Training & advice
For teams and professionals who want to see, communicate and act differently. My experience as an HR Business Partner helps me connect every learning question to the reality of the organisation.
Discuss your learning question →Perhaps you recognise this
A lot is being said. But what truly matters is not always spoken.
A conversation remains polite, while the tension is tangible.
A team wants to move forward, but keeps returning to the same patterns.
You understand rationally what is needed, yet acting on it still feels difficult.
Differences between people drain energy instead of adding value.
That is where my work begins: not with a standard solution, but with careful attention to what is happening for you.
“Where judgment begins, observation ends.”
How I can help
Not a stand-alone tool, but an approach that fits the question.
We do not choose a method in advance simply because it sounds familiar. Together, we explore what will make behaviour visible, open to discussion and possible to practise.
Role-play training
You practise in a safe setting and immediately experience what your behaviour evokes in someone else. Honest, practical and without judgment.
Discover what practice can bring →DISC
As a DISC-certified trainer, I offer an accessible language for behavioural preferences. Not to put people into boxes, but to better understand and make use of their differences.
Explore behaviour and communication →Human-centred development
We look beyond processes and performance to what people need in order to take responsibility, work together and grow sustainably.
Look at what lies beneath →How we work together
We do not need to know everything straight away.
An initial conversation is not a sales pitch. Together, we explore what you notice, what may be missing and what kind of movement you hope to create.
- We listenWhat is going on — and what might not yet be spoken?
- We make it concreteWhich situations call for different behaviour or a different conversation?
- We experience and practiseNot just understanding, but feeling what works and experimenting with it.
- We embed the learningWhat will you take with you tomorrow, when daily practice begins again?
“Opinions bring things to a standstill. Ideas set things in motion.”
Who you will meet
I am Melja Ottow.
I believe that genuine development begins when people feel safe enough to take an honest look.
As a trainer and role-play actor, I enjoy getting people and teams moving — with courage, reflection and experiential learning. I listen to what you say, notice what happens between the lines and create space to try new behaviour. Not by judging how things should be, but by staying curious about what could become possible.
My style is warm, experiential and perceptive. Precisely where old reflexes no longer work and things become slightly uncomfortable, something new can emerge. To me, change becomes real only when you notice it in how people collaborate, make decisions and take responsibility.
Alongside my work as a trainer and role-play actor, I bring broad practical experience as an HR Business Partner. This means I know organisational development not only through models or the training room, but from the inside — where interests, everyday pressures and human needs meet.
I value depth, but also lightness. Conversations, books, podcasts and theatre offer me new perspectives. Being outdoors and staying active bring calm and renewed energy. I bring that combination into my work: taking a serious look at what is happening, without making learning feel heavy.
Craft that keeps developing
My professional education gives me different ways of looking. I do not use them as a fixed recipe, but as a foundation from which to choose what is helpful in the moment.
Melja, personally
What gives me energy, calm and perspective.
I bring who I am into the way I work. These small, personal things say a great deal about what moves me.
How I start my day
My body is my compass.
With a cold shower — warm at first, I promise — and a substantial, healthy breakfast. Whenever I can, I follow that with either an intense workout or calming yoga. It depends on what I feel the day needs.
Why? It gives me immediate energy and helps me sense clearly what is going on and what needs attention.
What genuinely makes me happy
Being outdoors and moving.
Working out, walking or cycling: moving outdoors is my instant mood-lifter. Preferably with my family and friends around me — and sometimes on my own, to clear my head.
Why? Fresh air, movement and connection give me energy, relaxation and moments of genuine happiness.
What I would tell my younger self
“The tough chapters in your life will prove more valuable than you can imagine.”
Why? Those moments teach you who you are. They bring strength, resilience and wisdom — even if you only recognise that much later.
My ultimate book recommendation
De brievenbezorgster van Puglia
A novel to lose yourself in while the landscapes of my beloved Italy drift past. And, quietly woven into it, there is a beautiful deeper layer too.
Firmly grounded in practice
Trainer and experienced HR Business Partner.
I know that an insight only has value if it still works on Monday.
My HR experience helps me understand the context in which leaders, professionals and teams make their choices. I recognise the tension between what an organisation needs and what people need — and I help create an honest, workable conversation about it.
This practical perspective keeps my guidance concrete. We explore not only what could be different, but also what is achievable within the culture, responsibilities and daily dynamics of your organisation.
View my professional background on LinkedIn ↗Background and education
What my professional education adds to our work together.
Role-play training
At De Trap drama school, I developed my skills in believable, supportive acting, behavioural knowledge and useful feedback. I can therefore bring a real-life situation to life safely and realistically. You immediately notice the effect your words, posture and choices have on the other person.
About the programme at De Trap ↗Storytelling
At De Storytelling Fabriek, I developed my ability to structure and tell stories that resonate and create meaning. It helps me make complex themes relatable and move people not only through arguments, but through imagination too.
About storytelling at De Storytelling Fabriek ↗Organisational coaching
At Breinkorf, I learned to explore organisational questions across several levels: the individual, the team, the culture and the wider change. This helps me recognise where movement stalls, which patterns are at work and which intervention can genuinely move an organisation forward.
About the programme at Breinkorf ↗Systemic practice
At Phoenix, I learned to look at the invisible patterns and relationships within families, teams and organisations from a systemic perspective. This can reveal what is still difficult to capture in words — and where room for movement can emerge.
About Phoenix Opleidingen ↗Professional communication
Phoenix’s three-year postgraduate programme combines Transactional Analysis, NLP and Systemic Practice. I learned to understand what happens between people, how communication affects them and how to use myself consciously when guiding others. Not just knowledge, but lived experience.
About the programme at Phoenix ↗DISC-certified
My DISC certification helps me clearly interpret behavioural and communication preferences. The model gives words to the differences between people and opens a conversation about collaboration, without defining anyone by a colour or profile.
Ask about the possibilities with DISC →Stronger together
I enjoy working in connection with other professionals.
Depending on the question, I work independently or alongside agencies and professionals who share the same commitment to learning, leadership and sustainable change.
What others say about Melja
What stays with you after meeting her?
Experiences from participants, colleagues and clients who have worked with Melja will appear here soon.
“A short testimonial about Melja’s way of working and its impact will appear here.”
“A testimonial about the safety, insight or movement that Melja brings to a group will appear here.”
“A practical example of what someone was able to do differently after a programme or collaboration will appear here.”
Experience gained with and for
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A first conversation
What is on your mind right now?
Your question does not need to be perfectly formulated. Tell me what you are noticing. We will explore together whether and how I can be of value.
Emailmno@melja.info
Telephone+31 6 27 32 66 54
Based inZeist, the Netherlands
LinkedInFollow Melja on LinkedIn ↗