Dutch Wellness | BRAND INSPIRATION

Live by the Seasons, Plan by The|Tides and Follow the Elements

The|Tides Wellness | Pure Dutch Nature Inside

by Annemarie L. Wortman - Co-founder The|Tides Wellness

We, Kimmo Jacobs and Annemarie Wortman - are the founders of The|Tides Wellness. We are profound Dutch and have literally been growing up at the Dutch seaside. We have taken our inspiration for The|Tides Wellness from the ocean and the Dutch natural reserves where the rhythm of the tides, the seasons and the influence of the elements take their natural course.

Here nature still runs wild and continually adapts to the daily changeable circumstances. On the tidal flats and in the wetlands where fresh river water mixes with salty seawater, one will find plants with unusually powerful properties for health and regeneration that are resilient, yet blooming brightly. This natural balance in Dutch nature, teaches in turn the need to consciously keep a strong balance within ourselves as well as to maintain calmness, resilience to stress, acceptance and savoring of the many challenges that living modern life has.

Living at the Dutch seaside is an archetype of the need to co-exist with the elements, adjust to the movement of the tides and the rhythm of living life according to the seasons. The Dutch have reclaimed land from water and turned it into habitable land but have also respectfully given back to coexist with the elements, which to us is the ultimate exercise in resilience and adaptation. This creative survival impulse also manifests as a progressive willingness to embrace and act on unconventional ideas and in this way to embrace the future. This, in combination with the concept of the Dutch free spirit, open mind and natural beauty with a healthy but pragmatic lifestyle and the principle of less is more, became the company ethos.

We are living in an era of boundless discovery and innovation but we know that it has to be firmly based on a deep respect and understanding of nature, and our place and responsibility within it. Modern science has brought us to a new comprehensive understanding of nature, which we believe validates ancient wisdom that has been known for centuries that was learned intuitively. We have to use science, ancient wisdoms and our very own intuition to protect the fragile balance within and between ourselves and the planet.

Every small step made
can become the change to support
a world that we seek

We chose The|Tides Wellness as the brand name for our company as we consider the tides as a symbol which represents the forces of a much needed change. Here the power of the ocean – since ancient times regarded as the mother of life and deeper consciousness – meets the firmness of the land and grounds us to the main arena of human affairs. By adding the symbol | to the company logo, we have emphasized the depth of the ocean, where there is more to see and experience than what only lies on the surface. The oceans supply us with 70% of the oxygen we breathe, and continues to feed us and give us the incredible power to heal our minds and bodies, yet we treat them as if they are bottomless.

Over-fishing is seriously disturbing biodiversity and ecosystems, including the sometimes-irresponsible harvesting of wild seaweed, also for food consumption and cosmetic use. On top of that, plastic waste and pollution are contaminating the oceans in such a way that it is a severe existential threat to ocean life and to ourselves. Sadly, the beauty, wellness and hospitality industries are notorious contributors to this process. Mountains of plastic waste from plastic cosmetic packaging, wrappings and micro-plastic beads - just to name a few - continue to contaminate our planet while the incessant use of chemical detergents use for laundry continues to escalate the pollution with the result that tonnes of CO2 is released into the earth’s atmosphere and chemically contaminated water into the earth’s oceans every week!

Keeping our oceans clean is one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time. As ocean lovers we want to contribute by creating awareness that we have to connect our personal wellbeing with the wellbeing of the planet. Our belief is that every small step made can become the change to support a world that we seek and we have made it our mission to do business for good. With everything we do we aim to incorporate ethical and sustainable practices - without hurting anyone (animal, human, planet) in the process – and most importantly we will protect the fragile balance between ourselves and our home planet earth.

The tides touch every continent and signify for us our desire to harmonize with the forces of change and inspire us to use our expertise across disciplines and across borders to create breakthrough visions that contribute to a healthier and more vital world.