I have never confused success in life with success in my life. Since the end of my studies, this is what I have been keen to pass on. Despite long and elitist studies (it was my only strategy to be sure to be included in the working society, after having obtained my baccalaureate at the National Institute for Young Blind People), I quickly realized the impact of the type of organizations where I was working on human dignity and chose humanitarianism to the detriment of French or European institutions. Street art seemed to me to be a more appropriate way to get in touch with people, whether they were victims of war or of disease. I traded books for a red nose: I became a balloon sculptor clown for children, young and old.

Finding my place in society is what I was looking for myself, while giving a place to others by creating jobs. At age thirty-three I had a burn-out, which allowed me to learn to choose myself. Simultaneously, fighting racial discrimination in employment was my priority. I spent twelve years in an employee union, where I came to understand that the first victim (of harassment, discrimination...) and the only one I did not care about was myself. This, combined with a breakup and the loss of my twin sister at age thirty-five, made me deeply rethink the meaning of human relationships.

I then chose to take Marshall Rosenberg’s book, Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life, to go and see what this Nonviolent Communication (NVC) meant “in real life.” I attended Pascale Molho’s conference on “Depression and NVC,” accompanied by a lawyer friend who assured me that NVC was not a cult. This conference gave me the opportunity to learn more about NVC.

Since 2008, I have chosen to learn to express myself by being connected to what is alive in me, that is to express my feelings and needs.

The meeting with Hélène Domergue in 2009 for my first personal development workshop on healing past wounds opened a breach: It is possible to calm down; it is possible to exchange constructively, in the service of our relationships.

Since then, I have learned and integrated the role of individual coach with NVC for myself and for others, and I would like to transmit it. I have played in militant and prison environments to test my ability to live NVC’s intention: to connect from human to human with kindness and awareness.

My actions in the French-speaking NVC community: In 2014, I created a circle whose mission is mutual support, conviviality, and professional development of practitioners in individual coaching with NVC (“AI-CNV”). I was part of “Déclic” (NVC in schools) in the north of France between 2013 and 2019 and part of the “Prisons” group between 2016 and 2020.

I try to integrate NVC spirituality and bring it to life by creating spaces of safety and lightness in the groups. Something in me likes very much to create an atmosphere of recklessness and playfulness to invite people to soak it up.

My social change work consists of contributing to the opening, i.e., accessibility of training and pathways:

• In terms of learning (for the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic people).
• In terms of finances: I want everyone to be able to attend, not just a certain social class. I have worked for ATD-Quart Monde, for example. I am not looking to make money, but rather to reach people from all walks of life.
• Finally, I try to arouse the curiosity, the interest of people who a priori are very far from NVC, in terms of dignity, integrity, and power within.