Biographies
Hans Zwaal
In my personal and professional journey, mindful self-compassion came as a logical and inevitable step. Educated and working as a Mindfulness/Compassion therapist and trainer, this experiential program refined an inner transformative process, where mindfulness merged with self-kindness, common humanity and radical acceptation. The transformation has been happening at several levels (mental, emotional, and physical), and helped me meet difficult emotions (such as anger, loneliness, and grief) in a friendly, tender way, as opposed to forcibly resisting them. As a result, it is now easier to feel compassion for myself and others, as well as taking action when needed, including setting boundaries and standing up against injustice. I've been married since 1997 and in our joint family we have five beautiful adult children and two even more beautiful granddaughters. I’m grateful to live in good health, I really love to do a variety of sports and enjoy art.
Fran (Francesca) Bentivegna
I first encountered the concept of mindful self-compassion during a summer school on mindfulness and compassion-based interventions at the University of Amsterdam. At the time, I was (unknowingly) going through a burnout as I was struggling with managing two different lives: one in London, where I was completing my PhD in psychology, and the other one in Amsterdam, where I had just started a new demanding research position. Soon enough, I discovered self-compassion and realized how huge of an impact it can have on people' lives (including my own). Taking part to the MSC program, first as a participant and then as a trained teacher, gave me exactly what I needed: a program with a strong scientific basis that has been proven to benefit a wide range of people. As a researcher, I could not ask for a better toolbox to share these life-changing learnings! I am now keen to help more and more people to discover the power of self-compassion and find their own resources for their unique needs and life circumstances.
