Petra Velzeboer

Petra Velzeboer is a TEDx speaker, author and business consultant advising leaders and organizations on building high-performing teams in an age of digital overload, AI disruption and constant change. With deep expertise in workplace mental health, culture and leadership, she is known for her sharp insight and no-nonsense delivery — challenging outdated approaches to wellbeing and replacing them with practical strategies that strengthen performance, trust and psychological safety at scale.

Raised in a notorious extremist cult and later recovering from addiction, Velzeboer rebuilt her life from rock bottom to become a globally recognized thought leader. This lived experience underpins her work with organizations operating in high-pressure, high-risk environments. She draws compelling parallels between cult dynamics and workplace cultures, exposing how fear, silence, control and burnout quietly undermine performance — and how healthier cultures reduce human risk and protect mental health.

Velzeboer equips leaders with tools to tackle technostress, hybrid working strain, AI anxiety and the growing mental health challenges of modern work. Her work focuses on clarity under pressure, healthy authority and honest conversations — helping people perform at their best without burning out or deteriorating into poor mental health.

Author of "Begin with You" and "Digital Wellbeing: Recharge Your Focus and Reboot Your Life," Velzeboer has been featured in Newsweek, Harvard Business Review and The Huffington Post. She delivers keynotes and advisory work for global organizations including Deloitte, PwC, Microsoft, KPMG, Channel 4, Novartis, US Bank, Monzo and Warner Media, and is increasingly sought after at cybersecurity conferences for her expertise on human risk, psychological safety and trust in high-stakes environments.

Whether on stage, in conversation with leaders or advising organizations through change, Velzeboer leaves audiences energized, challenged and clear on how to lead and perform differently in a world of work evolving faster than ever before.