The Bottom Layer

I picked up my coffee cup and looked inside. A thick, muddy layer of coffee remained. I pulled a seemingly disgusted face, and my daughter, sitting across the kitchen table, grinned. "The bottom layer," I said. She gave me a knowing look in return.

I have a recurring morning ritual. Brewing fresh coffee. With filtered water and hand-ground beans. The coffee is Douwe Egberts*. A tradition I brought with me from home. My parents used to drink (and still do) Douwe Egberts. So now when they visit me, they get to enjoy one of my strong cups. Because that’s what they are. I love a strong brew.

These rituals – brewing coffee in the morning, that thick residue at the bottom of the cup – make me realize how attached I am to traditions and routines. Something I usually like to deny, because hey, life should be a bit more exciting, right? Try something new every day, travel whenever possible, discover different parts of the world and all that life has to offer. Nothing worse than a boring life, right?

Well, no. Actually, I love that so-called boring life. The kind that gives me peace. Trust in recurring patterns that have always been there and that somehow reassure the future. It’s only when things get truly intense and survival kicks in, that the lioness in me awakens...

*Not sponsored by Douwe Egberts, but be honest… don’t you hear that cozy harmonica jingle from Toots Thielemans right now?


Reflection through the lens of Human Design

Gate 37.5 – The Family
My bond with tradition, with family, with care. Not as confinement, but as grounding. The coffee ritual at the kitchen table isn't just a habit – it’s an energetic anchor. A form of love through structure.

Gate 5.1 – Waiting
I am designed for rhythm. For endurance. For recognizing natural cycles and finding peace in them. This blog is rhythm – and it shows how peace doesn't mean dullness, but richness.

Gate 35.1 – Progress
The experience of life – even in its so-called 'boringness' – is progress. Not by moving around, but by going deeper.

Gate 34.3 – Power
The lioness. My inner survivor. She lives in me and only comes out when truly needed. No ego, no drama. Just pure force when it's called for.

5/1 Profile – The Heretic and the Investigator
This blog tells a personal story, yet it touches something universal. That’s my role: to help you see something in yourself. And to investigate it – again and again – for myself.

The bottom layer... that's where your Design becomes tangible.
Not as theory. But as Life in form.

Human Design, Blog, Reflection, Gate 5, Gate 34, Gate 35, Gate 37, 5/1 Profile, Survival, Rhythm, Emotional Process, Leadership, Boring Life, Aura, Structure, Family, Coffee, Self-awareness

Curious what your own chart reveals?
Book a reflection session via marykeighcoaching.nl or send me a message. I’d love to take a look with you.

AI without dots, mom!

Whenever I talk about AI, my daughters always correct my pronunciation. “Mom, it’s not A.I. with dots. It’s just AI, like one word.” A subtle moment where the generational gap reveals itself. I’ve always had a bit of a love-hate relationship with artificial intelligence. Because I adore the human experience, and AI isn’t exactly about being human. Still, now and then, something piques my curiosity.

This morning I read an article about a new AI technology, developed by a former Harvard professor. It described a system called North Star, which (according to the article) uses digital simulations of world leaders to run thousands of scenarios—supporting strategic decision-making and helping to prevent escalation. “Well, that’s quite the noble ambition,” I heard myself say aloud. “On paper, it sounds impressive. Maybe even beautiful. If it can truly bring less turmoil into our world, that would be wonderful. Who wouldn’t want that?”

And yet… something started to nag at me. What really lives underneath this? Why would someone want to develop this? And how does this land in a society where many people probably share my love-hate relationship with ‘all that modern stuff’? Surely I’m not the only one. I notice it in the sheer amount of writing about it. Especially about what it might mean for our future. A kind of collective fear: “What if AI takes over? What if we’re no longer needed? If everything becomes smarter, faster, more efficient — and there’s nothing left for us humans to offer?”

This fear is being fed. By media. By markets. By systems that thrive on uncertainty. And honestly? I think that’s a bit criminal. Not because I’m anti-technology — quite the opposite — but because fear is so often used as a steering tool. While fear itself wants to teach us something. But it seems we’ve forgotten that. That we no longer receive fear as a signal. But instead experience it as something to be defended against. With sword and shield. Or… we become completely paralyzed, instead of moved.

But what if we stopped seeing fear as the enemy, and used it as a gentle teacher instead? What if fear doesn’t mean something is wrong or threatening, but instead shows us what’s ready to be released? Something that might offer us something — rather than take it away?

We’re perfectly capable of that. Humanity has shown it over and over again. Every time we’ve faced pressure, we’ve found ways to move. Not by selling our soul. But by remembering it. Honoring it. Living it.

And that’s exactly where this kind of technology — no matter how brilliantly designed — shows its limitations. Humans are more than logic. We’re abstract, with memories that give meaning to experience. We’re individual, with insights that have never existed before. Instinctive, with ancient wisdom that senses danger in an instant. Intuitive — with a quiet clarity that feels what’s true, without needing words. We’re beings of connection. We heal, learn, and grow in relationship.

If you try to capture all of that in a predictable model, you’ll miss the essence: the mystery of being human. Any attempt at control — no matter how smart — will always be incomplete. Maybe even… affectionately said… destined to fail.

Because this is what AI will never do:
Feel grief.
Suddenly know something for no reason.
Be struck by inspiration.
Feel a silence that buzzes.
Love without logic — and open everything.

AI recognizes patterns.
But life...
Life moves beyond the pattern.

We’re not here to be controlled by technology.
We’re here to use it consciously.
As an extension of who we are.
Not as a replacement.

And as long as we keep doing that,
no algorithm will ever take the place of a human being.
And that — that’s incredibly hopeful.

Maybe we’re not here to predict the future.
But to embody it. One moment at a time.

And maybe that’s the whole point of AI without dots.


Reflection through the lens of Human Design

Gate 37.5 – The Family
My love for the human experience is woven into everything I write—even when I’m talking about technology. I see through the surface. I notice where connection is missing. And I bring it back to where it truly belongs: closeness. Sitting together at the table. Soft in interaction, strong in foundation. This newsletter is my way of bringing people back together—not physically, but through frequency.

Gate 5.1 – Waiting
I’m built for rhythm. I hear when something is aligned. When it’s time to speak—or time to pause. This piece wasn’t rushed. It needed to ripen. And you can feel that. Every sentence breathes cadence. The cadence of someone who doesn’t need to stand on barricades to initiate movement.

Gate 35.1 – Progress
I carry experience. Not just as a story, but as nourishment. I’ve seen how humans transform under pressure—and I trust that deeply. My words carry that reassurance. Not as a promise, but as a reminder: we can do this. We’ve been here before. And again and again, we found a new form.

Gate 34.3 – Power
My power doesn’t live in noise. It rests quietly in my gut until it’s time to rise. When I speak, it’s because it feels right. Because it must be said now. Not to convince, but to open a field of truth. Not threatening. Just clear.

5/1 Profile – The Heretic and the Investigator
I’m asking a question many people feel, but haven’t dared to name yet: What if we don’t fight fear, but learn from it? My Fifth Line allows me to reach many. My First Line won’t let go until I’ve felt the roots. This newsletter is not an opinion. It’s an exploration. An invitation. And at the same time, a beacon of recognition—for those ready to receive it.

Left Angle Cross of Migration
I’m here to bring movement. Between worlds. Between the old and the new. Between technology and soul.
And I don’t do that through noise or performance, but through quiet clarity.
In this blog, I bring awareness to something that might otherwise silently seep into our lives. I shine a light on it. Not to warn, but to remind:
We always have a choice. Even when everything moves faster than ever.

That’s my frequency.
No embellishment. No static.