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Events & Engaments
 

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WORKSHOP

CLA Global & THNK Pilot program

Breathing Life Into Our Collective Impact

Developed and facilitated by Katrien Franken

3 September 2026 | 09.40 - 11.10

THNK, Amsterdam

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CLA Global is a professional services network designed to help realize the ambitions of privately owned, fast-growing, mid-market clients with cross-border needs. 

As part of a 5-day pilot program, offered by THNK, Katrien is invited to offer a workshop for a group of 21 global CEOs around embodied leadership, connection and collective impact. Introducing the nature of breathing and feeling.

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WORKSHOP

THNK FSTVL

Now We Need Humans

Developed and facilitated by Katrien Franken

27 September 2026 | 10.00 - 12.30

Basecamp, Amsterdam

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THNK FSTVL is a yearly festival for the THNK community, worldwide.

 

Now We Need Humans is a concept philosophy from Katrien Franken that explores the meaning of being alive in a wild time like this. "There’s something really exciting about the state-changing practice of breathing together at the edges of all we know in response to humanity’s greatest challenges. We are dreamers, magicians and imaginaries, and we have made the impossible, possible. This workshop will take us to somewhere inspiring, creative, and unexpected where insights emerging in altered states of consciousness can have tangible, real-world applications, and can become meaningful outsights. Now We Need Humans is an experience where we will be crossing into intimate places that make space for us in a time that reveals a greater thirst this world cannot satisfy." - Katrien Franken

Past Engagements

SELECTED

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Workshop

A Coming of Place

13 April 2025: 12.00-14.00

Soho House, Spuistraat 210, Amsterdam

A two-hour workshop, developed and faciliatated by Katrien Franken, introducing her work "A Coming of Place". An experiential learning journey that explores who we are, where we are, and what we are here to do.

"Join Open Up founder, Katrien Franken for an experimental breathwork workshop. Her approach is designed to 'spark' you into re-orienting yourself as we release energy, shift perspectives and deepen our inquiry into who we are, where we are, and who is with us. She will be introducing her philosophy for breathing-with the world through a coming of age process which seeks to personally develop agency, into a shared vision with the more than human world."

Capacity: 40 people (Soho House members only)

Facilitator: Katrien Franken w/ 2 assistants

Supported with Open Up assistants.

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Project

Emerge Lakefront

6 - 21 February 2025

Sköndal, Stockholm - Sweden

In February, the Open Up office will temporarily relocate from Amsterdam to Stockholm to help co-create an impact node and community for global change, in its early stages, founded by Tomas Bjorkman and Harry Mc Neil.

This leap into a co-creation has sparked questions for Katrien such as: What does it mean to cultivate relationship and truly sense the potential of a dynamic time and place when we come together with intention for meaningful action? How can we challenge each other to explore the power of relationships, especially as they involve the continual cycling and updating of human resources - and beyond? 

As T.S. Eliot wrote, "Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."

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Workshop

The Spark

1 February 2025: 12.00-14.00

Soho House, Spuistraat 210, Amsterdam

Join Open Up founder, Katrien Franken for an experimental workshop. Her cutting-edge approach is designed to 'spark' you into re-orienting yourself as we release energy, shift perspectives and deepen our inquiry into who we are, where we are and who is with us. She will be introducing her philosophy for breathing-with the world through a coming of age process which seeks to personally develop agency, into a shared vision with the more than human world.

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Capacity: 18 people (Soho House members only)

Facilitator: Katrien Franken w/ 2 assistants

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Workshop

Mystical Entropy

14 December 2024: 17.00-19.30

Wijk Aan Zee, NL

The Mystical Entropy Project is lead by Michiel van Elk and Aidon Lyon at Leiden University, and seeks to develop a new theoretical framework for scientific study of mystical experiences and spiritual practice. 

During the 3-day workshop, focussing on the neuroscience of mystical experiences, Katrien Franken will lead the group into an exploration of Conscious Connected Breathwork to tap into an altered state of consciousness that can be incredibly profound.

Katrien is curious how breathwork and more experiential sessions, and the depth of our shared experience, can become a bigger part and exploration in research. To weave it into the tapestry of inquiry, and to let it inform and help form the process.

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Read more about the project here:

Capacity: 25 people w/ 2 assistants

Facilitator: Katrien Franken w/ assistants

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Workshop

A Coming Of Place

22 November 2024: 13.00-16.30

Landgoed de Horst, Driebergen-Rijsenburg, NL

Katrien Franken will lead this 3,5 hour workshop on regenerative leadership for "Vakgenieten met Vakgenoten for De Baak, for the trainers of De Baak. She will be introducing her new work "A Coming Of Place".

 

De Baak is a training and leadership institute in The Netherlands. This workshop is for freelance trainers and coaches in the network of De Baak community.

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This experimental and science-based workshop is about reorienting ourselves, not only in relation to others, but also in relation to the vital places we share. In an ecology of practices and Conscious Connected Breathwork, we will unleash energy, shift perspectives and receive the gift of disorientation in an altered state of consciousness. Is there a different kind leader here – something to consider, to contest, to practice, to sit with.

Capacity: max 14 people. 

Facilitator: Katrien Franken w/assistant

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Workshop

Sacred Sessions

 

10 October 2024: 20.00-21.15 

Oude Kerk, Delft, NL

The Sacred Sessions are hosted by philosopher Madelaine Ley and take place in the Oude Kerk Delft, offering a beautiful space that blends philosophy, poetry, science.

​This Autumn Edition delves into the sensations of transition. On the 10th of October Katrien Franken will join us on the topic Mischief.


Come join us for a very alive 75 mins that blends philosophy, poetry, science, and breathwork.​

​Registration: https://www.oudeennieuwekerkdelft.nl/evenementen/sacred-sessions/

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Workshop

THNK FSTVL

To Be In Awe 

16 November 2024: 10.00-13.00

Basecamp, Amsterdam, NL

Join Katrien Franken for her 3 hour immersive breathwork journey, inquiry and ritual "To be in Awe" at the THNK Festival this year. 

 

Together we will alter our state of consciousness and become entrained in a world you forgot was possible. It will be powered by our dreams, energy, imagination and intelligence. Katrien is part of the faculty of THNK School of Leadership in Amsterdam. 

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Capacity: 40 people

Facilitator: Katrien Franken w/ 3 assistants​

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Training/retreat

Breathwork Training for Dutch Mental Healthcare Professionals in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy

18, 19 , 20 April 2024

Yügen Forest, NL

Open Up and Katrien Franken is the first to train dutch licensed mental health care professionals of the Netherlands in breathwork. She is part of the teaching team for the Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy course at the Integrative Psychiatry Institute in Colorado, America. This year (2024), this training is being organized for the first time for a group of Dutch people by 1nP Foundation, part of Parnassia Group. The training is exclusively aimed at professionals in mental health care.

Katrien's role in this training will consist of introducing the breathwork for Psychedelic Assisted Therapy. She will be designing and facilitating an in-person 3-day residential breathwork retreat where 24 licensed mental healthcare professionals in the training will come together for an applied and experiential introduction to breathwork.

 

Accreditation for clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, psychotherapists, GZ psychologists and GZ nurse specialists, has been requested for this part of the complete training program.

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Workshop

THNK

 

11 december 2023: 09.30-12.30 

THNK, Amsterdam, NL

Katrien is part of the faculty of THNK - School of Leadership in Amsterdam, guiding and mentoring executive leaders one-on-one and in groups.

 

She will be guiding the THNK core faculty team, founders and faculty into an experience in breathwork and inner growth, introducing a process powered by Open Up and the vision. 

Facilitator: Katrien Franken w/ 2 assistants

Capacity: 30 people 

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Guest teacher

Open Up workshop 'Futures Are Us'

27 November + 4 December 2023

University Utrecht, Utrecht, NL​​

Based on Open Up's academic breathwork study on The effects of conscious connected breathing on corical brain, mood states and altered states of consciousness, Katrien Franken is invited at Universiteit Utrecht as a guest teacher in an 8-week course, titled "Literature and Philosophy; Dao, Abhidharma, Zen", created and facilitated by Kiene Brillenburg Wurth.

 

The course introduces students to the (inter)relations between philosophy and literature, and is taking them through different modalities of thinking, perceiving, and experiencing.

Katrien will introduce breathwork, and her vision and mission for the future of eduction to 40 students.

 

She proposes the question: What if breathing together can teach us to think differently about education, about ourselves (in the world), about the way we learn how to learn? What wants to become possible from this shared experience? Read more

Facilitator: Katrien Franken 

Capacity: 40 people

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Workshop

Set & Setting in Psychedelic Use

29 August 2023: 14.30-17.00

Lorentz Center Leiden, NL

In the week of August 28 to September 2023, 50 international researchers and experts from different disciplinary backgrounds (including academic, clinicians, and expert practitioners) came together to foster an exchange of idea sand best practices around the roles and functions of set and setting in psychedelic use.

 

Katrien Franken will lead a group of 25 people into an Open Up experience as part of the program. 

This private event is organised by:

  • Joost Breeksema of OPEN Foundation

  • Michiel van Elk (Leiden University)

  • Gemma Blok (Open Universiteit)

  • André van der Braak (Vrije Universiteit)

  • Robert Schroevers (University Medical Center Groningen)

Facilitator: Katrien Franken 

Capacity: 30 people

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RETREAT

Open Up Breathwork workshop

for Regenerative Stewardship

Legal Psilocybin Retreat

30 November 2022: 16.00 - 19.30

Herberg Spanbroek, Spanbroek, NL

Katrien will facilitate a four hour breath work process at a psilocybin retreat for Awaken The Medicine Within.

 

Breathwork in the Open Up approach is closely related to the experience in psilocybin. Read Open Up's academic breathwork research here: www.openup.world/research

Facilitator: Katrien Franken

Capacity: 18 people

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WORKSHOP

Breathwork as Psychedelic Therapy at

Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Research.

21 September 2022: 13.30-17.00

Haarlem, NL

Breathwork in an Open Up proces, facilitated for The Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Research; the leading scientific conference in Europe dedicated to advancing psychedelic research and therapies organized by OPEN Foundation since 2010.

Breathing exercises are used throughout centuries by ancient &native cultures as a means of cultivating expanded states of consciousness in order to facilitate transformative experiences that deepen connection and help access healing. States which can resemble a psychedelic experience. With the rise of psychedelic therapy, questions emerge regarding breathwork within this context for/as psychedelic therapy.

This workshop combines breathwork as a practice of self-exploration in non-ordinary states of consciousness in a psychological, sacred and ritualistic bedding. We invite psychiatrists, psychologists, healthcare organisations and professionals, breathwork or psychedelic researchers, therapists, and people who are interested in learning and exploring the topic and possibility for emotional breakthroughs and healing in non-ordinary states of consciousness without taking any substance.

Facilitator/workshop design: Katrien Franken 

Capacity: 30 people

https://open-foundation.org/

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LEADERSHIP

THNK School for creative Leadership

13, 14, 15 December 2022

Online

THNK School of Leadership designs and delivers transformational learning journeys to help leaders thrive in complexity and act to increase their impact.

 

Katrien Franken will lead 25 executive world leaders who take part in the THNK"s Executive Leadership Program into a deep inner journey. She combines breathwork, neuroscience, contemplative practice, psychology and philosophy with wisdom traditions.

 

Open Up was the first to introduce breathwork at THNK in 2019 guiding leaders in deep journeys into Self, other and the world. 

Facilitator: Katrien Franken

Capacity: 25 people

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The Breathwork Group Series

10 editions - In-person on location in Amsterdam

The Breathwork Group Series is a unique five week journey and exploration of who you are, created by Katrien Franken. She has run 10 editions & versions of The Breathwork Group Series in person in groups of max 25 people.

Series 1:    19.10.2017 - 10.12.2017​

Series 2:    05.01.2018 - 02.02.2018

Series 3:    08.04.2018 - 20.05.2018

Series 4:    02.09.2018 - 30.09.2018

Series 5:    14.10.2018 - 18.11.2018

Series 6:    09.09.2019 - 09.03.2019

Series 7:    18.04.2019 - 16.05.2019

Series 8:    04.09.2019 - 02.10.2019

Series 9:    23.10.2019 - 20.11.2019

Series 10:  31.08.2022 - 29.09.2022

 

Duration: 5 weeks | In-Person

Facilitator & Host: Katrien Franken

 Read more here

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Be The Earth Foundation

1 April and 25 May 2022

Online

Be The Earth is a UK based foundation that combines impact investing and philanthropy for a world that nurtures all beings.

 

Katrien will lead a breathwork session for the Aura and Flow Fellowship leaders. The Aura leaders reclaims and centres women's wisdom in regenerating systems that support all life to flourish. The Flow Funding is a programme that shares power with experienced activists and visionary leaders who choose from intuition how philanthropic funds should be invested. 

Facilitator: Katrien Franken 

https://www.betheearth.foundation/

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WORKSHOP

Soho House, Amsterdam

 

Monthly Breathwork workshops during 2018 - 2021

Soho House, Amsterdam

Open Up offers monthly group workshops for the members of Soho House Amsterdam. Always fully booked with waiting list, we inspire personal change towards social & cultural transformation. Developing and facilitating experiential and experimental sessions and breathwork ceremonies in a constant reflection with the inner and outer world.

 

We support humans to open up to the whole of their experience and find depth and meaning and joy in what is presenting itself. This in-person event is for Soho House members only.

Facilitator: Katrien Franken.​

Kinship

KINSHIP:

An exploration into being together

 

15 March - 5 May 2022

Online

Open Up is partner of Advaya in the KINSHIP course; a transformative form of relationship that perhaps offers an answer to the crisis of belonging, curated by Hannah CloseA course and exploration into Being Together. 

 

Katrien co-hosted en curated 4 online inquiry sessions. Community is the vessel, the social infrastructure of life, relationality is the alchemical catalyst, the yoke of togetherness, and belonging is the meaning and magic amidst it all. Katrien is co-curating and will be leading the facilitation of inquiry community sessions 

 

Facilitator: Katrien Franken 

Capacity: 100 people

https://advaya.life/courses/kinship-2022

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Darkness Meditation

19 August, 9 December 2020

28 July, 28 September, 23 November 2021

Join Katrien at Soho House Amsterdam for an exceptional meditation in the Dark, which connects us with darkness as a practice to awaken, transform and heal. With facilitated preparation you will be  guided look into the blackness where without visual stimuli the mind and soul can wander. This process releases fear of the unknown, and invites us to look and listen into our own world and being.

 

This is an in-person event for Soho House members.

​Facilitator: Katrien Franken

Soho House members only

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Emergent Dialogue

October 2021 - April 2022

Online

Emergent Dialogue is a practice that empowers you to participate in a new culture of creative togetherness and is developed by Elizabeth Debold and Thomas Steininger of Evolve World.. An intense practice program for inter-being.

 

Katrien will be co-facilitating in the training and is part of a core group who initiated the training.

Co-facilitator: Katrien Franken

https://www.evolve-world.org/module-overview

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WORKSHOP

Nike Europe - Directors team

 

3, 4, 8 June 2021

Zoku Amsterdam, NL 

This is a private event for 10 people on the directors team of Nike Europe. A two day immersion at ZoKu Amsterdam, This team is one of the biggest challenges. Facilitating creative workshops, insight and learning with the goal:
• Bringing an understanding to the team of what you expect from them as leaders, bringing them closer together. To be successful.
• Creating a sense of their own destiny.
• Enthusiasm about the future.
• Building team spirit, enthusiasm.

 

Facilitator: Katrien Franken 

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CORPORATE

Open Up at Elsevier

5 April 2018

7 & 9 May 2019

Elsevier Headquarters, Amsterdam, NL

Open Up cares for the health of an organisation, and by organisations who make care for the health of the people within the organisation. Katrien Franken is invited to lead and design multiple in person workshops for the Elsevier teams and employees in Amsterdam.

 

Elsevier provides information and analytics that help institutions and professionals progress science, advance healthcare and improve performance.

 

Katrien will facilitate 2 workshops for employees in the Open Up breathwork and inner work approach and methodology, fostering a deeper care for everyone's inner Life towards outer moral change. Making work environments healthier, wiser and more connected.

Facilitator: Katrien Franken

Capacity: 30 people

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WORKSHOP

ICPR 2020

3 Open Up workshops - online

25-27 September 2020

Open Foundation is advancing psychedelic research and therapies to benefit science, healthcare, and society since 2007.

 

Open Up is a Gold Sponsor this year for the Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Research 2020. (ICPR20).

 

Katrien Franken is speaker and will be facilitating

3 breathwork workshops online, due to Covid-19.

Facilitator: Katrien Franken 

https://open-foundation.org/

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WORKSHOP

Be Great, be Grateful day

PATTERNITY

13 August 2017: 13.00-14.00

Ace Hotel, 100 Shoreditch High St, London, UK

Join Katrien for an immersive breathwork exprerience at PATTERNITY to celebrate the launch of their latest book 'Be Great Be Grateful,

Katrien Franken will be leading a transformative Breathing workshop - ‘Connecting deeply to being’ delve into your inner being.

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WORKSHOP

New Womanhood

Friday 5 April 2018: 18.30 - 22.00

De Roos, Amsterdam

New Womanhood created by Katrien Franken explores women (and men) and support(ed) networks to have courages conversations, explorations and learnings in service of our collective growth. Facing and embracing and living our truth and acknowledging and integrating our blind spots. This gathering is for the rebel woman who wants to light the spark of what it might look like to create a new culture around womanhood. We are calling it "New Womanhood".

Facilitator & Host: Katrien Franken

Have a project in mind? I’d love to hear more.

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