Julian van der Wouden – founder of Vita Florentis

My name is Julian.

I believe life truly gets interesting when you pause.

When you have the courage to see what’s really there.

Whether that’s within yourself or in your connections with others.

Curiosity is my compass. Growth is how I move.

My mission: to bring you back, in one hour, to what truly matters to you.

As a commercial pilot for Transavia and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, I transported people around the globe for over a decade.

A true childhood dream.

My entire life, I have worked towards my dream of becoming an airline transport pilot.

Julian in pilot uniform — A young pup feeling brave after three months of learning to fly by sight in Portugal

Countless selections, exams, and applications I have navigated, and it was hard work, but my childhood dream came true.

Flight school days — Flying twin-engine on the Piper Seneca; the last 20 hours of practical experience

After ten years in the cockpit, a medical condition brought my work as a pilot to a halt.

It was only in the period that followed that it became clear what this moment truly set in motion.

Sometimes life has plans for us that are greater than the course we would have chosen ourselves.

Becoming a pilot requires a tremendous investment of time, capital, and dedication to pass a rigorous selection process.

The market for commercial pilots in the Netherlands is small, and opportunities are limited. Yet I did realize that dream.

Just graduated from flight school — Just 20, freshly graduated, and thought I was the man – ready for my dream job

But life is so often what happens to you while you are making other plans.

Not everything can be planned.

Sometimes it’s about going with the flow and adapting. Holding onto trust. Something beautiful will come your way.

On a warm summer evening, I read an interview with a Dutch philosopher and writer. One of the questions was, "What event has made the most impression on you?"

Her answer struck me: she spoke about how she lay in a coffin for thirty minutes in South Korea, as part of an intense confrontation with oneself and what one lives for.

I was fascinated and immediately watched the relevant broadcast that evening. What I saw stayed with me.

If such an experience impacted me as a viewer, it must be even more intense as a participant.

In the past, I had thought about a direct confrontation with oneself and mortality to appreciate life more. But that idea seemed so absurd that I let it go.

Until I saw that documentary¹.

It really existed.

Being a pilot gave me a unique perspective on the world.

What a privilege it was to see the world from above!

From the endless tundras of Canada to the gigantic lakes of the United States,

From the vast Sahara in Africa…

Green spray fields in the Sahara Desert of Libya

…to the surreal, immense ice world of Greenland

with its rugged snow peaks and pristine ice lakes.

Looking down from above at impressive thunderstorms, at a safe distance.

Creating a spectacular light show in the dark, with flashes of lightning every few seconds.

Hours upon hours of no-man’s land.

Oceans, paradise islands…

…national parks and world cities,

I’ve been blessed to witness the most breathtaking sunsets, sunrises, and planetary rises, sometimes even all in one single long flight.

Sunset over Aruba before departure to Bonaire

The sight of the Milky Way against a crystal-clear starry sky.

The magnificent spectacle of the Northern Lights, performed in grandeur as a vibrant green light dance against the backdrop of the dark night near the North Pole.

These views added color to my life and filled me with wonder.

It has always been my experience that as soon as you physically distance yourself from your familiar surroundings, you can gain a refreshing and clear perspective on life.

Additionally, by zooming out and taking a step back, you paradoxically can experience a deep sense of connection.

KLM ground team waves off last flight of season

The view from the cockpit², high in the sky, never gets boring.

You look down at the earth.

It puts things into perspective.

Let alone when you consider that this same ‘big’ Earth is hurtling at an unimaginable speed through an infinitely vast, expanding, and for us largely unknown universe.

It makes you humble. It brings gratitude. You feel part of something greater and it evokes a sense of wonder.

I knew right away that I wanted to experience that coffin meditation for myself. My last flight – this time as a passenger – in the final days of my pilot career, took me to South Korea.

It was an experience that redirected my life’s course.

I know that a six-hour seminar, culminating in a direct encounter with mortality, is not for everyone.³

Understandably.

That’s why, after years of experimenting and perfecting (believe me, even with 6 real coffins), I’ve made the experience as accessible as possible, so you can experience it digitally.

Whenever you want and wherever you are.

Simply from behind your computer or tablet.

But still with the same impact.

Here, my passion for personal growth merges with my role as your temporary co-pilot.