Petra Velzeboer did not have an easy childhood. She was born and raised in the notorious cult, The Children of God, growing up in communes across the world believing that the end of the world was near. She was uneducated and often felt confused, descending into alcohol addiction. She did eventually leave the cult, and at 23 she found herself a young mother, and living in London, with no future and ostracised from any community she had known. She reached a very dark point and was feeling suicidal; but this ended up being the catalyst moment to deciding she no longer wanted to be a victim, and she slowly began her journey to health, resilience, and education.

Upon leaving the cult, Petra threw herself into education, gaining qualifications from Lambeth College in Integrative Counselling, The Open University in Working With Young People, and an MSc from Birkbeck University of London in Psychodynamics of human development.

She has since had a number of jobs within the wellbeing sector, from a Youth Worker at the Damilola Taylor Youth Centre, a Counsellor at Wandsworth Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, a Keyworker and Senior Project Coordinator for Catch22 (supporting London’s most vulnerable young people), and a Counsellor at Teens and Toddlers.

She continued in this vein of work, first as a Senior Development Officer at the BBGroup – an online platform helping young people access mental wellbeing support, then as Regional Lead at Young Minds, a Counsellor at the City of London Academy, Counselling Manager at The Mix Charity helping people under the age of 25, as Clinical Director at Wellbeing Solutions Management, providing integrated employee management programmes, and a Mental Health Consultant for Medigold Health.

In 2018 she became an Advisory Board Member of Make A Difference Summits, Europe’s only solutions-focussed conference and exhibition dedicated to eradicating mental health stigma in the workplace.

ENTREPRENEUR

“The conversation around mental health has been changing, the distinction between mental illness and mental health is gaining traction. Companies all over the world are starting to recognise the importance of creating and upholding psychologically safe environments.”

In 2009, Petra founded PVL, and became its CEO. PVL is a consultancy that aims to combat psychologically toxic cultures, and promote mentally healthy work environments.

Petra and PVL offer a number of services, including:

Consulting: Help design your wellbeing vision and goals, review your people data, streamline your mental health journeys, develop on-demand content for internal use, build capability across all levels of employees, develop leadership skills, boost efficiency, and review HR policies.

Leadership: Help educate, engage, and empower leaders to become role models, and reinforce mentally healthy behaviours that will encourage a workplace environment where people can feel safe to be themselves and perform their best.

Workshops and Webinars: Their workshops and webinars inspire everyone to take responsibility, invest in themselves, and to support their colleagues.

They also provide expert advice, awareness days, and panel events.

MEDIA

In 2017, Petra became the co-host of the Killing It: Adventures in Startups and Mental Health podcast, which features conversations with entrepreneurs and start-up gurus who air the reality behind the glamour of what starting a company is really like.

Then in 2023, she became the host of the Disrupting Wellbeing Podcast, an edgy journey into the world of workplace wellbeing. The podcast challenges individuals and workplace cultures to go behind the idea of “bubble-bath-wellbeing”, and into the sphere of hard conversations that provoke real change. Guests include fellow Great British Speakers Clarke and Carrie Carlisle, as well as doctors, activists, journalists, presenters, and Oscar-winning producer Clare Munn.

In 2023, Petra published her first book titled Begin With You: Invest In Your Mental Wellbeing and Satisfaction at Work, which was a finalist at the 2024 International Book Awards for Motivational Business books. Her second book, Digital Wellbeing, is due out in 2025.

KEYNOTE TOPICS

Mental Health, Artificial Intelligence, and the New World of Work: In today’s rapidly evolving world, often marked by technological advances and geopolitical challenges, mental health and wellbeing can often be left on the sideline. Petra helps bridge the critical connection between mental health wellbeing and peak performance. She offers a comprehensive roadmap to success, including effective communication skills, enhanced accountability, and stronger team connections.

Key Takeaways:

– A deep understanding of the global landscape and its effects on individuals

– Practical tools for personal investment, helping to enhance resilience and success

– Actionable and inspiring strategies for support within small and wider teams

Digital Wellbeing, and Boundaries that Boost Performance: In today’s fast-paced, and always-on digital landscape, maintaining creativity and focus is vital. Petra’s keynote addresses the vital intersection of technology with mental health and peak performance, navigating the challenges and opportunities that come out of digital connectivity.

Key Takeaways:

– Key skills for creating healthy boundaries to enhance productivity

– Insights on how to foster a culture of sustainable high performance

– An understanding of digital burnout and the best ways to prevent it

How to Create a Mentally Healthy Culture: In this keynote, Petra empowers leaders to model healthy behaviours in their teams, reducing burnout and absenteeism, and creating a thriving work environment by navigating change, boosting performance, and enhancing wellbeing. Petra addresses challenges head-on, providing audiences with practical tools to enhance teamwork, inspire employees, and focus on proactive mental health strategies.

Key Takeaways:

– Learn role model healthy behaviours that will foster a mentally healthy culture

– How to navigate change and boost performance with confidence

– Help leaders inspire their teams while maintaining their own wellbeing

– Implement practical tools to help support good mental health

Burnout: Prevention, Management, and Helping Your Team Thrive: Did you know that 43% of people across 100 countries have experienced workplace burnout? This makes it sound like it is pretty inevitable, but it doesn’t have to be. Petra’s proactive approach is al about prevention: “building a fence at the top of the cliff rather than a hospital at the bottom”. In this keynote, Petra aims to equip leaders and individuals with practical tools to tackle their burnout head-on.

Key Takeaways:

– An understanding of the 12 stages of burnout

– Learn how to identify early signs of burnout and intervene before it escalates

– Gain a shared language around burnout and foster a supportive environment in order to boost collective wellbeing

– Gain an insight into workplace dynamics, discover how poor meeting culture, a lack of clarity, and micromanaging and contribute to mental health issues

From Surviving to Thriving: Petra’s Inspirational Journey Through Adversity: Petra was born into a notorious cult, and therefore her early life was far from ordinary. Growing up with the belief that the world was ending, she lived in places as far and wide as Brazil, India and Kenya, but didn’t attend any school. This unusual upbringing taught her how to live a double life. She did eventually leave the cult, pregnant and uneducated, only to find herself spiralling into addiction, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Petra’s story is a powerful one, and shows audience’s how you can overcome adversity.

Key Takeaways:

– Gain practical tips for transforming personal challenges and adversity into powerful strengths

– Gain strategies to remove masks and embrace an authentic and genuine way of living

– Gain a refreshing approach to wellbeing that goes beyond superficial fixes

Past clients: Accenture, Adaptavist, Arthur Cox, Avanade, The Brit School, Deloitte, DynaTrace, Festival of Work, Herbert Smith Freehills, Holidu, Islington Head Teachers Network, Kennedy’s Law, Klarna, MAD Summit, McFarlanes, Microsoft, Morrisons Energy, Monzo Bank, News UK, Ninja Theory, Novartis, Rakuten, SAP, Swift, VMWare, Warner Bros Discovery, Watercooler

Call +44 1753 439 289 or email Great British Speakers now to book personality coach and speaker Petra Velzeboer for your next live event or corporate video.

Contact us.