Strong body & Stable mind
A deep love for life’s intricacies
My name is Willem, but most people call me Bear—because, well, I have two modes: teddy bear or grizzly bear.
Getting to know me is easy. I have a deep passion for movement and the ability to adapt and evolve through exposure. That last part has a funny origin story.
Back in the day, I was obsessed with RuneScape (yep, the video game). If you’ve played it, you know it’s all about leveling up skills like woodcutting, archery, and combat, doing quests, and earning better equipment. What hooked me wasn’t just the game itself but the simple yet powerful feedback loop—put in effort, see results.
Around the age of 16, I had a realization: life is just like RuneScape. I could level up in real life—get stronger, faster, smarter, more skilled—through deliberate effort. And the more I saw progress, the more it reinforced a sense of agency—a belief that I could shape my reality, rather than just react to it. That mindset helped me overcome feelings of helplessness, anxiety, and self-doubt.
Fast-forward to 2024, and I can honestly say I’m living my dream. I get to share this passion for self-improvement, movement, and growth with my community every single day—and I get to make a living doing it.
Now, there’s more I could share about myself, my journey, and how I got here. But this isn’t just about me—it’s about you. It’s about how we can move forward together. If you want to know more, you’ll have to ask me face-to-face.
Speak soon!
Interested in my professional background?
Quick overview: three years of army sergeant training, sports science degree, Animal flow, Movnat, Crossfit Leiden and more.
What keeps me busy
In case you missed the memo, I don’t sit still. Below you’ll find what I do on the regular.
Self-defense
Striking, weaponry etc.
Reading
Plato, Homer, Nietzsche
FAQs
Can I hire you for marketing?
Quick answer: yes. Eltham Martial Arts Academy keeps me plenty busy, but if you need a hand with getting things started, and if your product/service is something I support, consider me by your side.
Who do you accept for personal training?
My main focus is mentorship for kids. To use fitness as a tool to instill important life lessons. That being said, I coach people of all ages and backgrounds. My main concern is whether we can see eye to eye. Personal training requires trust and connection, and in order for me to help you, you need to let me in.
I would like to know more about Carry & Connect
Carry & Connect is a Not-for-profit organization that provides free fitness sessions for men. The aim is to bring men together via shared hardship, and to hopefully get fellow men to talk about their personal issues.
If you’re in the Eltham area and in need of a fellow brother, we’ve got ya. If you’d like to start your own group in your area you can always text me.
I would like to know more about Functional fitness Eltham
Functional fitness Eltham is a part of Eltham Martial Arts, and provides fitness classes to kids, teens, neurodivergent children and adults. ‘Functional’ in this case refers to focusing more on natural movement (carrying, climbing, jumping etc.) rather than aesthetics (muscle-building & cardio)
Article: The Relationship Between Heuristics, the Bayesian Inference Model, and the Quantum Interpretation Qbism
To me, knowledge is sexy, and I’ve found writing blog posts to be very useful for my own progress. Click on the button down below to see the stuff I think about often.
