<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Dirk Plas | Embodied Coaching for Men]]></title><description><![CDATA[As a mentor for men, I help men find clarity, direction and conidence.]]></description><link>https://www.dirkplas.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 27 May 2026 18:58:44 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.dirkplas.com/nl/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[You might not call it loneliness...]]></title><description><![CDATA[I read an article about the loneliness among men and its influence on the high suicide rate. In England and Wales, men account for roughly 75% of suicides . It is shocking how many men feel lonely these days, and, on top of that, how hard it is for many of them to reach out. Loneliness is consistently identified as a major contributing factor in these suicides. I reflected on this in the last two weeks and came to some remarkable insights. I was thinking back about a post I wrote about...]]></description><link>https://www.dirkplas.com/post/you-might-not-call-it-loneliness</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69a05664aac6e7cda913cc22</guid><pubDate>Thu, 26 Feb 2026 17:08:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/880c39_642e3c06a0434aa985af3810384600a7~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dirk Erik Plas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Finding connection through breath: A journey back to yourself]]></title><description><![CDATA[The busy life we lead You are busy. Work is full. Family life is full. Your diary is overflowing. Most days, you move from meeting to meeting, from task to task, and from responsibility to responsibility. You get things done. You provide. You hold everything together. Yet, somewhere along the way, you may have stopped being truly present. Not mentally. You think a lot. You analyse. You plan. You reflect. But physically? In your body? In your breath? This is where many men I work with find...]]></description><link>https://www.dirkplas.com/post/you-are-breathing-but-you-are-not-really-living</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69725bacaffc20191ac15937</guid><pubDate>Thu, 22 Jan 2026 17:43:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_9e9b0c5f42ac44fe9e8d217ea1d94239~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dirk Erik Plas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Man-o-pause, is there such a thing?]]></title><description><![CDATA[When the mirror shows a man you don’t recognise and the drive dries up... what do you do?]]></description><link>https://www.dirkplas.com/post/man-o-pause-is-there-such-a-thing</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69242d0fab76fd5172adeba1</guid><pubDate>Thu, 27 Nov 2025 22:47:39 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/880c39_3f25fd25afbf40cd804c01b12979852b~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_768,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dirk Erik Plas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Have you ever been seen?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Yesterday, I sat on the train, and across from me was a father with his son. Observing them had a profound impact on me. I noticed several emotions coursing through my body. Out of curiosity, I tried to discern the emotions I felt and their origins. There was sadness, but also excitement and joy. I could feel my inner boy's longing for that kind of attention. This longing stems from my relationship with my father. What I saw before me was a father in his forties with his eight-year-old son....]]></description><link>https://www.dirkplas.com/post/have-you-ever-been-seen</link><guid isPermaLink="false">690cae9faa0a315edf6f6fce</guid><pubDate>Fri, 07 Nov 2025 12:46:46 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/880c39_959ec57be8a744bb836f71b77c82b90e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dirk Erik Plas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Embracing love in silence]]></title><description><![CDATA[A Poignant Moment Between those words We sit together in silence   I can feel you   I can hear you breathe   I notice your bodily presence   I look aside and find your eyes   I see emptiness   You are nowhere to be found   Where are you?   I close my eyes for a moment   I hear your voice in me   It has been with me all my life   Telling me to be a man   To be strong   To swallow my grief   To hide my tears   Between those words, I can find the love   Your love   My love   In that love, we...]]></description><link>https://www.dirkplas.com/post/between-those-words</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67e67d86f96b48cc2d173ce7</guid><pubDate>Thu, 23 Oct 2025 17:03:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/880c39_9f2332ace471458ca6b9f70c62a7e1f2~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_623,h_900,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dirk Erik Plas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[From being needed to self-respect]]></title><description><![CDATA[So many men live their lives from the little boy inside. The one who learned early on to attune to his mother’s feelings. To satisfy...]]></description><link>https://www.dirkplas.com/post/from-being-needed-to-self-respect</link><guid isPermaLink="false">684aa63f482a543162ebe5f0</guid><pubDate>Sat, 14 Jun 2025 14:54:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/880c39_8fc2c9ca4c0349519cefcca90ba13924~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dirk Erik Plas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[You can go...]]></title><description><![CDATA[It is 24 April 2025, 11 pm, and I am sitting beside my father, my hand on his heart. His eyes were closed. The frown on his forehead was...]]></description><link>https://www.dirkplas.com/post/you-can-go</link><guid isPermaLink="false">683842d9d569a830f8aa3b9d</guid><pubDate>Thu, 29 May 2025 12:57:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/880c39_1bf5f0193d47400e8cb94e3fec6de8fc~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dirk Erik Plas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Unleash Eros]]></title><description><![CDATA[Men can't control their sexual drive! I hear and read a lot that it is difficult for men to control their sexual desires and their...]]></description><link>https://www.dirkplas.com/post/unleash-eros</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66d9e46d06fe43e33b65c48c</guid><pubDate>Thu, 05 Sep 2024 17:04:50 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_65544e7458544542324a67~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dirk Erik Plas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[My body said yes to Avalon]]></title><description><![CDATA[On 27 November 2023, Alanja Forsberg messaged me asking if I still cook for events. She was planning on going to Kenya for the first time...]]></description><link>https://www.dirkplas.com/post/my-body-said-yes-to-avalon</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66d073c41dc7757a560cea8c</guid><pubDate>Thu, 29 Aug 2024 14:47:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/880c39_ab652315350640aeb70596a2db6c8bc7~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dirk Erik Plas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bullying hurts!]]></title><description><![CDATA[It is a sunny spring morning in 1981. I am 9 years old. I am walking to school, wearing my new glasses for the first time. I just got...]]></description><link>https://www.dirkplas.com/post/bullying-hurts</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66742ac455915cce3e2d4376</guid><pubDate>Thu, 20 Jun 2024 16:40:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/880c39_1318b9c1afa14bc1a4e3055f5bfd6b1a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dirk Erik Plas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dependent on my phone]]></title><description><![CDATA[When I woke up this morning to the chirping iPhone birds, I looked at my phone, and it was 5:30 a.m. Why so early? Then, I remembered what happened last night. A crime was committed... We were having a drink outside a pub in Walthamstow. I met a colleague, and we were catching the last of the day's sun. My brand-new mobile phone was on the table while we were discussing a document on it. A few minutes later, this mobile telephone was stolen right before our noses by a scammer who asked for...]]></description><link>https://www.dirkplas.com/post/dependent-on-my-phone</link><guid isPermaLink="false">666af39e8eb146d6dd7c32eb</guid><pubDate>Thu, 13 Jun 2024 15:20:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/880c39_6c8204a609e948d8ad9002995001f985~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dirk Erik Plas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[How quickly do you come?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Yesterday, Alex and I did one of our free webinars for men in the series 'Returning Home'. We explored Embodied Sex. In preparation for...]]></description><link>https://www.dirkplas.com/post/how-quick-do-you-come</link><guid isPermaLink="false">663ccf346f359c115ed8ce7d</guid><pubDate>Thu, 09 May 2024 15:01:10 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/880c39_9d79179e9dd9499bbac749819367c0e6~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_623,h_350,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dirk Erik Plas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Am I still expected to pay the bill?]]></title><description><![CDATA[I am hugely interested in modern society's development regarding gender roles and mutual expectations. In working with men, one of the...]]></description><link>https://www.dirkplas.com/post/am-i-still-expected-to-pay-the-bill</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6633934312a2f0ea6372e193</guid><pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 15:16:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/53494e5d3f48205b75f25cae19849067.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_850,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dirk Erik Plas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Surrender]]></title><description><![CDATA[I have had several discussions about leadership this week with different people, and a returning question is: “What is it specifically...]]></description><link>https://www.dirkplas.com/post/surrender</link><guid isPermaLink="false">65f347cb7c049904e64e2bb4</guid><pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2024 19:04:39 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4d411b00c30b4139b37ca4fdc858d65b.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dirk Erik Plas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Lessons from Loss - Healing the rift with my dad]]></title><description><![CDATA[I wrote about my relationship with my mum and dad in previous blogs, but I must say. I can’t write enough about the significance of those...]]></description><link>https://www.dirkplas.com/post/lessons-of-loss-healing-the-rift-with-my-dad</link><guid isPermaLink="false">65e827909d4484d90c82918e</guid><pubDate>Wed, 06 Mar 2024 09:29:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/880c39_97a8a1de93c24edb829d577619d78b47~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dirk Erik Plas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sexual misconduct by leaders]]></title><description><![CDATA[I notice more and more that many celebrities, (sports) coaches, leaders, (yoga) gurus, and teachers are accused of sexual misconduct...]]></description><link>https://www.dirkplas.com/post/sexual-misconduct-by-leaders</link><guid isPermaLink="false">64f0787e464671ace9819024</guid><pubDate>Mon, 04 Sep 2023 12:53:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/880c39_40f0a82bbbf14962ba37b67f9888be1b~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dirk Erik Plas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Impasse?]]></title><description><![CDATA[This weekend I will go on a cooking spree in the Netherlands. I wrote before I am fading out the cooking, but I still have three very big...]]></description><link>https://www.dirkplas.com/post/impasse</link><guid isPermaLink="false">64b199f0c56ff4599a6fe0b5</guid><pubDate>Fri, 14 Jul 2023 19:08:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/880c39_98d0818029a64fc092c28b47e1d8aba6~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dirk Erik Plas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Do you see your path?]]></title><description><![CDATA[This week I am camping with my partner in the mountains of the Lake District and yesterday we walked the Old Man of Coniston, a 832m...]]></description><link>https://www.dirkplas.com/post/do-you-see-your-path</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6495b843347b1a67a17c044c</guid><pubDate>Fri, 23 Jun 2023 15:32:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/880c39_14559aa306f642d9aac7f89077e3d9b2~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_703,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dirk Erik Plas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Crazy in the kitchen]]></title><description><![CDATA[Frans was, as the title of his book said: Crazy in the kitchen. Frans was an amazing person. He was amicable, funny, a super-skilled...]]></description><link>https://www.dirkplas.com/post/crazy-in-the-kitchen</link><guid isPermaLink="false">648305688f4d543813b81908</guid><pubDate>Fri, 09 Jun 2023 14:49:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/880c39_77b506657e774fa2ae098f6acebec286~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dirk Erik Plas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why am I doing what I do?]]></title><description><![CDATA[It’s an evening in August 2017. The space is warm, the light is dim, and the mattresses are arranged in a circle, forming a star, with a beautiful bouquet of wildflowers in the middle. The smell of the lavender fills the room, where Lynn invites me and the others to lay down and surrender to the beautiful music… My body relaxes, and I feel the excitement. I don’t know yet that my experience tonight will forever change my life… Leaving him in the closet As a child, I was a very sensitive boy....]]></description><link>https://www.dirkplas.com/post/why-am-i-doing-what-i-do</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6479be875a7439dc62e79034</guid><pubDate>Fri, 02 Jun 2023 10:18:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/880c39_40b3db885a4b4cfa911526f2c433d6d8~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_854,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dirk Erik Plas</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>