PETRA VELZEBOER IS A RENOWNED AUTHOR, PSYCHOTHERAPIST, TEDX SPEAKER, AND CEO OF MENTAL HEALTH CONSULTANCY PVL.
Born into a notorious cult, Petra was raised in a strict environment where individuality and self expression were discouraged. Travelling the globe, she learned firsthand about cultures and people but was sheltered from education, books or friendships outside of the community. Raised to believe the world was going to end, she took her birthright as god's endtime soldier seriously, turning a blind eye to cruel and unusual punishments, abuse and the fact that the world never did in fact, end.
Leading a double life for many years, she knows firsthand the toll it takes to wear a mask of conformity on one side while leading a hedonistic escapist life on the other. Eventually the cracks started to show, falling pregnant at 22 and moving to London to start a new life with a boyfriend outside of the community. Life had enabled her to escape and offered up a new path.
While on the outside she lived a good life, staying at home to nurture her two children while her boyfriend went to work - on the inside she was lonely, traumatised and descended into depression, alcohol addiction and suicidal ideation.
After several rock bottom events she made a striking decision - she gave herself a one year deadline to take her own life. With this exit strategy firmly in place she began observing, researching and imitating what seemed to be working for others who were happy and thriving.
Learning how to change her own life, she became determined to help others who were struggling with their mental health, and so began her education and career, ready to make a difference and excited to get to work.
However, the world of work was not all she had imagined it to be. Again, she felt like her sense of individuality was lost, and she had no freedom to explore and express.
Petra felt like she was back in the cookie cutter, one size fits all, system that she had worked so hard to break free from. Leadership in the workplace sought to control behaviour, narratives, and outcomes just like in the cult and dropped you like you were dead to them, if you decided to leave.
After years in this cycle, Petra decided that she wouldn’t escape one cult to fall right back into another.
She quit her job and started her own company, PVL, a consultancy that combats psychologically toxic cultures and promotes mentally healthy work environments. She made sure to not repeat the same mistakes with her team and developed a framework for other companies to implement.
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.
Petra is at the forefront of this change, speaking in keynotes across the globe, sharing her story and methodology to help companies gain an edge in the world of work, retaining their valuable employees, and innovating to a new standard of work.
In the new world of work, employees feel autonomy over their work, safe to express their opinions and ideas. They are able to balance their personal and professional lives, set boundaries, and take accountability for their wellbeing.
This is a future that we’re working toward, where wellbeing can no longer be an afterthought but is integral to ensuring edge in an ever changing world! Petra’s dream is to create workplaces that are good for our mental health, not places we have to recover from afterwards!