We live in a world that often feels designed around the pace of technology, not the pace of humanity. In Episode 118 of Women Disrupting Tech, I spoke with Anouk Vlietman, founder of UMAIN, about what happens when we shift the focus back to connection. The result is a conversation that blends personal stories with systemic insights on disconnection, limiting beliefs, and the future role of AI.
3 Lessons From This Conversation
AI isn’t just reshaping work. It’s reshaping what it means to be human. In this conversation, Anouk shows how the future depends not on keeping pace with machines, but on reclaiming our humanity.
- Designing life around technology leaves people rushed and disconnected. Reversing this trend means putting humanity first.
- Disconnection is not just personal. It is a silent epidemic with economic, political, and cultural costs.
- Soft skills like listening, empathy, and curiosity are becoming our biggest advantage in a future where AI handles routine tasks.
Keep reading and listening if you’re ready to rethink how connection, inclusion, and soft skills can become your greatest edge.
To listen, scroll to the bottom, or find episode 118 of Women Disrupting Tech on your favorite podcast app.
- 3 Lessons From This Conversation
- Meaningful moments and timestamps
- Magic Moments In The Episode
- Practical Tips for Female Startup Founders
- Anouk’s Quote to Remember
- Moments That Changed My Thinking
- A Question for You 🤔
- Coming Up On Women Disrupting Tech
- Listen to Episode 118 on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube
- Other ways to amplify the voices of Women Disrupting Tech
- About Anouk Vlietman
- Events that Women Disrupting Tech Must-Attend
- Closing
Meaningful moments and timestamps
| Time | Description |
|---|---|
| 00:02:13 | Introduction to UMAIN and Anouk Vlietman |
| 00:05:22 | The Impact of Technology on Humanity |
| 00:08:02 | Curiosity and Connection: The Art of Listening |
| 00:11:05 | Overcoming Limiting Beliefs |
| 00:14:00 | Personal Journeys and Transformations |
| 00:16:51 | The Role of Connection in Mental Health |
| 00:19:45 | Disconnection: A Silent Epidemic |
| 00:22:33 | The Economic Costs of Loneliness |
| 00:25:40 | Building Meaningful Relationships |
| 00:28:36 | Balancing Individualism and Collectivism |
| 00:31:23 | The Importance of Vulnerability |
| 00:34:07 | AI and the Future of Human Connection |
| 00:36:59 | Changing the Narrative Around Productivity |
| 00:39:39 | Active Listening and Communication |
| 00:42:36 | Generational Learning and Openness |
| 00:45:24 | The Future of Connection and Inclusion |
Magic Moments In The Episode
If you’re looking for inspiration, this episode is for you. These three quotes are the ones where Anouk’s voice shines the brightest:
“You have this voice living in your head, rent free, that tells you: why would you even try? You’re going to fail anyway.”
Anouk’s description of limiting beliefs is painfully familiar. By giving that inner voice such vivid language, she makes it easier for us to recognize and challenge it.
“You will be more productive because you’re more human.”
This flips the productivity narrative on its head. Instead of competing with AI, our advantage lies in deepening the skills that make us uniquely human.
“Even the darkest, ugliest, most painful things you’re ashamed of can have a space in this world.”
This is where her message becomes deeply compassionate. It reminds us that connection begins when we dare to show the parts of ourselves we usually hide.
💬 Which of these moments struck you most? Share your magic moment in the comments. I’d love to hear what stayed with you.
Practical Tips for Female Startup Founders
What does all this mean if you’re building a startup in today’s fast-moving tech world? Here are three practical insights that founders, and investors, can apply right away.
- Limiting beliefs hold you back more than external obstacles. Spot them, own them, and take responsibility to work through them.
- Don’t fall for shelf help. Reading books and listening to podcasts is useful, but change happens in dialogue and connection with others.
- Treat AI as a tool to support reflection, not just efficiency. Prompt it Socratically so you think more deeply, instead of chasing quick answers.
Try them in your own journey, and notice how focusing on connection over buzzwords changes both your growth and your resilience.
Anouk’s Quote to Remember
“You will be more productive because you’re more human.”
Anouk Vlietman, Founder of UMAIN.
Moments That Changed My Thinking
This episode is different from the other episodes. My conversation with Anouk is much more personal and deep, covering not only AI, but also limiting beliefs and disconnection. This opened space for me to think about my own journey as much as Anouk’s. So let me share some of my own learnings, hoping they benefit you as well.
- Openness about my own struggles proved that curiosity about yourself is a gateway to connecting more deeply with others.
- This episode reminded me that disconnection is not only personal. It drives politics, culture, and even the pull toward traditional family life as a way to belong.
- Taking responsibility for limiting beliefs is hard, but it is also freeing. It allows space for empathy and connection with others.
Share this episode with someone you know who is struggling with limiting beliefs or feeling disconnected. Sometimes, hearing that they are not alone is the first step toward breaking through and finding connection again.
A Question for You 🤔
How has this episode changed your views on AI? Do you believe that AI will make us more human?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments or message me directly. I’d love to hear your take.
Coming Up On Women Disrupting Tech
Next week, we’ll return to the theme that convinced me to start Women Disrupting Tech in the first place: the funding gap.
In episode 119, we’ll hear from Erica van Eeghen and Maud Vermeulen from Women in VC NL how they’re redefining what Venture Capital considers an investable startup by helping more women enter VC.
And we’ll also learn why just adding headcount is not enough to open up the old boys club.
So stay tuned for this and much more on Women Disrupting Tech.
Until the next episode, as always, Keep Being Awesome!
Listen to Episode 118 on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube
How AI Can Make Us More Human | ep. 118 with Anouk Vlietman – Women Disrupting Tech
Other ways to amplify the voices of Women Disrupting Tech
Want to make inclusion in tech the new normal by 2032? Here’s how you can help:
Follow the Women Disrupting Tech Podcast
Follow the podcast on your favorite platform. Every follow brings these stories to more people.
Give the show a rating or review on Spotify or Apple.
It only takes a moment, but it tells others this podcast is worth listening to. And helps the voices of my guests carry further.
Share the stories that move you.
Send this episode to a friend, a colleague, or someone who needs to hear it. Every share helps to build a more inclusive tech future and supports my guests in getting the stage they deserve.
So when you know someone who should hear it, pass it on when you’re done.
About Anouk Vlietman
Anouk Vlietman is the founder of UMAIN, a platform that helps women build clarity, confidence and connection in a fast-changing world. She believes that as AI takes over routine tasks, the real advantage lies in what makes us human: adaptability, empathy, communication and collaboration. Through hybrid workshops that combine e-learning, buddy systems and live practice sessions, Anouk trains ambitious women to lead through change. She also speaks on human connection as a business strategy, showing how so-called “soft skills” are in fact core skills for the future of work.
You can connect with Anouk on LinkedIn. There she will also share her journey with Umain.
Events that Women Disrupting Tech Must-Attend
Events are picking up again and I’ve found some cool ones. Below is one event you definitely want to check out. For a full overview of all events, including links to buy tickets, please check the events page.
Diverse Leaders in Tech Events
If you like being in the know about what is happening in the DEI space, Diverse Leaders in Tech is the place to be.
Every last Thursday of the month, they have monthly in-person meetups for tech people, HR leaders and supporters of diversity to exchange insights, tackle challenges, and take action. It’s a vibrant, safe space where diversity is celebrated.
The next meetup (co-hosted by Techleap) is on 25 September. You can register on the DLiT website. Did I mention that joining your first event is free?
Women’s Health In The Workplace
A must-attend event for women and men who want to learn how they can improve productivity and well-being in the workplace.
Date: 1 October 2025
Location: Equals, Amsterdam
Time: 12:00 – 17:00 hours
Tickets: on Eventbrite
FemHealth: women-friendly healthcare in 2040
Hear from the experts on female health what the future of Female Health in the Netherlands should look like.
Date: 7 October 2025
Location: Dauphine, Amsterdam
Time: 15:00 – 18:00 hours
Tickets: on Eventbrite
Closing
This was one of the most personal conversations I have had on the podcast. It was full of laughter, insights, and systemic questions about the future.
Anouk leaves us with a simple but profound reminder: the meaning of life is to enjoy the passage of time.
If AI can help us reclaim that by making space for connection, then maybe the future is more human than we think.
When you’re curious about how an AI companion like Amber might reshape therapy-like conversations, listen to Episode 117 of Women Disrupting Tech by hitting play above or listening on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube.
Women Disrupting Tech | The Podcast 