“Visual Empathy mediates perspectives, turning what we see into shared understanding.”
— Mireille van Bremen
Hi, my name is Mireille van Bremen and I am a multi-lingual and international Lettering Artist, Graphic Recorder, Visual Communication Trainer, and Visual Empathy & Mediation Guide
For over twenty-five years, I’ve worked internationally as an illustrator, graphic designer, art director, graphic recorder, visual conflict guide, and visual communication trainer. I’ve led a design department and facilitated creative processes, as well as visual facilitation trainings. For the past decade, I’ve worked at the intersection of visual communication and empathic dialogue, drawing on my background in mediation and conflict coaching.
My work is rooted in the belief that expressing understanding visually, fosters genuine connection and clarity, leading to honesty, trust, and alignment in relationships. I call this approach Visual Empathy: a visually attuned expression of our understanding, intended to create connection with ourselves and others.
I design visual guides, tools, and stationery specifically for immigrants and expats (and everyone loving from afar), helping them maintain connections with their loved ones, build new cross-cultural relationships, and navigate life challenges. By turning distance, cultural differences, and language barriers into opportunities for connection, my work supports fostering relationships and co-creating aligned, meaningful futures.
I collaborate best with purpose-driven organizations that value interdependence, transparency, and honest communication. As an artist, I explore how visual form, rhythm, and texture can carry emotional nuance and express empathy, intention, and meaning. My artworks serve as conversation starters, vessels for unexpressed emotions and words, or tools to facilitate dialogue—each a pathway toward stronger personal, professional, and cross-cultural connections.
I’m a mom and co-parent of a teenage son who lives with me every other week. With Dutch nationality, Asian roots, and Slovenia as my home since 2006, I enjoy its nature, spend time in the kitchen, travel, and connect with my overseas partner.
Lettering Artist
For me, lettering is another form of attunement — a way to translate the meaning and feeling of words into form and make meaning not only understood, but felt.
I working in a variety of styles, every lettering piece being a new journey into a world of letters, color, texture, brushes, visuals, shapes and light.
Graphic Recorder
On the contrary to what many people think, graphic recording is less about drawing, and more about listening and simultaneously interpreting words, and capturing their meaning into visual language in an incredible high pace.
The visual summaries I create, are made in slower pace and are usually done in reflection on workshops, reports, and large volumes of information.
Visual Empathy & Mediation Guide
With 14 years of experience in Nonviolent Communication (NVC) training and coaching, as well as NVC-based mediation and conflict coaching, I use my visual communication skills to help clients see and understand their inner conflicts and life’s challenges, and to navigate toward a more aligned future.
Another creative expression between these two fields is the Mediate Your Life Guidebook, which I co-created and visually designed.
Visual Communication Trainer
As a visual communication trainer, I guide my participants in learning the visual language and visual facilitation skills they need to design their own training tools, such as flipcharts, instructions, process templates, digital presentations, and beyond—so their teaching fosters deeper retention, engagement, and connection.
More details about me
Education & Training
Education
- Bachelor of Design: Design and Visual Communications, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, (Willem de Kooning Academy) (2003, 3 years, The Netherlands)
- Bachelor of Arts: Illustration, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, (Willem de Kooning Academy) (1996, 4,5 years, The Netherlands)
- IJsselcollege (1991, 5 years, The Netherlands)
- Jenaplan School Het Mozaik (1990, 10 months, The Netherlands)
- Vrije School Rotterdam Waldorf/Rudolf Steiner School (1982, 8 years, The Netherlands)
Various Training – Participation / Certification
- The Lettering Seminar – (2025, 8 weeks, online) Trainer/Lettering Artist: Martina Flor
- ThetaHealing Basic DNA, Level 1 (2020, 4 days, Teleclass) – trainer: Dr. Lisa Cooney
- Genos Emotional Intelligence Practitioner Certification (2019, 4 days, Slovenia) – trainer: Pam Welsby, FastForward
- Awakening Coaching Training – Deepening Course (2016, 5 days, Greece) – trainer: Arjuna Ardagh
- Awakening Coaching Training – Basic Skill Course (2016, 5 days, Germany) – trainer: Arjuna Ardagh
- Methodology / Didactics, Training Design (2015, 3 days, Germany) – CNVC trainer: Klaus Karstadt
- Art of Participatory Leadership (2014, 4 days, Slovenia)
Nonviolent Communication Training – Assisting / Co-trainer
- Designing and Building Impactful NVC training (July 2019, 2 days, France) – CVNC trainer: Roxy Manning, PhD (Principal Based Teaching) and Mireille van Bremen (Visual Facilitation)
- Taste of BayNVC Leadership Program (July 2018, 8 days, California, USA) – CNVC trainer: Roxy Manning PhD
- BayNVC Leadership Program (July 2017, 20 weeks, California, USA) – CNVC trainers: Roxy Manning & François Beausoleil
Nonviolent Communication Training – Participation
- The Giraffe Business School (May 2023, 8 weeks, Teleclass) – trainer: Marie Miyashiro, Elucity Network, Inc.
- Mediate Your Life (September 2021, 9 months, Teleclass) – CNVC trainer: John Kinyon
- NVC for Real: Coaching Across Racial Microaggressions (September 2020, 5 weeks, Teleclass) – CNVC trainer: Roxanne Manning PhD
- Street Giraffe (2017, 2 days, Slovenia) – CNVC trainer: Marjeta Novak
- BayNVC Leadership Program (Yearlong NVC training) (2016, 12 months, Teleclass/California, USA) – CNVC trainers: Roxy Manning & François Beausoleil
- Empathic Livelihood Coaching Program (March 2016, 4 months, Teleclass) – CNVC trainer: François Beausoleil
- Contact Improvisation & Nonviolent Communication (2015, 2 days, Slovenia) – CNVC trainer: Robert Kržišnik
- Brain Science – on healing childhood pain and trauma (2015, 4 days, Germany) – CNVC trainers: Sarah Peyton & Sarah Hart
- Awakening the Flow of Life Retreat (April 2014, 6,5 days, Slovenia) – CNVC trainers: Robert Gonzales & Robert Kržišnik
- Intensive International Training (IIT) (2014, 10 days, Palestine/Israel) – CNVC trainers: Klaus Karstadt, Robert Kržišnik, Roberta Wall, Arnika Kashtan, Hagit Lifshitz
- Self-Empathy (2013, 2 days, Slovenia) – CNVC trainers: Robert Kržišnik & Marjeta Novak
- Communication with Children (2013, 2 days, Slovenia) – CNVC trainers: Robert Kržišnik & Marjeta Novak
- Deepening Course on Nonviolent Communication (2013, 7 days, Greece) – CNVC trainer: Louise Romain, Marianne Götlin, Towe Widstrand, and Kaspar Ritz
- Nonviolent Communication based Conflict Resolution (2012, 2 days, Slovenia) – CNVC trainers: Robert Kržišnik & Marjeta Novak
- Introductory training on Nonviolent Communication (2012, 2 days, The Netherlands) – CNVC trainer: Nicole van Ladesteijn
Experience
- Graphic Recorder, Lettering Artist, Visual Empathy & Mediation Guide, Visual Communication Trainer at The Visual Mediator formerly known as The Visual Catalyst (2019) and Empathic Pathway (2015).
- Assisting / Co-trainer
> Designing and Building Impactful NVC training (July 2019, 2 days, France) – CVNC trainer: Roxy Manning, PhD (Principal Based Teaching) and Mireille van Bremen (Visual Facilitation)
> Taste of BayNVC Leadership Program (July 2018, 8 days, California, USA) – CNVC trainer: Roxy Manning PhD
> BayNVC Leadership Program (July 2017, 20 weeks, California, USA) – CNVC trainers: Roxy Manning & François Beausoleil` - 9 years Head of Design & Art Director in an internationally operating advertising agency in Slovenia
- 5 years owner of Studio LiEF – graphic design & illustration studio based in The Netherlands
- Trained hundreds of trainers, coaches, facilitators, leaders, designers, project managers, lecturers and teachers in developing their visual empathy skills
- Supported many entrepreneurs in being more impactful with their marketing & communications
- Created countless graphic recordings, visual summaries and other visual representations & illustrations
Skills
- Visual literacy
- Digital literacy
- Critical thinking
- Leadership skills
- Organisational skills
- Trainer skills
- Communication skills
- Facilitate trainings, conversations, workshops, …
- Empathic listening & Empathy skills
- Visually capture the essence of a story, conflict, idea or plan with striking clarity
- Visualise the bigger picture of ideas, concepts, models, processes, visions, plans, etc.
- Generate new value & tons of ideas
- Reduce complexity to what truly matters
- Make the invisible visible & tangible
- Graphic Recording, Visual Translation
- Art direction, Graphic design
- Illustration
- Handlettering, Lettering design, Lettering art
- Conflict Resolution, Coaching & Mediation
- Nonviolent Communication (NVC)
- (Online) Marketing & Business
Expertise
- Visual communication
- Empathy
- Graphic recording
- Graphic Facilitation
- Lettering design and art
- Training
- Coaching
- Facilitation
- Nonviolent Communication
- NVC based Mediation & Conflict Coaching
Languages
- Dutch (native)
- English (professional)
- Slovene (professional)
- German (basic)
- Any other language with simultaneous or consequative interpretation
Work locations
- Internationally
- In person
- Online
- Hybrid
ORGANIZATIONS WORKING WITH ME
FOLLOW ME IN YOUR FACOURITE NETWORK
I believe meaningful communication starts with truly listening to ourselves and others. That is why I work at the intersection of visual communication and empathic dialogue, designing visual tools that open conversations, facilitate dialogue, deepen connection, and help co-create an aligned future.
Get in Touch
Are you looking for a communication expert with the skills of a lettering artist, graphic recorder, visual facilitation & communication trainer, or visual empathy & mediation guide, to co-create a complex, multi-lingual, international project?
Email me at clarity@mireillevanbremen.com to plan a non-binding consultation to discuss the possibilities.
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The Visual Mediator
Mireille Annette van Bremen s.p.
Žlebej 1a
8000 Novo mesto, Slovenia
VAT ID: SI10975748