© Linelle Deunk
Personal Development | Wild Animals | Lessons from the Wilderness
Martine van Zijll Langhout
As a wildlife expert, Martine gives inspiring lectures and workshops about wild animals and what we can learn from them about our own behavior and well-being. With an original and enlightening perspective, she examines our animal behavior in our urban jungle and human 'ecosystems'.
Languages:
Employability:
Keynote Speaker,Motivational Speaker
Employability:
Keynote Speaker,Motivational Speaker,
About Martine van Zijll Langhout
As a wildlife expert, Martine offers an original and enlightening perspective on our animal behavior in our urban jungle and human ‘ecosystems.’ She gives inspiring lectures and workshops on what we can learn from wild animals about ourselves and our well-being. For years, she lived in the wilderness, working as a veterinarian with a wide variety of wild and often dangerous animals. By living like a wild animal herself, she managed to survive in the wilderness and discovered how beneficial this lifestyle is for us. She experienced the joy of stepping out of her comfort zone, continuing to develop, and persevering.
The many dangerous wild species she worked with, such as lions, elephants, giraffes, gorillas, snakes, and rhinos, taught her mindfulness, (self)confidence, and connection. Chimpanzees, in particular, taught her a lot about our own ape-like behavior. These experiences serve as a major eye-opener for our Western way of life.
Because we humans also lived as hunters and gatherers in the wilderness for a long time, the lessons from the wilderness provide deep insights into our own behavior and group dynamics. We can learn a lot from wild animals about, for example, focus, leadership, learning, relaxation, and collaboration. How do they do this, and how do they deal with stress, setbacks, and challenges? And how can we use these life lessons to become better leaders, colleagues, teachers, teams, companies, partners, parents, and, above all, happier people?
In addition to her current role as head veterinarian at ARTIS, she conducts research, regularly publishes in professional journals, and teaches. She is a recognized coach and author of the book *Surviving in the Wild* (Ambo/Anthos, 9th edition), which has been enthusiastically received by both the press and the public. She also regularly appears in the media as a wildlife specialist and leads wilderness trails in Botswana.
A lecture by Martine is a celebration of recognition, while also offering a fresh perspective. With a sparkling and optimistic approach, Martine links the life lessons from the wilderness to the specific themes of your organization. Her knowledge, humor, and many adventures with wild animals inspire people to discover the ape within themselves. By connecting with nature, and thus with ourselves, the urgency of collaborating on a mission larger than ourselves also becomes clear.
Specialist Subjects
Arko van Brakel
"Recently I hosted the Sprout Challenger Day. Pim finished the day as key note speaker. He gave an extremely inspiring session, whereby the authenticity of him, his presentation and his company stood out to the audience. Pim uses his vision behind SellaBand.com and the amazing audio visual elements of the website to create an exceptional story and appealing presentation. What struck me most is that Pim doesn’t give you the feeling that you are listening to a business presentation. He makes you part of a success story in which the musicians play the most important and heroic roles."
References
Martine taught us about learning from wildlife and provided reflection on teamwork, leadership and highlighted the importance of diversity.
"We, NIBC Bank’s Risk, Legal and Compliance departments, enjoyed an absolutely inspirational lecture by Martine Van Zijll Langhout during our annual off-site. She taught us about learning from wildlife and provided reflection on teamwork, leadership and highlighted the importance of diversity. But also, just as in nature – the importance of embracing elderly people as they have the knowledge and experience. In fact, we often behave like animals and move around in the ‘office jungle’ where we - just as animals do - are weighing and managing risks every day. To conclude, there is a lot that we can learn from wildlife, not only in our professional but also in our private lives. Many thanks Martine Van Zijll Langhout for your fantastic speech and inspiring us during our great off-site."
Amazing speaker, wonderful connection with our business, great energy!
"We've contacted Martine for an hour keynote lecture on animal wisdom, where we've explained upfront the mission, vision and strategy of our own company. She managed to find the perfect balance between fun, inspiration and the link to our business. She wove in some of the key points of the day and did this with an amazing energy and enthusiasm. We've sent out a survey to all of our employers after the talk and they rated her an overal of 9.1 on 10. Honestly, it couldn't have been more perfect. A big big thanks to Martine!!"