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.

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 care and well-being of people must and can be improved Egge van der Poel knows. That technology plays an important role in this, he believes, is beyond dispute. But despite insufficient hands at the bedside, he believes it is not the lack of technology that hinders progress.

“There is fear of change due to big-data and AI, among other things. Fear of losing jobs, of losing income, of losing privacy and control.”

Egge wants to overcome this fear by showing how we can harness the potential of people and data for good. He describes this in his book “Geheelmeesters – compromisloos radicaal betere zorg ontwerpen”, and he lectures on this and related topics.

In Egge’s lectures, the experiences from his “fragmented career” come in useful. Egge creates an unlikely bridge between the fields of physics, philosophy, data and communication he has studied, painting a rose-colored yet real picture of the future of healthcare.

Read more about Egge >>

Frank shows a new version of how the ‘the good life’ could look. Food is an important part of that, because this is where we can make a lot of impact together. Contributing to this is not just for vegetarians and vegans, says Frank:

“The idea still prevails to a large extent, that you are either convincingly carnivorous or vegan, otherwise you are a hypocrite. That is not true. There is room somewhere in between for everyone to make a better choice every day. In my book and lectures, I show people that the opportunity is there.”

In both his cookbook and lectures, he uses data to show which food choices have the most impact on our ecological footprint. And the great thing is, he makes even the biggest meat lover, sceptic or pessimist see that you don’t have to make a huge sacrifice to do so.

Frank’s mission against climate change began when, as a 15-year-old, he saw Al Gore’s ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, which predicted the bleak future of his beloved glacier – the Aletsch Glacier. At the time, he was living in Switzerland with his parents, both pastors.  He could not have imagined then that he would later follow in their footsteps to some extent. But he now sees himself as a ‘sustainability preacher’, with an important message.

Read more about Frank Holleman >>

For over twenty years Karin Bosman has worked for several international advertising agencies. She felt confident with two feet in the ground in this man’s world. Sexually explicit jokes were part of the culture and meant little to her.

But during her last job, things went much further.  For two years, she was sexually harassed by her supervisor. She was dumbfounded, her self-confidence and self-esteem disappeared, and she no longer recognized herself.

It was difficult for her to verbalize what she had been through, so she decided to write her story  to process it and help those around her understand. As a result, she discovered a new strength and direction in her life. Her book “Spitting on Hans’ Sandwich” was published in 2016 and impressed readers worldwide.

She studies NAADAC in the US on Social Safety and Psychosocial Workload, collects data on a large scale and develops a platform for reporting inappropriate behavior.

Since 2015, Karin has been traveling the world advising companies on prevention policies and creating awareness among executives and HR professionals, among others, concerning a safe working environment. To this end she uses her unique mix of communication and legal knowledge and (personal) experience.

As a speaker she makes a deep impression, with the power of humor and the courage of vulnerability.

Read more about Karin Bosman >>

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 >>

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 >>

Gert-Jan was an active member of the House of Representatives for the Christian Union for 10 years. Characteristic were his talent and drive to connect dissenters to the same mission – to eliminate injustice in any form. For example, he co-shaped the current climate policy and championed humane labor migration and bringing back the student basic grant.

In 2023, Gert-Jan left politics and continued his mission as an advisor for various NGOs and companies working from a social perspective. Among others, he works for the Salvation Army and International Justice Mission – an organization that seeks to eliminate modern-day slavery.

“All that injustice needs to win, is good people doing nothing.”

Gert-Jan Segers has also written several books, including his most recent, “Power and powerlessness: politician in a divided country. This is also one of his keynotes as a professional speaker.

Read more about Gert-Jan Segers >>

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 >>

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 >>

In a candid manner, Peter Kapitein speaks and writes about his own diagnosis, his road to recovery and what he and his talents are working tirelessly for today.

He wrote the book “Ik heb kanker.. en ik leef een goed, gelukkig en gezond leven”(Translated: ‘I have cancer … and I live a good, happy and healthy life’) and – strongly driven by gratitude for life – he organizes the now famous Alpe d’HuZes with a friend.

Next to that he also founded Inspire2Live – an international movement working tirelessly for equality, autonomy and knowledge for cancer patients worldwide. Learn how Peter connects scientists, patients and policymakers with Inspire2Live to improve quality of life and accelerate breakthroughs in medicine.

“With Inspire2Live, we connect ALL stakeholders in the medical industry field and challenge them to do even better together.”

Read more about Peter Kapitein >>