness and humour will quickly put you at ease. Despite being born in Amsterdam, Frans traded his place of residence in Amsterdam for the nature of the Veluwe in 2012. Voyagers experience Frans as a father figure, a shoulder to cry on and a rock in difficult times. Without wasting words, Frans is warm and present with his big heart. After years of experience with emotional body work, breathing work (in Poona and Venwoude, among other places) and various Ayahuasca voyages, it became time for Frans to guide other people in their processes. He completed the course to become a breathing coach in 2015 and has been guiding Dutch and international Ayahuasca retreats with tremendous passion and pleasure since 2014.
Reneé Grooters
Joyful & sweet
Renée is a versatile, entrepreneurial woman with a warm heart for all things living. She has travelled all over the world, gained tremendous life experience in a turbulent life, and discovered that you do not need to cross borders to discover inner space. Nonetheless, she packed her bags in 2013 to live and work with the Shipibo for a few months. Since then, she has been organising Ayahuasca trips to Peru to stay with the Shipibo twice a year. In the Netherlands, Renée is devoted to children by bringing consciousness to education. Renée has been exploring psychology and classical astrology for more than 25 years. As a guide, people experience her as a silent, loving force. She gets her inspiration from nature, which she can often be found exploring for hours with her dog. Part of our Sacred Voyage tribe since 2010.
Eunice Koppers
Involved & Warm
Eunice grew up in a highly religious environment with a sectarian disposition. At 28, she had the courage to break with her restrictive background, losing family and friends alike in the process. This led to a falling away of all things familiar. Coming from this open and new space, she embarked on a rediscovery of herself – free from dogmas, this time around. She dived into life and all its forbidden fruits with great passion, thereby gradually freeing herself from all the judgments, concepts and ideas that had been hammered into her from an early age. Eunice devoured many books, participated in body-awareness and consciousness-raising workshops, lectures, trainings and educational programmes. This knowledge transformed her mind and freed her from the religious interpretations that had been imposed on her. She is currently undergoing training to become a breathing coach. Her many trips and experiences travelling all over the world have enriched her life; among them, an Ayahuasca trip to Peru. She loves nature, music and dancing. Among other places, she has worked in mental healthcare.
Emmie Buermans
Open minded & relaxed
Emmie has travelled a lot and participated in ceremonies in several countries. After a retreat at the Sacred Voyage she was called by the mother plant to guide. She is seen as open minded, relaxed and down to earth. She listens well, is a good space holder and likes to play an instrument. Preferably she guides in ceremonies with life music. Haar passions are being in nature, creativity and magic. The diversity of humans and all their quircks is what fascinates her. According to her, all is already present. She once experienced this in a Voyage. It is the challenge to stay in your own center and be present in all that there is. Besides guiding she loves to cook as well. At retreats she is often to be found in the kitchen as the cook. Emmie works with her favorite ingredient: love!
Tjeerd van Bekkum
Team leader
Open & Playful
As a participant at a 6 day retreat years ago, it became clear that Tjeerd is passionate about our organization. He changed his (work) life completely after this retreat. He likes to support and guide and he is one of our brewers. One of Tjeerd's great strengths is his energy to facilitate and organize retreats in a safe, honest and correct manner. He is positive and playful. He brings peace where necessary and also airiness and light. Tjeerd is a stable rock in the team who is always there for the other. He lives from his heart and loves people. He is very experienced in guiding lovingly. All is welcome.
Tjeerd has his own company together with his life partner Petra in which they guide people / couples in their relationship.
Linda van Linder
Email team & guide
Warm & soft energy, open
After many unsuccessful attempts to get rid of her physical and mental complaints in regular health care, plant medicines came her way in 2015. Starting this path with big questions like “why am I here” and “who am I really”, it became a journey to what she is, rather than who she is. During the first years of her path, she kept The Sacred Voyage in mind, but at the same time she avoided it because she was not yet ready for the lessons The Sacred Voyage was going to teach her. A regular part of every weekend, Heartdancing, was a big threshold she had to overcome. In 2019 she decided she was ready for this. Immediately upon entering The Sacred Temple she felt she belonged here and only three months later she started the Year Training. Heartdancing became her favorite part of the weekends. Partly because of this, she managed to see and show herself again. Together with Petra she is now the "mail team" and she looks forward to every retreat where she can guide and where she makes everyone feel welcome and seen with her soft energy and smile.
Mascha Hoff
Individual coach/therapist
Bright & lovingly
Since 2005, Mascha has been walking the path of spiritual and personal awareness. Her own development and transformations form the basis for her professional guidance. In addition, in the past 20 years she has done a lot of training to support people on their path of development. She works for both individuals and companies. Her curiosity brought her to the Sacred Voyage in 2016. The plant medicines were calling to her. And the journeys she has made since then have (re)connected her to her soul and soul destiny on a deep level. She is extremely grateful for the tribe that the sacred journey offers her and felt after her first 6-day in 2018 that she was called as a ceremony leader.
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