organisation

founder / chair of the board / editor

secretary of the board / pr manager / editor

director of sponsorship & subsidies (member of the board) / editor

editor

member of the board / editor

treasurer (member of the board)

Shanta

Shanta is a visual storyteller and creative director. After her graduation in 2016 (Animation Design BA), she started working as an animator, focusing on traditional hand drawn animation. Since 2018 Shanta has been focusing on (building) the phase[0] and subshape community.

Shanta is often inspired by stories of people around her. Moreover, Shanta’s past with an eating disorder and chronic illness have given her many insights on life, work and happiness. Art has always been a way for Shanta to stay in contact with her surroundings, her own emotions and body. Since her recovery from her eating disorder she wants to help others with their mental health struggles. Art is an essential part of this journey.

You can learn more about Shanta and phase[0] here:
shantajethoe.com
phase0.nl

Mary

Mary is a general practitioner, predominantly working in The Hague. She graduated in 2017 with a Master’s degree in Science, after which she worked in general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery. She then pivoted to family medicine. Since phase[0] and subshape are focused on creating a mental health safe space, Mary has been involved since the early stages of the development of phase[0] and subshape, in order to fill the need to provide healthcare in an accessible and responsible way.

Mary’s overall interest in the wellbeing of people, including their mental health, is not only reflected in her professional career, but also in her stance on social issues. This makes her an essential part of our teams: at phase[0] as a healthcare and confidential counsellor, and in the subshape team as an editor.

Leonie

Leonie is part of the subshape team as the Director of Sponsorship and Subsidies, as well as an editor.

She works as a general practitioner and also has work experience in internal medicine, emergency medicine and child & adolescent psychiatry. Throughout her career in medicine, Leonie has witnessed the profound impact of mental health on her patients. Fuelled by her passion for mental health advocacy, she aspires to bridge the gap and break down barriers to mental health care, especially with the current long waiting times for treatments. Through subshape, Leonie has the ambition to help create a safe and inclusive space where people can connect, share their experiences, access valuable resources, and receive support from both professionals and peers.

As the Director of Sponsorship and Subsidies, Leonie is responsible for managing fundraising initiatives and developing partnerships to ensure the financial sustainability of subshape, thereby enabling the platform to grow and fulfil its mission of providing support to those in need.

Michelle

Michelle is an author, visual artist and psychology student. She studied Animation Design BA and graduated in 2018. After her graduation, Michelle has worked on both autonomous and commissioned projects. In the past few years, she has self-published a series of books (Magic’s Source series and Lucky the Last Traveler). Michelle is currently studying psychology at the Open University.

Michelle’s experiences both professionally and personally have taught her how important it is to create dialogues with people and to give them a platform where they can be heard. Michelle likes to share personal experiences, wrapped in fun and intriguing written stories, aiming to create an open and safe atmosphere in which you (our readers) feel comfortable to share your stories. By working for subshape, she hopes to contribute to society in a valuable way. 

Interested in seeing some of her work? Take a look at her sites:
mestoriesanddesign.com
michelleermens.com

Sharmila

Sharmila is part of the phase[0] and subshape teams as diversity advisor and editor respectively.

Sharmila graduated with a Master’s in Asian Studies. Her broad interest in injustice and social issues is reflected in Sharmila’s professional career, where she has worked in governmental departments committed to helping vulnerable groups in society.

Irene

Leonie is part of the subshape team as the Director of Sponsorship and Subsidies, as well as an editor.

She works as a general practitioner and also has work experience in internal medicine, emergency medicine and child & adolescent psychiatry. Throughout her career in medicine, Leonie has witnessed the profound impact of mental health on her patients. Fuelled by her passion for mental health advocacy, she aspires to bridge the gap and break down barriers to mental health care, especially with the current long waiting times for treatments. Through subshape, Leonie has the ambition to help create a safe and inclusive space where people can connect, share their experiences, access valuable resources, and receive support from both professionals and peers.

As the Director of Sponsorship and Subsidies, Leonie is responsible for managing fundraising initiatives and developing partnerships to ensure the financial sustainability of subshape, thereby enabling the platform to grow and fulfil its mission of providing support to those in need.