When I met Karl Meesters some time ago as a speaker at an event, it made me reflect on something I had never fully put into words. What happens when we remove the visual? When we strip away facial expressions, body language, the distractions of how someone looks? Can voice alone create a deeper connection? This is because Karl is someone who is slowly losing his sight.
My journey in front of the camera began years ago, during the Miss Belgium selection, although the fascination with being filmed started even earlier, back in my dance school days in Leuven, when a group of ambitious film students followed us around with cameras. I still dream of finding that footage actually.
Since then, I’ve explored almost every corner of storytelling: series, films, live shows, interviews, presenting solo, and of course, moderating. I fell in love with the complexity, th lighting, script, nerves, timing, sound. Every detail shapes the story. But when I began to write, I made a deliberate choice: no image. I wanted people to connect with my words, not my face. I wanted to challenge myself.
Ironically, it was only after I started writing that people began telling me they liked my voice. Not just what I said, but how I said it. I never considered my voice something special, it was just… mine. I even started singing and discovered I wasn’t a bad singer after all. Maybe I’d been limiting myself all along.
I now believe we all carry hidden biases, not just toward others, but toward ourselves. We assume we can’t write, or speak, or sing, until we try. And sometimes, our greatest strengths are the ones we’ve silenced.
What I’ve learned is this: voice can carry truth in a way visuals sometimes can't. Intonation, rhythm, silence, they all shape how a message lands. And when we listen without the filter of appearance, maybe we’re free to hear something deeper.
Let’s dare to listen, not just to what’s being said, but to what’s hiding in the silence.
