About me

Who I am

I am Quinn, the person behind Alyktos. Ever since primary school I have liked standing a little off to the side, watching. Not because I did not want to belong, but because I wondered what someone’s story was. Why does he do what he does, how did she become who she is. Everyone carries a history with them and has a life still ahead of them, and I find that endlessly interesting.

I studied artificial intelligence at university. A career in tech was the obvious next step and I left it lying there. Not because technology does not interest me, but because I think it will go its own way regardless. What draws me is the opposite: back to person to person, real conversations, attention.

Alongside this I work in transport. That work is what makes this possible. It lets me take my time, and it means I never have to talk anyone into anything.

Why I do this

There was a period in my life where the question “why me?” was on repeat. I was stuck in a circle of negativity and saw no way out. In that period I came across ACT: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. It stayed with me not because it sounded like a clever theory, but because it answered the question I was sitting in the middle of: how do you deal with what you cannot control?

Later, in difficult years with health and unrest, ACT came back. Every time it gave me ground under my feet. Slowly it sank in that this was not only something for me, but something to pass on.

When everything seems lost, you have everything to gain.

The name Alyktos

Alyktos is ancient Greek. To me it stands for an attitude: not fleeing from the pain, and not disappearing into it either. Staying present in your life, quiet and steady. The one from whom there is nothing to flee, because he stays.

The name began as a personal motto in a hard period. The conviction that there is value and strength to be found, precisely in difficult times. That motto became a way of living, and that way of living became this work.

How I work

I have gone deep into ACT through the scientific literature and the leading works in the field, and I work with proven ACT methods as a basis. But let me be honest: I am still discovering too. I do not see that as a weakness. It fits exactly how I work: learning together, not the coach who already knows everything.

I invite myself to walk with you, if you want that.

I will not carry your backpack and I will not solve your problems for you. That sounds harder than it is meant, because it comes from somewhere else: I believe you can do it yourself. And you do not have to do it alone.