About Pace
Where clarity brings growth
Collaboration only truly works when people understand each other, dare to say what matters, and misunderstandings are not left unresolved. In many teams, this happens far too infrequently. Tension remains simmering beneath the surface, conversations are postponed, and decision-making becomes clouded. Not due to unwillingness, but because no one sees exactly where the friction lies or how to bring it up for discussion without it becoming personal or heavy.
Mission
Pace helps teams have better conversations, so collaboration becomes more effective and gives energy.
Vision
Communication is a skill you can train, not a personality trait.
When tension is addressed instead of avoided, clarity emerges and real issues can be solved.
At the same time, teams develop the skills to handle these conversations themselves, so they don’t depend on external support.
The logo
The Pace logo shows a head looking both inward and outward. It reflects a simple idea: collaboration starts with awareness of what happens within yourself, and strengthens when you connect that clearly to what happens between people.
Inner clarity → clear interaction
That’s the essence of Pace.
Our story
Before founding Pace, Sibel Berkhout worked in the financial sector, responsible for reporting processes that depended on multiple departments.
The friction wasn’t in the content, but in the structure: full responsibility, without the mandate to act. Each department had its own priorities, deadlines and pressures. Every request meant extra work, disruption or cost.
One thing became clear: collaboration depends on how people communicate under pressure. To better understand how to address tension without escalation, she trained as a mediator.
What stood out was that this approach is not only effective once conflict has escalated, but especially before that point, to prevent issues from building and to strengthen collaboration early.
Two elements became essential:
– understanding how people respond, where assumptions arise and how behaviour is shaped
– creating structure that clarifies roles, expectations and decision-making
From this, Synergizing emerged: the method Pace uses today to guide teams.
Core values
Integrity
Saying what is true, especially when it is uncomfortable. Clear without blame, focused on what moves the situation forward.
Freedom
Space to speak, question and adjust. Without that, honesty disappears.
Connection
Collaboration only works when people remain willing to engage with each other. Listening and addressing what would otherwise stay unspoken.
Non-judgment
Focusing on behaviour, not labels. Creating enough safety to be honest, and enough clarity to move forward.
Growth & movement
Insight is only useful if it leads to action. Conversations shift, agreements hold, and collaboration progresses.
The Pace method — Synergizing
Most professionals are never taught how to address tension, give feedback or handle difficult conversations.
Synergizing is designed to change that, within the reality of the team itself.
The approach works across three connected layers:
1. Awareness
Understanding what happens within and between people. Reactions, assumptions and expectations shape every conversation. Making this visible changes how people show up.
2. Organisational structure
Clarifying roles, ownership and decision-making. Many issues that appear personal are reinforced by unclear structure.
3. Communication
Saying what needs to be said, listening properly, and addressing tension directly. Not as theory, but in the conversation itself.
These elements are not treated separately. They are applied together, in real situations, as they unfold.
Where many approaches focus on training, coaching or facilitation in isolation, Synergizing combines them. In practice, this means:
– working in the moment where behaviour actually shows up
– addressing what is said and what is avoided
– making implicit expectations explicit
– adjusting communication and decisions in real time
Mediation, as a form of facilitation, does not allow for direct advice. Synergizing does.
Collaboration shifts when what happens in the moment is addressed: in conversations, in silence, in reactions and in unspoken assumptions.
By strengthening awareness, organisational structure and communication at the same time, teams become more effective, more consistent and better equipped to handle difficult conversations. More importantly, they learn how to continue without support.
The team
Specialist in (team) communication, collaboration, and conflict management
Communication has always fascinated me. I grew up in a multicultural family, where different perspectives sometimes ran parallel. There I saw how quickly misunderstandings can arise and how important it is to speak clearly and truly listen. That experience still forms the basis of my work.
After studying Dutch Law, with a focus on mediation and communication, I worked in employment law. Later, I became head of department at a bank in the Zuidas, where I was responsible for high-impact reports. That position required close collaboration with multiple departments—each with its own priorities, interests, and pressures. It showed me how vulnerable collaboration becomes when tension is not discussed and how essential clear communication is under high responsibility.
To better understand and strengthen that collaboration, I completed postgraduate training in mediation, specializing in labor, business, and group mediation. Subsequently, I delved into NLP to gain a clearer understanding of how people react, where assumptions originate, and how behavior changes.
In practice, I noticed that teams need not only mediation, but above all the skills to prevent misunderstandings themselves and to make tension open for discussion.
This is how Synergizing was born: an approach that brings clarity to conversations, makes patterns visible, and strengthens teams' ability to collaborate, even when things get tough.
My style is direct and non-judgmental, with an eye for what people mean but don't always say. I quickly bring calm and clarity to situations where many things are happening at once and help teams take steps that make a visible difference.
My core values: integrity, freedom, connection, non-judgment, and growth.
Curious what Pace can do for you?
I am happy to brainstorm.