On paper my life looks perfect. On the outside I look happy. 2 beautiful children. Happily married since years. Over 10 awards and research grants. Prestigious Research Fellowships. Excellence Summer School. Top 10 % of…

I am a 40 year old cis gendered woman. I am an academic and a researcher in Social Sciences. I hold a permanent contract with my University and yet I am not sure how to…

“My experience of suicide is that it is the equivalent of a bomb going off in your living room while you’re sitting watching telly. Afterwards you’re astonished you’re alive, but everything has changed and you…

It is interesting to notice that many pivotal moments, in contrast to popular believe, are not engraved in your memory – or at least not in mine. Before I started to write this piece, I…

I have a confession to make: I used to have an eating disorder. Although my family and friends know this about me, after starting my PhD at Maastricht University in 2011, I told only a…