Speakers¹¹

Speaker, scientist, professor and world champion soccer-playing robots; Maarten Steinbuch simply cannot be pigeonholed. A brief summary of his career: he studied Mechanical Engineering at TU Delft, where he later obtained his PhD in Measurement and Control Technology. He worked for 12 years as a mechanical engineer (Philips) and at the age of 39 started working as a professor at TU Eindhoven.

Maarten takes his audience on a journey to the future and tells them about the speed of technological developments and their impact on our lives. When he speaks people are on the edge of their seat; young, old, scientist, director or engineer. And if not him, his faithful companion will make sure of that; a small, robotic dinosaur that even impressed the Dalai Lama in 2018.

Aniek was 19 when she first became aware of sustainability and the consequences of climate change. At home at the kitchen table, it was never discussed, nor was it part of the curriculum at school. Bizarre, she now thinks in retrospect.

“The climate crisis is the biggest challenge humanity has ever seen. Every reason for an ‘all hands on deck’ mentality.”

With a completed Bachelor degree ‘Societal Transitions’ at Erasmus University in her pocket, she does not rule out that her ambition will eventually lead her towards politics. She specializes in intergenerational justice, long-term decision-making, future design and Broad Prosperity.

In the lectures Aniek gives, she also argues for systemic change. Not making logical what is illogical and curbing things that are harmful to people, animals and the living environment. Not only climate change, but also themes such as social equality and diversity are on her agenda.

Aniek’s lectures confront, abrade and activate, because as she herself says:

“I don’t believe in hope, but in courage and commitment. Hope is passive, sitting back and thinking things will work themselves out won’t change anything.”

Read more about Aniek >>

We communicate largely online and almost everything is at our fingertips with just a swipe. But how good is this for the earth, for our social lives and mental health? He says we suffer quite a bit from the influence of technology. Although, according to Aaron Mirck, it is not as black and white as “online bad and offline good”.

“We don’t have much patience anymore; we are less creative and sometimes don’t know how to make real connections. We live in an age where we numb ourselves with digital distractions.”

According to Aaron, we must remain critical of technology and whether it still serves society. As such, his mission is to make sure we become “smart users”.

In his lectures, he broaches complex and fraught topics, such as digital ethics, etiquette, AI and consciously dealing with technology.

Full of humor, self-mockery and (sometimes painfully) recognizable situations for the audience, he explains, among other things, how algorithms influence our lives, what that does to you and what a social media diet delivers. A social media diet can offer more attention, focus, peace, time, creativity, productivity, and space to shape your life the way you want it.

Read more about Aaron Mirck >>

The way and what children learn not only has a major impact on the inner world, but we also see it reflected in the outer world in the long term, for example, through the loss of biodiversity, toxic substances in food, air, soil and drinking water, and decline of animal species essential for children’s futures.

According to Juliëtte, we are not facing a climate crisis, but a generational crisis that we passed on created by culture and driven by endless economic growth. Because we have placed ourselves above nature, children grow up without connection to their inner and outer worlds.

Juliëtte says, “Education is still based on the principles from the industrial revolution. “Children are trained efficiently and standardized to become better consumers instead of better people. This is diametrically opposed to a holistic lifestyle, which has a focus on connecting with nature.”

This was the experience of Juliëtte, who has been contributing to a more beautiful world with creativity, entrepreneurship, and vision since childhood.

Juliëtte has founded several regenerative businesses with an impact mission, including NOWSCHOOL, a blueprint for holistic education worldwide. This initiative fosters a generation of holistic thinkers and doers by building a new ecosystem that increases impact and empowers each other. Not by kicking the system, but by rolling up our sleeves together and building a new ecosystem for the next 7 generations.

“What if happiness, health, freedom and collaboration were given a central role in education? What if we unlearned the self-imposed frameworks and formed a new model for the child and the future?”

Juliëtte talks about holistic education, holistic living and creating a holistic learning and living environment. She advocates a shift from a linear system to a learning ecosystem with a living curriculum, inspired by new science, ancient wisdom, and her own experiences.

Read more about Juliëtte >>

Law and ethics form the foundation of everything Jan van de Venis undertakes in his life and career. After his early years in commercial law, he joined Greenpeace International as a lawyer; the beginning of a new direction, conservation and human rights.

“I became increasingly aware of the pressure on nature and the planet, and that our current law is not working to protect nature and future generations.”

A healthy environment is a human right and from this perspective he advised and supported – among others with his company JustLaw – citizens and NGOs in UN trajectories and lawsuits against companies and institutions violating human and children’s rights. The coalition of NGOs he is involved with also won the UN Human Rights Prize in 2023.

Jan is additionally a great ambassador of seventh generation thinking. He is concerned with the question, “what choices should we make now to ensure a good future for future generations?”. In his lectures he challenges his audience to think about this with him.

Read more about Jan van de Venis >>

Miranda is author of the upcoming book “How to include and represent the brightest possible future,” a book with a seven-generation design. In her company “Our Kids Future,” she introduces organizations such as municipalities, businesses, and schools to seventh generation thinking.

In her lectures, Miranda also advocates “a place at the table” for future generations in companies and governments.  As far as she is concerned, the question everyone should ask themselves over and over again is? ‘How to become a good ancestor; would my (great) grandchild be proud of the decision I make today?’

Miranda created the character “M,” who not only symbolizes the future generation living in 2050, but who literally influences every decision she makes. He is her future great-grandchild.

“Overwhelming people with ‘rocket science’ doesn’t work.  Put yourself in ‘the shoes’ of your grand- and great-grandchildren. That makes the future, and the problems future generations have to deal with tangible and palpable.”

In her lectures, trainings and workshops, Miranda lets you experience this power and inspires you to ‘be a good ancestor’!

Read more about Miranda Willems >>

Gina Maffey grew up on a farm in Warwickshire, England, where she developed a deep connection with nature. She has an academic background and worked in various disciplines such as Astronomy, Anthropology and Ecology, which gives her a broad view of the natural world and our relationship to it.

She worked for years as a science communicator in the Scottish Highlands and, South America, among other places, before living outdoors in the Netherlands with her partner for a year. Their “Wild Year” is mentioned in several books, including Koen Arts’ book of the same name.

“Allowing a piece of ‘wildness’ into your life doesn’t have to be grand and compelling.”

Gina is also founder of Green Roots, through which she brings together science and nature experiences in a way that is both engaging and educational. As a speaker, her story resonates with a diverse audience. Among other things, she can tell policymakers about the importance of protecting “the night,” researchers how to give themselves and nature a voice through storytelling, and how we as humans can weave nature into our own lives.

Read more about Gina Maffey >>

Ever since she saw An Inconvenient Truth as a child, two topics have set the course of Bodine’s life and career to date: her fascination with human behavior AND with sustainability.

Every day she tries to find deeper explanations for why people do as they do. Why they make choices that conflict with their deeper beliefs and where resistance to change comes from.

Bodine worked as a behavioral scientist and podcast creator and now an entrepreneur. In 2019, she founded her company SustainableSpot, helping sustainability managers build support for sustainability within their organizations.

“Only when you know what drives people and why something creates resistance can you map out a route to sustainable behavior. Change doesn’t happen ‘overnight.”

Knowledge and awareness alone do not guarantee behavioral change. In a clear manner and with striking examples she shows that nothing human is strange to us, but that change is really possible.

Read more about Bodine van Styrum>>

Kremena Yordanova is a visionary leader who places resilience and compassion at the center of her approach. As a mentor and fractional CMO, she inspires other leaders by leveraging self-development and creativity for positive change.

After a successful career with major brands such as Adidas and Reebok, she chose a freelance path in 2023 as a marketing consultant focused on companies with a positive impact.

Kremena uses her experience in the corporate world to guide leaders in balancing ambition and integrity. Her insights stem from a holistic approach, helping leaders to act authentically and conscientiously in a rapidly changing world.

“There is more than one way to build a career without compromising your integrity.”

Book Kremena for inspiring keynotes and workshops on authentic leadership and discover how you can grow and make a lasting impact.

Read more about Kremena >>

Mirjam from Brabant was also called ‘Mother Nature’ as a child. The fire to contribute to sustainability – especially the circular economy – was only kindled in her when she started working on circularity after studying mechanical engineering at Philips.

She now inspires and activates companies and organizations to sustainability and creates real impact together with their employees. She does this by planting seeds and helping companies with their sustainability strategy. She makes extra impact as a speaker herself!

“I bring a lot of energy, bad jokes and an honest story, even if it rubs someone the wrong way.”

Her directness creates instant action, partly due to her disarming cheerfulness, energy and unmistakable Brabant accent. This makes Mirjam the choice keynote speaker if you really want to get your organization moving. Her lectures and workshops are packed with interactive methods that will always keep you on the edge of your seat.

Read more about Mirjam van Laarhoven >>

Kathalijn Kalawati Vergeer is a speaker, coach and amplifier of transition, using her colourful experience and skills to strengthen and accelerate transitions. Whether it is a personal, organisational or societal transition – any transition can lead to new life. With her playful and personal approach Kathalijn exhibits how to recognize, acknowledge, and, of course, harness transitions into collaborative inspired action.

‘New Life is the movement that comes together and is passed on’ 

Get ready for an interactive and dynamic talk. From her experiences, she has developed a unique approach to getting people moving. Her playful and creative methods make even complex topics such as diversity, inclusion, collaboration surrounding a common goal, new leadership or behavioural change digestible and discussable.

“Feel free to play and play to feel free. To break free of what you are stuck in. To reinvent yourself over and over again. Even if the destination is unknown, on a journey to yourself, you can never get lost.”

Kathalijn inspires her audience to switch their heads off, their hearts on, and get moving together.

Read more about Kathalijn now >>