John talks with Petra Velzeboer – psychotherapist, TEDx speaker, founder of PVL (a mental health consulting business), author of Begin with You: Invest in Your Mental Well-Being and Satisfaction at Work and Digital Wellbeing: Recharge Your Focus and Reboot Your Life, and a proud mother of two. 

Petra was born and raised in a religious cult, which led to many challenges in her life, including addiction and depression. She now uses her experiences to help, inspire, and support others.

Listen to this episode to learn more:

[00:00] - Intro

[01:07] - Petra’s bio

[05:32] - Warning: Potentially sensitive content, not to be overheard by kids

[05:57] - Petra’s background of being born and raised in a religious cult

[08:19] - Leaving the cult 

[09:35] - Getting addicted to drugs, alcohol, and promiscuity after leaving the cult

[10:35] - Her rock-bottom moments

[12:35] - How growing up in a cult changed her perspective on God

[15:32] - Moving to London while pregnant and adjusting to a new life

[16:51] - Her desire to cover up her past and fit in

[19:42] - Rock bottom moments that pushed Petra to change

[22:07] - When she was driving under the influence with her young son

[22:38] - How A.A. helped her develop honesty and accountability

[23:33] - Petra’s journey to sobriety

[27:15] - Discovering her entrepreneurial spirit

[30:00] - Her interest in the counseling profession as a teenager

[31:11] - What led her to become an accidental entrepreneur

[32:46] - Intentionally shrinking her business to a small, flexible team 

[34:49] - How the U.S. educational system is not designed to create independent thinkers

[36:56] - Outro

NOTABLE QUOTES:

“Sometimes life happens because we’re not brave enough to make a stand.”

“Addicts have a lot of rage and a lot of trauma and a lot of stuff. But if you can reposition it to be energy or forward motion and doing great things, we have more energy than a lot of people, actually.”

“I think we get sucked into the cult of success and what it should look like.”

“Groupthink does not ever lead to innovation.”

USEFUL RESOURCES:

https://www.petravelzeboer.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/petra-velzeboer/

https://www.instagram.com/petra.velzeboer/

https://www.youtube.com/@petra.velzeboer

“Begin with You: Invest in Your Mental Well-Being and Satisfaction at Work” (https://a.co/d/dbI2Nu8)

“Digital Wellbeing: Recharge Your Focus and Reboot Your Life” (https://a.co/d/1EZarkm)

CONNECT WITH JOHN

Website - https://thejohnhulen.com 

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Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/johnhulen  

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhulen    

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLX_NchE8lisC4NL2GciIWA 

EPISODE CREDITS

Intro and Outro music provided by Jeff Scheetz - https://jeffscheetz.com/