Marieke Van De Rakt

Get to know Marieke 🎙️

Can you start by painting a picture of what a typical day looks like for you? What fuels your passion for the work you do, and how does it tie into your involvement with WCEU?

A typical day would start with taking my youngest son to school and after that doing some exercise in the gym. Then, I’ll get behind my computer to answer emails and create a to-do list for my day. That list will contain some articles I will write. I usually have a few meetings too. I am an entrepreneur and an investor in several WordPress brands. 

What sparked your interest in becoming a speaker at WCEU? Was there a particular moment or experience that motivated you to share your insights with this community?

I love speaking. WordCamp Europe is one of my favorite events to speak at. I have spoken before, but the last time I did a talk on stage at a WCEU was in Berlin in 2019. I’m looking forward to sharing knowledge. This year I am especially excited because I will introduce a new project I have been working on for the past months. 

For those awaiting your talk, could you give us a preview of what we can expect to learn from your talk? Any sneak peeks?

Like many of you, I suffer from procrastination. And it has become so much worse in the past few years. I should start with a task – writing something for instance, but instead of doing that I’ll first go to the bathroom, then I’ll get myself a Diet Coke. I’ll check my socials and my emails…. And I procrastinate. I often feel like I am not productive or effective enough. In my talk, I’ll explain why we do this and why website maintenance tasks are so very prone to procrastination. And, I’ll share tips on how to deal with procrastination.

Is it your first time at a WCEU or WordPress event? Any standout memories or lessons learned that you’d like to share?

I am a bit of a WordPress veteran, I suppose. I’ve been to a lot of WordCamps. WordCamps are my thing. I’ll never forget WordCamp Vienna in 2017. I hadn’t spoken at many events back then. And I just started exercising with a personal trainer. I was so very sore, my legs hurt like crazy. I could hardly walk. The talk went great and the event was wonderful, but all I can remember from WordCamp Vienna was that I was so very sore.

Looking beyond the scheduled sessions, what do you hope attendees will take away from their overall experience at WCEU? How can they leverage the event to enhance their professional development or personal growth? 

WordCamp Europe is so great! It is such a wonderful experience. Talk to people. Brainstorm with them about your thoughts for your business or your career. The fact that you’ll find about 2000 people that share a passion, makes for wonderful conversation.