Founding Director ELIA – Ecological Living In Action
EDUCATION
Masters degree in Law and Political Science (Leiden University, the Netherlands), two years of PhD research about institutional design for an ecologically sustainable society (Australian National University), nine years of training in healing and coaching, and fifteen years of piano studies.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Anneloes has a wide experience of working with people from all kinds of cultural, personal, and professional backgrounds in the capacity of trainer, coach and mentor in ecological living, natural healing, and personal development. Well known for her healing skills and clear intuitive insights she has supported clients across the world for more than 12 years to become eco-conscious, develop their personal talents, and learn how to become positive contributors and co-creators of an ecologically sustainable world. Through her expertise in law and political science she has worked in an advisory function with legal teams on landownership issues in cultural heritage areas in Mauritius. She has also worked with local communities in Mauritius to document and protect their cultural heritage from the times of slavery. Her passion for natural design has resulted in the design and construction of her own eco-house and endemic garden together with her husband Sanju Deenapanray. Anneloes has been conducting her own research in matters of ecological living, institutional design, law and political science, conscious evolution, personal development, natural healing, indigenous wisdom, and Life Wisdom teachings for more than 15 years. She is also a pioneer in her development and sharing of conscious and ecological business practices.
Anneloes develops her own trainings in areas of personal development and inner growth, organisational learning & development, life wisdom coaching, and natural healing, She is a MQA approved trainer. For more information about her courses visit www.AnneloesSmitsman.com.
LIFE EXPERIENCE
Anneloes was born in the Netherlands and has since lived in South Africa (1996-1997), Australia (1998-2006) and now Mauritius (since 2006). Between the age of 16 and 18 years she was chosen to represent the Netherlands at the European Youth Parliament; first as a delegate and later as a member of the organising committee. At the age of 18 years she took a personal retreat focusing solely on her development as a potential pianist. When she realised this was not her path she started a Masters degree in Law and Political Science. She continued her piano studies but now only for her love of music. In 1996 she moved to South Africa as an exchange student to write her Masters thesis about challenges for new democracies. She wanted to experience first-hand what it meant to live in a society where freedom of expression and civil rights had long been denied for the majority of people. This was a life-changing experience that opened her heart, during which time she also met her husband Sanju Deenapanray. In 1998 they moved to Australia where she started her PhD research about institutional design for an ecologically sustainable society. This research was focused on learning from indigenous people around the world in how they cared for the planet as well as the future generations. Her interest in these matters was so directly personal that she wanted to pursuit this further without an academic context. After two years she stopped her PhD and instead continued to explore her personal interest in healing, spirituality, and indigenous wisdom.
In 2006 Anneloes moved with her husband to Mauritius to enjoy their families and bring their skills where they felt more needed. In 2006, she created ELIA – Ecological Living In Action to ground and share all that she had learned and was now able to share with others. Sanju joined ELIA in October 2010 and they now work together as a team. In 2008, their first child was born followed by their second in 2010. Anneloes loves to be a mum: “my children inspire me to tap deeply from my inner resources; they keep me creative, remind me to laugh, and teach me how to be incredibly efficient.”
To contact Anneloes, please use our Contact Form