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Payment methods acceptedMaria Verschoor is a former player of the Dutch national hockey team and an Olympic champion. After fifteen years in elite sport, she now lives in Spain with her partner Mies. In this piece, she reflects on what freedom really means — and why it doesn't always feel comfortable.
Living under the sky, not under a roof
As I write this, I'm lying in my hammock. Every evening I've watched the sun go down, every day I've surfed, read, written and meditated. There is something so special, almost magical, about living outdoors like this. Being at one with nature and staying so close to it gives me an incredible sense of calm and feeling truly alive.
When you wake up, the first door you open leads outside. It feels so free. We can drive wherever we want, whenever we want. These weeks always remind me that I feel my best when I'm outdoors. Spending the whole day outside, living under the sky rather than under a roof. That comfort isn't always what serves you best. Living according to the rhythm of nature keeps me grounded in the present moment.
After a busy few months, I settled into this pace almost immediately. Phone away, book open. Suddenly, I realised how much I had been letting life happen to me instead of taking the reins myself.
Mies and I often talk about how our lives are now completely open for the first time. Suddenly there is so much time and space to think about what you truly want.
I'm grateful to be aware of that. Sometimes I'm afraid of moving through life on autopilot, not fully conscious of my thoughts and choices. I want to stay present, so I can continue to live life on my own terms.
After fifteen years of hockey: suddenly, all the space
After fifteen years of hockey and thirteen years with the Dutch national team, I love that I'm now creating space for different experiences. Last year, Mies and I decided to buy a campervan, travel through Europe and move to Spain to play hockey.
Life feels wide open. It's exactly what I longed for when I was still playing and none of it seemed possible. Yet all that space brought something else too. For years, I knew exactly who I was: a hockey player. My days had structure, my goals were clear and my life had direction.
Then suddenly, all of that disappeared. Who am I now? What do I want to do? How do I want to shape my life? What do I want my working life to look like? The space also brought a certain restlessness. What now? The years of elite sport, always moving towards the next goal, followed me into life after hockey. The freedom I had wanted for so long made me feel unsettled.
I noticed how often my thoughts were focused on the future. And that felt like a shame, because I wanted to enjoy this adventure now. So something shifted. I decided to appreciate where I am in life today and enjoy the small things much more.
Freedom is letting go, not knowing
I truly believe that the universe has a path for me and that things unfold as they're meant to. That's what I trust. My trust grew, and I became better at letting go of the future. I love that I can now embrace this space with calm and confidence, rather than immediately rushing towards the next thing out of restlessness or the need to prove myself.
After all those years in elite sport, it feels strange that so few things are a necessity anymore. Everything is now simply possible. I can choose what feels right for me. It's incredibly liberating. I genuinely feel free — or at least freer than ever before.
If you had told me two years ago that I would be lying in a hammock with the love of my life beside our campervan on the Spanish coast, I would never have believed you. First of all, I was attracted to men. I was playing for Amsterdam and the Dutch national team, and as far as I knew, I wasn't planning to stop any time soon. Fast forward, and I fell in love with Mies, stepped away from hockey, moved to Spain, bought a campervan and a home near the beach.
Away from the city. Closer to the sea, nature and the dunes. Closer to the life that suits me better. Your desire for freedom can be strong, but freedom doesn't necessarily feel comfortable straight away. For me, true freedom isn't only about doing what you want and making your own choices. It's also about the peace you find within that freedom. Real freedom is letting go and trusting. Letting go of the need to know. Letting go of what you think you should do. Trusting that not everything needs to be mapped out. Trusting that a path will reveal itself. What once made me feel unsettled now feels like freedom.
Clothing that gives the same feeling as freedom
Maybe that's why, during trips like these, I always choose clothing that gives me the same feeling: effortless, easy to wear and free. Pieces that feel good, allow me to move freely and are easy to combine. A soft jogger set on a fresh morning or a breezy linen trouser during a walk along the coast. Simple, effortless and perfectly suited to this chapter of my life.
In Spain. Free. Open to whatever comes next.
Freedom, to me, means letting go of the need to know and trusting that a path will reveal itself.
