Danika Viola, MS, OTR/L

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Nederland
Tilburg
Danika Viola, MS, OTR/L

Pelvic health OT, mentor, & CEO specializing in women's health, LGBTQIA+ community, and peds.

13/04/2026

Sorry for the swearing, but that's how you know I'm passionate and authentic with what I'm saying 🤣.

Honestly though, I've worked in enough pediatric & adult brain injury rehab hospital/floors as an OT to know that a well-fitting helmet can make a life or death difference in both quality and actuality. 💔

The Dutch say that they don't wear helmets because 1) they're inconvenient to carry around and 2) there's a belief that you're less likely to make risky maneuvers or decisions on a bike if you're not wearing a helmet.

However, this isn't the same for seatbelts - so what is the real reason? Dutch stubbornness and their love of independence. 😏

🩵 As a human being, I don't really care who wears a helmet or not.
🧒🏼 As a mom, I make my kids and any kids who are riding my kids' bikes wear helmets.
🫶 As an OT, I wish everyone would wear one.

But it certainly doesn't make anyone "less dutch" to wear a helmet, and that's a belief that needs to stop being perpetuated.

01/04/2026

Got together at 16 & 17 (I'm older 😏).

I broke it off when I went to college.

Lasted 1 semester before we got back together.

Been together ever since without ever looking back 🥹.

I'm not a "soul mate" person, but I do believe that with communication, compassion, kindness, and mutual respect, it's easy to be married to your best friend 🥳

31/03/2026

We decided to move in November 2024, but February 2025 was when we really started anything - and we moved on June 1!

Moving in 4 months across the Atlantic with 3 young kids (ages 10m, 4, & 6) and a dog was not easy, but thankfully the universe aligned on a million things that easily could have gone wrong.

Its been a year since I moved into this house (for 4 days 🤣), and we're so beyond happy here!

And in 2 months I can finally apply for my Dutch citizenship via the option procedure for myself and the kids 🫶

If you've moved abroad, I'd love to know - what did you do differently? ✈️

15/02/2026

After a cold & lengthy walk with a close friend this morning, I had some moments of reflection. I feel so lucky, and I'm pretty sure the universe has been speaking to me over the past year. 🫶

Almost exactly a year ago, I traveled to The Netherlands to find a home for our family. My cousin pushed me to look at Tilburg, and I fell in love with the city. It's perfect - not too "expat"-y, very gezellig, a smaller city than many others we looked at, and easy to navigate.

The NL faces a housing crisis, so my agent was able to set me up with only 2 showings while I was here - out of 29 houses I had approved 😵‍💫.

The house we found in Tilburg was the first one I saw. I fell in love with it. We applied and we found out that we got it the next day. That's almost unheard of, for those who don't know!

I came back a month later for the keys, and my family helped with getting furniture and basic necessities before moving in permanently.

And then the universe kept speaking. Since moving to this buurt, we've:
💫 Had the kids go to kindervakantieweek, where my oldest son found his absolute best friend in the entire world - and I found one of my closest friends (her mom)
💫 Made friends through our kids' friends and found that people in Tilburg are super warm and welcoming, and more than happy to help us speak in Dutch!
💫 Signed the kids up for school here and now have 1 kid in each school in the neighborhood, which basically doubles our ability to meet people
💫 Found out that there's woods here with walking paths that feel like you're walking through an Elven forest out of Lord of the Rings
💫 Enjoyed the Highland cows that come out to visit in our neighborhood

I've also created connections that are allowing me to now build a clinic that aligns with the passions in my life - women's healthcare & new moms.

I'm truly thankful for every piece of the universe that has aligned for us being here and thriving. Morning walks clearly need to happen more often. ✨

13/01/2026

My sweet middle child is so extroverted and confident and excited to try new things, but struggles in feeling shame, embarrassment, and anger and how to cope with those emotions.

Ever since he was 3, he would come home and tell us things like:
💔 "Everyone was mean to me at school." (teachers say he has a ton of friends)
💔 "Nobody wants to play with me." (we watch him play beautifully with kids)
💔 "You hurt my feelings." (when we say something like "no" or "you need to wait until after dinner")

His emotions flip like a switch and he has always benefitted from co-regulating, but I just need some more development tools for him to help him understand himself and his emotional needs at an age-appropriate level.

If you have any books or games or everyday ideas for a kiddo who's a HSP, I'd love to hear them!

19/11/2025

Just don't ask me how my own studying is going for the rijbewijsexamen ✌🏼

He did (barely!) fail the first written exam because he accidentally signed up for the Dutch language one 🤪. But he passed his written exam, took 7 lessons that were 1,5 hours each, and passed his practical exam the first time!

✔️€48 for Dutch Theory Exam
✔️€54 for English Theory Exam
✔️€100 for 4 months of theorieexamen.nl to study for written exam
✔️€300 for practical exam
✔️€52 for drivers license itself from gemeente

So really €1250 total. The average cost to get a driver's license here is more than €3k (lessons mostly) and the driving test has a less than 50% pass rate, so he made out like a bandit! 😅🤪

10/11/2025

I only have 2 spots left for website design until March 2026! 🤯

I have been LOVING website design, and with one website handoff happening tomorrow, 2 more websites I'm currently knee deep in, and quite a few discovery calls booked over the past week...I've been slammed! (in the best way 😍)

If you're looking for someone to help you with:
🎨 Branding colors, fonts, & graphics
💻 Website design on Squarespace for health & wellness pros
🔥 Business coaching for pelvic OTs & PTs
..reach out to me! Being able to support pelvic health OTs/PTs and healthcare workers from The Netherlands has been such a joy, because part of my heart still belongs with my PHOT community.

My winter books are filling up, so head over to my website to book a discovery call with me if you're interested 🥰.

07/11/2025

Cute lob or Lord Farquad? 👀

I love the way a fresh cut makes me feel! And at 35 years old, I'm finally falling in love with my natural color. It's been over a year since dye or highlights have touched my hair and I absolutely love the color it is 😍

11/10/2025

When I lived in the US, life was way too busy for me to be able to even consider doing a puzzle. In fact, my stubborn ass would tell people I hated puzzles.

The truth?

My nervous system couldn't handle it.

Running 3 businesses, raising 3 kids (with a very present and amazing husband, let's be clear here), the financial stress, and navigating politics and capitalism and FOMO for "if you're not doing something for your kids every second of the damn day you're doing them a disservice" was beyond exhausting. It became a rat race.

I was constantly stressed. Pelvic Health OT friends who would do MFR on me could lightly touch my back and I'd light up like a damn Christmas tree.

My solution? I'd mask. I'd hide behind a beautiful mask of just enough humor to knock people off the scent of me being burnt out, of just enough confidence to not be an as***le but also not be questioned about things, and of beautiful but straightforward explanations of traumatic events that happened in my life and caused deep wounds that are just now starting to heal. My ADHD can be a hindrance to everyday activities, but I can navigate social settings like a champ - and I did just that.

I've always been a busy bee, but that included sedentary activities that keep my hands busy - crocheting, puzzling, embroidery, and reading. Reading I never gave up because it was my exit from the real world - finding easy fantasy books to sink into was always my escape. But puzzling, embroidery, and crocheting? Absolutely not - I couldn't be with my thoughts for long enough. My brain wouldn't allow it.

Now just 4 months after moving to The Netherlands (which I've been dying to do since I was a child), I'm crocheting again. I'm doing a 1000 piece puzzle (by the amazing 😍). I'm reading more slowly and less obsessively. I'm working on several websites without abusing my hyperfocus superpowers.

Life feels simple and straightforward again, and this is the first autumn in a very long time that I'll be able to truly embrace "gezelligheid" -a cozy, warm, loving feeling that you get when doing a favorite thing or surrounded by your favorite people. 🍂

Adres

Tilburg

Website

https://www.FlourishMentorship.com/

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