Petra Velzeboer

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Renowned as a trailblazing mental health leader, Petra Velzeboer is a TEDx speaker, CEO of mental health consultancy PVL, and author of Begin With You, and Digital Wellbeing.

With PVL, Petra and her team help businesses to cultivate mentally healthy cultures that prioritise employee wellbeing, aligned with business goals, in order to drive peak performance. Raised in a religious cult, Petra knows first-hand what living in a toxic culture can do to people, and is on a mission to help people thrive at home and at work.

She is a very popular keynote speaker, and has spoken at many events. Her talks are known to be down-to-earth, relatable, engaging, practical, humerous, empowering, and inspiring, offering practical insights that help organisations navigate rapid change and create meaningful, lasting success.

For more details on how Petra can add value to your event, contact us on 0044 (0)1753 439289

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 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.

A trusted advisor to PwC, Accenture, Channel 4, Novartis, and more, Petra equips leaders with the skills to tackle burnout, manage hybrid work, and create cultures where people thrive. She speaks globally on the future of work, leadership, and resilience, offering compelling parallels between corporate cultures and cult dynamics—challenging audiences to rethink how they lead, connect, and adapt to change.

KEYNOTE TOPICS

Digital Wellbeing: Recharge Your Focus and Reboot Your Life

In a world of constant digital disruption, managing AI and technology effectively is crucial to avoiding burnout and maintaining focus. Petra offers science-backed insights on how to boost focus and manage digital overwhelm, as well as offering practical strategies to improve workplace culture.

This keynote is perfect for teams struggling with digital overload and workplace distractions, and leaders looking to boost productivity without sacrificing mental health.

Leadership: Building a Culture of Growth and Impact

Great leadership isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about creating a culture where people feel motivated, safe, and supported. Petra shares strategies to help leaders boost potential, model healthy behaviours, and inspire their teams to perform at their best.

This keynote is best for senior executives and managers navigating hybrid work challenges, and organisations committed to building psychologically safe workplaces.

Wellness + Business Objectives = Success: How to create a mentally healthy Culture

Positive mental health isn’t a luxury, it’s a business imperative. In this keynote, Petra challenges traditional wellness programs, and provides actionable solutions to integrate wellbeing into business strategy for long-term success.

This keynote is perfect for CEOs and decision makers committed to employee retention and wellbeing, and companies seeking a competitive edge through people-first leadership.

Burnout to Brilliance: Empowering Teams to Thrive in a World of Change

The modern workplace is full of pressures that can leave teams overwhelmed and feeling burnt out. Petra provides actionable strategies to help leaders prevent burnout, set healthy boundaries, and foster growth. This keynote uses practical tools to unlock the full potential of individuals and teams, empowering organisations to navigate change while staying energised, engaged, and productive.

This keynote is ideal for organisations experience high turnover and employee disengagement, and teams in high-stress industries facing mounting workloads and overwhelm.

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

To check fees and availability for Petra Velzeboer, contact Great Business Speakers on 0044 (0)1753 439289

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Petra Velzeboer, a visionary speaker, guides you through navigating disruption with adaptability and innovation for success.

Leading Burnout Coach & Speaker
Thriving Through Adversity – Born Into a Cult
Workplace Mental Health Culture
Author and Podcast Host

Petra makes people sit up and take action.
Kirsten Furber, People Director, Channel 4

Down to earth, practical and filled with humour. Petra’s keynotes inspire, inform and create a ripple effect of change. Her story of being raised in a cult is life-altering – seamlessly made relatable to audiences worldwide.
Ed Kirwan, CEO, Empathy Week

We were blown away by Petra’s incredible, unique story! An accomplished keynote speaker who provided so much practical advice and inspiration.
COO, Monzo

We wanted to hold a dynamic session on mental health that would really provide some valuable takeaways for staff during National Inclusion Week. Petra’s personality and down to earth nature helped to ensure her session really got through to our employees. We wouldn’t hesitate to work with Petra again and the feedback we have received following the session has been incredibly positive.
Hugo Drummond, Event Organiser, The Guinness Partnership

We wanted to close our conference with a memorable moment – and Petra delivered on an often-ignored issue: our mental health. With positive vibes, an energetic speech, get-together touchy moments and many wake-up calls, the participants were taken on an emotional roller-coaster of positive attitudes towards our… mind.
UNIBA Partners

We invited Petra to speak at our Mental Health Awareness event on dealing with stress and were blown away by her incredible unique story and her authenticity. She is an accomplished presenter and coach who provided a tonne of practical advice on how to look after your mental health told through unforgettable stories and analogies. We’re now getting her back in to be part of our leadership development curriculum.
TFC COO Monzo

Petra has worked with MVF to support our internal MH strategy. Through her tailored coaching sessions she builds a structured plan to achieve specific goals during the coaching period. The impact of my sessions with Petra has helped to build my confidence around language and in turn enabled me to create a space for open discussions about MH at MVF. Petra’s style is direct and empathetic and her clinical support and advice offers an extra edge to the work you do with her. I highly recommend coaching sessions with Petra, whether you are just starting on your mental health strategy or looking to develop it further.
Hannah Meredith, MVF Global

Petra has been instrumental in helping me bring our wellbeing strategy to life. She delivered some brilliant training to our line managers and upskilled some employees to be our mental health ambassadors. Petra has also worked closely with some of our senior team coaching them and helping them reach their full potential. Over the last year, she has helped us introduce some really positive changes in the workplace, and I am extremely grateful.
Sally Smithson, HR Director, FLM Ltd

Petra positively impacts people’s lives. She’s totally authentic, humble, funny and cares deeply about her clients and her work. She’s moved the topic of mental health & well-being forward amongst corporates and her podcasts and blogs have enabled the experiences of her guests to give strength to a much wider audience. Strongly recommended.
Toby Goldblatt, Founder and Executive in HealthTech and AI

We had the pleasure of having Petra speak at an internal Guardian employee event for mental health awareness week 2019. The honesty in which she shared her personal experience was quite moving. She was both informative and inspirational. I would highly recommend her workshop.
Tina Moynihan-Quinn, The Guardian

We invited Petra to speak at a conference with 50+ construction staff & everyone was blown away by the insight that Petra offered into our own selves. It was almost astounding to watch the shift in the room as it became ok for everyone to talk to each other. We are fortunate that this has reflected positively in productivity and we are hopeful that with Petra’s ongoing support, this dynamic has permanently changed for the better.
Managing Director, The Built World Ben Ward

Petra takes the sensitive subject of mental health and makes it accessible to anyone regardless or their background or experience. Petra is a true partner, bringing awareness and sustainability of employees mental well-being into organisations. Examples include 1) developing a mental health ambassador programme to provide confidential support within the organisation. And 2) Developing managers in simple bite sized chunks to equip them with the confidence to manage mental health to support their best performance within team.
Kirstin Furber. Chief People Officer, ClearScore

Petra’s workshops were intelligent, compassionate and fun. Both young people and teachers gain so much from her knowledge and expertise. She knows how to make people feel safe and open. The BRIT SCHOOL will look to work with Petra in the future.
Stuart Warden, Principal, Brit School

Petra is the rarest of keynotes; someone who knows the science but who also has lived experience on such an important topic. She is brave in her approach and this is perhaps the key lesson in opening up and addressing mental health at work. She achieves a mix of levity and seriousness that T.S Eliot would be proud of and it’s the first talk I have seen in a long time where none of the 300 attendees glanced at their phone or checked the time. This is such an important topic that we need advocates such as Petra to open up the conversation in such a powerful, practical and ultimately uplifting way.
Lawrence Darvill, Business Analysts Annual Conference