My name is Ilona (pronounced Elona). I grew up in the Netherlands, where I began my nursing career at the age of 18 in the Dutch Army. Since then, I have worked across a wide range of clinical settings, including surgical wards, ICU, and dialysis.

In 2017, I moved to New Zealand to live a life more connected to nature and the outdoors. Since relocating, I have worked in aged care, primary care, and rural community nursing within Māori health. I currently work as a Clinical Nurse Manager on the beautiful West Coast of the South Island.

I developed a passion for professional supervision after experiencing firsthand how transformative it was for my own practice and wellbeing. Having dedicated and protected time to reflect on my work, navigate career transitions, explore challenges (and celebrate wins), and be supported without judgement helped me overcome self‑doubt and gain clarity about where I wanted to go in my career.

This experience inspired me to complete a postgraduate certificate in professional supervision, work towards a Master of Health Sciences, and establish my own supervision and coaching practice to support other nurses on their own journeys.

I am particularly excited to support nurses balancing work, study, and personal life; immigrant nurses adapting to new environments, understanding how challenging this can be; and those seeking a space to pause, reflect, and grow.