The Betrayal You Didn't Ask For
Someone you trusted deeply, broke your trust.
Maybe it was a partner, a parent, a business associate, or a close friend. The person you confided in, felt safe with or were dependent on, ended up shattering you at your very core. And now, that fracture is shaping everything.
First, there’s the pain itself. The hurt. The anger. The confusion. The questions that have no answers: Why? How could they? Was any of it real?
You re-play conversations. You re-examine memories. You try to make sense of what doesn’t make sense. You doubt everything. Your reality, even yourself. It’s incredibly disorienting.
What makes betrayal trauma so devastating is that it doesn’t stay contained. It bleeds outward. It affects your self-esteem and it feeds self-doubt. It seeps into your sleep, your appetite, your focus, your relationships, and eventually your ambitions.
It can manifest as the proposal you didn’t write. The promotion you didn’t pursue. The voice that didn’t speak up in the meeting, with time affecting your career and even your finances.
None of this means you are broken. You are human, carrying something extremely heavy.
How Betrayal Is Shaping Your Life
The effects of betrayal trauma are far-reaching and deeply personal. Recognising how it is showing up for you is the first honest step toward moving through it. Below are the four common ways betrayal can manifest. You may recognise yourself in more than one.
You might also experience additional post-betrayal symptoms*.
*The list of symptoms is longer than what is presented here. From research it showed that a grand majority of respondents reported to experience multiple symptoms – you are not crazy and you are not alone.
Betrayal can become your greatest teacher
First of all: You did not deserve this
And you are not to blame for someone’s choice to betray, lie, hide, steal or cheat on or from you. Their choice says nothing about your worth.
Let me repeat that: Their choice says nothing about your worth!!
How then can betrayal be a teacher? Because betrayal hits you to the core and turns everything upside down, it presents an opportunity to rebuild everything. Rebuilding it better and more beautifully. I understand this seems far-fetched if your experience was very recent.
Let me explain: Betrayal can expose your deepest insecurities.
Expose patterns that no longer serve you, and areas in your life where you have lost, shrunken or betrayed yourself.
With the right support, this painful experience can show you the way to become a more authentic, wholesome and healed version of yourself.
When your world shatters, you get to choose what and how you rebuild and who you become on the other side of the hurt. You get to move from merely surviving to truly living again.
Are You Ready To...
This Is For You If...
You may have been sitting with this pain for weeks or months. Sometimes even years. You may have adopted behaviours or patters that are holding you back, that can be traced back to an unhealed betrayal from decades ago. You may have tried to push through it, talk yourself out of it, or simply wait for it to pass on its own. This programme has been carefully designed for the moment when you are ready to stop surviving and start living! If this resonates, you are in the right place.
Our Six-Month Journey to Wholeness
This programme is built around six essential steps, carefully designed to move you gently yet powerfully from where you are now toward the whole, authentic, and grounded person you are becoming.
Whether you walk this path individually or within The Hearth, you will move through the same transformative stages with steady guidance and support throughout.
Understanding
Share your story. Understand how betrayal trauma affects your brain and body. Learn where you are in the healing journey and begin with compassion, clarity, and intention.
Release
See the patterns that no longer serve you. Notice where you may have abandoned yourself. Begin releasing old beliefs, stuck emotions, and ways of coping that keep you small.
Rebuild
Restore trust in yourself. Rebuild your confidence from the inside out. Learn to set healthy boundaries that protect your peace without cutting you off from life.
Dare to Dream
Move beyond survival mode. Reconnect with possibility. Begin writing a new story for your life — one rooted in truth, voice, desire, and power.
Claim Your Life
Learn to say yes more fully — to yourself, to connection, to life, and to the person you are becoming.
Integration
Honour how far you have come. Weave your healing into daily life. Step forward with joy, self-respect, and a deeper sense of wholeness.
Each stage builds upon the last, creating a foundation that is deep enough to last. Yet healing is not linear. We will also revisit and deepen steps were need be, as we walk the journey. Everybody is at a different place in their journey and we respect where you are and encourage you to take the next step.
What You Will Gain
Month 1 — Understanding, Sharing & Setting Intentions
You will begin by making sense of what betrayal trauma has done to your inner world. You will learn how it affects your body, mind, emotions, relationships, and professional life. Most importantly, you will start from a place of compassion instead of self-blame.
You will leave this stage with:
- greater self-kindness and patience
- hope that healing is possible
- a clearer vision of the future you want
- strong intentions for your journey ahead
Month 2 — See Your Patterns & Release
This is the courageous work of self-reclamation. You will gently explore the places where you overrode your truth, abandoned your instincts, or settled for less than you deserved. This is not about blame. It is about reclaiming choice.
You will leave this stage with:
- deeper self-awareness
- more connection to your true self
- greater emotional clarity
- body-based practices to support your healing
- more calm, authenticity, and release
Month 3 & 4 — Rebuild Trust & Reclaim Your Power
You will begin rebuilding from the inside out. You will reconnect to your intuition, strengthen your confidence, and learn boundaries that honour your needs. Then you will turn toward the future — not just what happened, but what is now possible.
You will leave these stages with:
- stronger self-trust
- increased confidence
- healthy boundaries
- clarity on next steps
- a felt sense of hope, expansion, and possibility
Month 5 & 6 — Saying Yes to Life
You will move from inner repair toward fuller connection. This includes your relationship with yourself, with others, with life, and with what it means to belong again. Finally, you will integrate everything you have learned and honour who you have become.
You will leave this stage with:
- more grounded, fulfilling relationships
- greater openness to connection
- celebration of your growth
- a new story rooted in joy, confidence, and wholeness
Two Paths
The Individual Journey
Your Journey. Your Pace. Private, Personal, Profound
The Individual Path is designed for those who want deep, dedicated, one-on-one support – a completely private space to do this work at exactly the pace that serves you best. There is no group timeline to keep up with, no need to share your process before you are ready. Just you and me and a carefully structured six-month journey built entirely around your specific needs, patterns, and goals.
The structure exists to support us, we are not there to support the structure and the program will be customized to what you need most.
This path is available both online — accessible from anywhere in the world — and in-person in Nairobi. It is ideal if you value the intimacy and depth of private coaching, if your schedule is unpredictable, or if you simply know yourself well enough to understand that you do your best work one-on-one. Six months of unwavering, personalised support.
The individual path is available to all genders.
Perfect For You If:
- You want dedicated one-on-one attention
- You prefer deep dives in private
- You want dedicated time to dive into your own particular set of circumstances
- Your schedule is unpredictable and you prefer session by session scheduling
- Note: This program is currently only available online
What's Included:
- 10 sessions in total
- 8 private coaching sessions
- 1 somatic practice session
- 1 integration session
- Personal workbook
- 6 months of support
- WhatsApp access between sessions
$ 1,625
Currently the program is only available online
Payment plans available: Pay in 2 instalments (+$35) or 3 instalments (+$57). Details provided upon enquiry.
The Hearth — Group Journey
Heal in Community. Small Group. In-Person + Online.
There is something ancient and deeply restorative about sitting with other women who truly understand. Women who are walking a similar path, carrying similar pain, and choosing, together, to rebuild. The Hearth creates that sacred space. Healing happens in connection.
You will move through the same six stages as the Individual Path, with the added dimension of community, shared ritual, and collective strength. The programme includes in-person gatherings in Nairobi, alongside five online group sessions and two private one-on-one calls with Ingrid.
The next cohort is planned to start in March 2027. Contact me to be added to the waiting list.
Currently the group journey is available to women-only. In the future we might add mixed and male only cohorts as well.
What's Included:
- In-person kick-off session
- 5 online group coaching sessions
- In-person somatic practice
- 2 private 1:1 calls with Ingrid
- In-person Women’s Fire Chat
- Personal workbook
- 6 months of community support
- Discounts on additional private sessions
- Next cohort is planned to start in March 2027 – can’t wait? Join the individual program!
Investment
$ 750
Join a community of women healing together. Online substitutes available for in-person sessions.
Why Six Months?
Because real transformation does not happen in six weeks. Six months allows us to move with enough depth for genuine integration — not just insight, but lasting change.
We live in a culture that wants quick fixes, instant results, and overnight breakthroughs. But betrayal trauma asks something different of us. Healing requires time. Time to understand. Time to grieve. Time to release. Time to rebuild. Time to practise new ways of being until they become real.
You are not behind. You are not too much. You are not taking too long. You are creating something lasting.
Your Guide — Ingrid Kruiter
Founder, Lead Coach Open Hearth Coaching
Ingrid Kruiter is a lover of life, nature, the outdoors, road trips, camping, reading, and meaningful conversations. She founded Open Hearth Coaching in 2019 with a clear purpose: to support individuals and teams to truly thrive. She became an accredited NLP Life Coach in 2017, one of the most profound personal growth experiences of her own life.
Over the past seven years, Ingrid has worked with hundreds of clients in both one-on-one and group settings. She is also a trained Workshop Facilitator, with facilitation experience across organisations including the Dutch Embassy, Rabobank Kenya, MDF, Charlie’s Travels, and the International Rescue Committee. Her previous professional background spans 15+ years in Human Rights and International Development with (I)NGOs, as well as Strategic and Operational Management in corporate leadership.
Ingrid's Own Betrayal Journey
In 2023, Ingrid went through a massive personal betrayal. Her then-partner betrayed her, and she discovered the betrayal had been present from the very beginning. The relationship was never genuine from his side. That was profoundly painful.
Her healing journey involved grief, messy feelings, and an honest reckoning with her own patterns.
Though already equipped to support people through difficult life events, and with already six years of coaching experience at the time, she pursued additional certifications in Post Betrayal Transformation and Trauma Recovery Coaching — so she could support you with even greater depth, knowledge and skills
Qualifications & Expertise
- Accredited NLP Life Coach
- Accredited Trauma Recovery Coach
- Certified Post Betrayal Transformation Coach
- Certified Transformational Breathwork Facilitator
- Certified Systemic Work Facilitator – Family Constellation
- Oxygen Advantage Functional Breathing Instructor
- Trained Workshop Facilitator
- MA Conflict Studies & Human Rights
- BSc Cultural Anthropology
- 15+ years in Human Rights & International Development
- Founder of Open Hearth Coaching (2019)
- Hundreds of individuals, teams and group clients supported
What Clients Are Saying
Healing is deeply personal, but you do not have to do it without proof that change is possible. Here are a few reflections from people who have experienced Ingrid’s work and the kind of support she brings.
The most honest measure of this work is found in the words of those who have lived it.
These are real clients — real people who came to Ingrid in the midst of some of the most difficult seasons of their lives, and chose to do the courageous work of healing. Their words are offered here to show you there is hope, this works and to encourage you to not give up. To trust that getting unstuck, moving forward and feeling better and more joyful is possible!
Frequently Asked Questions
How is this different from Therapy?
Reclaim Your Power is not therapy, though it can be deeply therapeutic. It is a trauma-informed coaching journey that combines emotional healing, practical tools, and guided support to help you process betrayal and reconnect with your strength.
Can I Heal in 6 Months?
Healing is deeply personal, and every journey is different. It is also not a race, and no programme can promise a fixed outcome within a set timeline. Six months can create meaningful movement, deeper awareness, and a strong foundation for lasting change. The programme is designed to help you make real progress, not rush or force your healing.
Religious, Spiritual or Faith-Based?
No. Reclaim Your Power is not a religious programme. It is designed to be supportive and accessible to people from different faith backgrounds, spiritual paths, or no faith background at all.
I'm not sure this is the Right Path
That is completely okay. If you are unsure which path fits you best, we can help you discern whether the Individual Path or the group experience is the more supportive next step for where you are right now.
When Can I Start?
You can begin when the next available intake opens or when spaces become available for the path you choose. If applications are not currently open, you can join the waitlist or register your interest for the next round.
Can I Join if I am Outside Nairobi?
Yes. You do not need to be in Nairobi to take part. The Individual Path is available online worldwide, and the group programme is primarily online, with support for those who cannot attend the Nairobi in-person elements.
Are There In-Person Sessions?
Yes, where applicable. The Hearth Group Programme includes three in-person gatherings in Nairobi, and if you are unable to attend those in person, alternatives can be provided so you can still participate meaningfully.
Do You Support Payment Plans?
Yes. Payment plan options are available to make the programme more accessible. Specific terms will depend on the path you choose and the current enrolment round.
Can Men Join?
Absolutely. The Individual Path is fully available to people of all genders. At the moment, the group path is only open to women, though mixed or male-only cohorts may be offered in future.
What If I’m Still Married to My Betrayer?
Yes. You do not need to have left the relationship to begin this work. Many people join while still in the relationship, while navigating uncertainty, or while trying to understand what is true for them.
What About Betrayal In Business?
Yes. Betrayal in business can cut deeply and affect trust, identity, confidence, and decision-making. If your deepest betrayal happened in a professional or business context, this programme can still be highly relevant.
If It Happened Long Ago?
Yes. Even if the betrayal happened years or decades ago, its impact can still be present in your body, patterns, relationships, and inner world. If it still feels alive in some way, this work may still support you.
Am I Too Old?
No. There is no age limit on healing, reclaiming yourself, or choosing a new chapter. If this work resonates with you, you are welcome.
Am I Too Young?
Possibly not. What matters most is your readiness, capacity for self-reflection, and whether the programme is appropriate for your stage of life. If you are unsure, that can be explored before joining.
A Final Word — With Love
You don't have to carry this alone. There is a life waiting for you on the other side of this — more whole, more beautiful, and more entirely yours than you can yet imagine - Ingrid Kruiter, Open Hearth Coaching
You Do Not Have to Stay in Survival Mode.
What happened to you was not your fault. You are not weak for trusting someone. The fact that the trust was broken says everything about the person who broke it, and nothing about your worth, your value or your capacity to love again.
Healing from betrayal is one of the most courageous things a person can undertake. It requires you to look honestly at your pain. To release what no longer serves you without losing what makes you, you. To open up again when every instinct says stay closed.
That kind of courage deserves real support, a structured, compassionate, evidence-informed journey led by someone who has not only studied the path, but also walked it and come through the other side.
That is what this programme offers. And it is here, waiting for you, whenever you are ready.
Ready to Begin Your Transformation?
Reclaim Your Power is an invitation to heal with structure, compassion, and courage — so that betrayal is no longer the thing that defines your life.
Something in you brought you here — and that something is worth listening to.
There is a burning desire inside of you to letting this experience define you. It might have defined the (recent) past, you are committed to not let it define your future!
The first step does not have to be a giant leap. It can be a three-letter word. Saying “yes” to yourself. Maybe for the first time in a long time.
Whether you know exactly which path you want to take, or whether you still have questions and want to simply talk it through — every option below is available to you, right now. There is no pressure. There is no wrong choice. There is only the choice that feels right for you, in this moment, at this particular point in your healing.
Take the first step on your journey from betrayal to wholeness. You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to begin.