Petra Velzeboer

Petra Velzeboer is an authority on culture and resilience in the workplace. An author, psychotherapist and businessperson, Petra combines personal experience with clinical insight to challenge outdated wellbeing models, explore team performance, and drive cultural transformation in organisations. She equips leaders and teams with practical tools to navigate burnout, tech overload, AI anxiety and the evolving future of work.

Born and raised in a notorious religious cult, Petra's early life was marked by control, trauma and instability. After escaping and battling addiction and depression, she rebuilt her life and became an advocate for redefining success and wellbeing in high-pressure environments. Her message is underpinned by authenticity, humour and a refusal to peddle 'bubble-bath wellbeing' in favour of deeper, systemic change.

Petra explores the intersection of psychological safety, digital wellbeing, hybrid working and leadership in an age of uncertainty. She addresses how to take back control of attention and energy in an always-on world, reducing burnout whilst improving focus, creativity and performance. She examines how leaders can stay clear, grounded and effective during rapid change, protecting performance and supporting teams without absorbing toxic pressure. Drawing compelling parallels between dynamics common in cults and those often found in corporate cultures, she challenges audiences to reflect on how they lead, connect and create impact. Her work reframes wellbeing as a performance strategy, helping teams recover faster, work smarter and sustain high performance over time.

Petra is the author of Begin With You: Invest in Your Mental Well-being and Satisfaction at Work and Digital Wellbeing: Recharge Your Focus and Reboot Your Life, and has been featured in Newsweek, Harvard Business Review and CEO World. She has worked with organisations including Microsoft, Deloitte, Channel 4, PwC, Novartis, Rakuten, KPMG and Warner Media.