You work as a Training and Knowledge Specialist in the CX Department. Tell us more about your role and your main responsibilities.
It sounds so fancy when you put it like that. Basically, I’m the biggest gossip in the department. Something happens within OneFit, I hear about it, I confirm it, then repeat it to the CX agents. Or not.
I’m not talking about personal gossip. My role is to find out what’s happening across the various departments of OneFit and make sure the team is informed and up to date on the latest developments. I meet a lot of people in order to gather information, and I also let other departments know about members’ issues.
Then I gather the information and document it. This is the boring part, but this information is then turned into material to train agents. The onboarding process for OneFit is all about taking newbies under my wing and showing them the ropes. I create engagement with our products and train them so they can fly by themselves.
What made you join Urban Sports Club and what do you enjoy most about working in the fitness industry?
Being a happy chubby bear, fitness was not part of my world. I enjoy the extreme side of sports like surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding and skiing (although I’m afraid of heights.) I joined OneFit’s CX team as an agent because my friend was leaving the company and suggested I apply for her role. I stayed for the company culture, not the fitness industry, but I later realized the fitness industry consists of very sparkly people with a very positive attitude towards life.
I fit right in, even being a chonker myself.
You worked as a student teacher at the University of Amsterdam. How was that?
My background in design led me to teaching at the University of Amsterdam. I was particularly good at creating 3D models, so other students started asking me for advice.
The head of Game Design at HVA-CMD (a branch of the university of Amsterdam) saw I had a knack for explaining things, so he asked me to conduct lectures for small classes. I’m very shy and get stage fright, so this was really out of my comfort zone. But I grabbed the opportunity and I loved it.
Teaching people makes me happy. Seeing a student struggle is like seeing a person reach for the plug at the bottom of a bathtub. Their arm is just a little too short, so I reach in and unplug it for them. The water represents their creativity and their arm is knowledge.
How do you ensure a good work-life balance?
Work-life balance is a paradox. I was vacuuming the house the other day and afterwards I felt exhausted. I realized I’d been vacuuming the same corner over and over because my mind was still on my work.
Cleaning my house is my way of letting go of the baggage of work. You can tell how busy I am by looking at my living room. If it’s messy, I’m too busy and my life is out of balance.
Here’s my secret: close your computer at the end of the day, and don’t worry too much about work hours. You decide when a task is finished. Some things might take longer than planned, but work-life balance isn’t just about time. It’s about the satisfaction of finishing a task, and not beating yourself up for an unproductive day.
Which Urban Sports Club value do you feel most connected to and why?
Surf on the wave of change.
OneFit and my role changes all the time, like a multiverse. Luckily, I’m a flexible person and don’t really like it when things are set in stone.
This role suits me because I’m flexible like water.
