CANDID CONVERSATIONS IN PODCAST THE ART OF LEADERSHIP ON PERSONAL CRISIS AND ITS IMPACT ON LEADERSHIP

In March 2025, the podcast The art of leadership live. In the podcast, Anne-Marie Kremer (CultuurOntwerp) has candid conversations with leaders such as Anne Breure (creative director of Theater Utrecht), writer Lot Vekemans, Gabbi Mesters (director of the Fund for Cultural Participation), Marc Vlemmix (Marc Vlemmix Dance) and artistic director of youth theatre company Het Laagland, Inèz Derksen.

Cultural leaders in conversation

Together with these and other innovative cultural leaders, Anne-Marie explores the crises they experienced in their professional and private lives. How did these major events affect them personally? How did this influence their leadership? And what did they make of it, both literally and figuratively?

Before & After

The conversations provide an interesting insight into working and leading in the cultural sector and dealing with impactful events such as illness, bankruptcy, death, identity crises and burnout. They proved to be a turning point in life and created a ‘Before & After’.

That's how Marc Vlemmix a new purpose through dancing, after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease at the age of 37. For Anne Breure Brain damage following an accident and a child with health challenges were responsible for more gentleness and empathy in her leadership. Her son's transition led to Inèz Derksen to a new performance, but also to profound personal development.

Dealing with adversity, resilience and leadership

In other podcast episodes, Anne-Marie Kremer reflects on the conversations. She knows how to translate insights about dealing with adversity, resilience and leadership into the lives and work of the listener, drawing on her own experiences with a Before & After.

In 2021, Kremer was successfully treated for cervical cancer, but this was followed by a long recovery and permanent physical consequences. It also became the reason for her to reinvent herself and thus become an inspiring example of where a crisis can lead and how to take control of it.

2,500 downloads in 2025

The podcast can be listened to via Apple podcast, Spotify and the CultuurOntwerp website. At the end of November, the campaign ‘Join in: 2500 downloads by the end of 2025’ was launched. The campaign is still running: on 16 December, the counter stood at 2398 downloads (by 825 listeners).