Creating space for your daft self

From a very young age, Jacotte Brokken (32) was already performing on stage. She also made podcasts back when podcasts weren’t really a thing yet. ‘They were absolutely terrible, but we had enormous fun making them,’ she says with a laugh. ‘I love sharing knowledge and telling stories.’ Since 2023, Brokken has been presenting the weather for Flemish public broadcaster VRT and making various science programmes for radio, television and online. She also inspires children about STEM subjects through the Flemish Olympiads for Natural Sciences. On Brokken’s social media channels, vlogs about her life appear regularly.

Accessible

It took quite a lengthy search before Brokken managed to integrate her creative drive and authentic personality into her career. As a student, job security took priority. So no drama school, but chemistry instead. She went on to work as a researcher, lecturer and in the chemical industry. But the spark refused to catch. ‘I found the jobs boring,’ says Brokken. She decided to combine her hobby — making videos for YouTube — with her background in STEM. ‘Science communication on social media has a very low barrier to entry. You can practise on a small scale and work your way towards your dream career.’ To develop her skills further, she also studied Digital Content & Journalism and did a placement at VRT. She describes clips from her first time on the radio as dreadful. ‘I was already 26 by then, but I had no idea who I was. You can hear it.’

‘I had told VRT that I wanted to work in front of rather than behind the camera’

When she went freelance, Brokken gradually rediscovered her ‘daft self’. That authenticity did not go unnoticed. ‘I had told VRT that I wanted to work in front of rather than behind the camera. A smart move, as the broadcaster invited me to do a screen test for weather presenter.’ With Brokken as their new weather presenter, the forecast took on a more exuberant and informal style. ‘Some viewers needed a little time to adjust, but the audience was largely enthusiastic.’

Headline news

Overnight, the chemist became a familiar face. She gave many interviews during that period. ‘I chat easily and shared generously about my personal life, including my experience of being bullied.’ Thanks to that openness, Brokken was able to create a podcast series about bullying, combining interviews with scientific context. Where her vlogs had attracted a few hundred views, hundreds of thousands of people were suddenly tuning in to Brokken’s content. ‘At that point I did think: f***, that’s quite intense.’

Brokken is proud of the podcast, but has also become more guarded about private matters. ‘Along the way, I discovered that anything I say can easily become a headline. I try to find more balance now. Still being myself, but less oversharing.’ Brokken far prefers to use her public profile within STEM education. ‘As a child, I had very few role models in science — certainly not people, let alone women, who are a bit daft like me. You don’t have to be serious to study science.’