Stress Management | Vitality | Changing Organization and Society
Mikkel Hofstee is the author of Oermens 2.0 & 2.1 and a vitality expert. He helps organizations become more vital, thus performing more sustainably and effectively. A win-win for the organization and its employees.
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As humans, we have lived 99% of our time on earth in small groups, in nature, and with scarce resources. How can we adapt to a world of abundance? Our body and brain are doing their best, but millions of years of evolution did not anticipate that we would end up in this world. And as we can see, we are not adapting well.
We are permanently ‘on’, addicted to stimuli, performance, consumption, and affirmation. Society has become hyper-nervous: we are mentally overloaded, physically exhausted, and increasingly less resilient to setbacks. How do we transition from overstimulated and hyper-nervous to a fundamentally healthy way of living and working?
Mikkel Hofstee – entrepreneur, author of Oermens 2.0 and Healthy Behavior is Contagious – holds an inspiring mirror up to us. With humor, recognition, and a touch of self-deprecation, he shows how we have lost our primal human compass and what we can do to become resilient and fundamentally healthy again.
Based on his experiences as the founder of Lifeguard and Healthguard, he combines scientific insights with life experience and practical wisdom. His message: we do not need to go back to the cave, but we do need to return to the center — to a society where balance, connection, and meaning are once again leading.
About Mikkel Hofstee
After a career at ABN AMRO, Mikkel founded Lifeguard, one of the first companies to systematically integrate vitality into organizations. Later, he founded Healthguard (occupational health services 2.0), Your Healthy Career, and the Amsterdam City Swim. His books Oermens 2.0 and 2.1 and Healthy Behavior is Contagious illustrate how we as a species can adapt without losing ourselves. For the Jane Goodall Institute Netherlands, he organized the Know Yourself lecture series. Mikkel is a highly sought-after speaker on vitality, leadership, and humanity in a rapidly changing world.
Speaking Style
Authentic, provocative, and full of energy. Mikkel knows how to touch his audience and get them moving – with stories that resonate and insights that are immediately applicable.
We do not need to go back to the cave, but we do need to return to the center
Mikkel speaks with humor, sharpness, and expertise about how we – addicted to notifications, affirmation, and performance pressure – can rediscover ourselves in a hyper-nervous society. He connects neuroscience, evolutionary psychology, and practical wisdom into a sober yet inspiring narrative about being human in a digital world.
His lectures are an invitation to reconnect with what makes us human: calmness, wonder about the world, and genuine connection. Mikkel combines entrepreneurial spirit with philosophical depth and offers not only analysis but also actionable perspectives.
Those who hear him recognize themselves – and feel that another way of working and living is possible.
Can we still be amazed?
We have completely forgotten our relationship with our body. The body is used as a willing slave, part of an industry where appearance is becoming increasingly important. The body must serve us and not the other way around. We seem to have forgotten what those millions of years of evolution have given us in terms of an amazing ‘mechanism’.
Surviving in a time of constant stimulation
We live in a world where our brain never gets to rest. Push notifications, performance pressure, and permanent online presence keep us in a state of mild panic. Mikkel shows how our ancient biology clashes with modern life – and how we can regain control over focus, rest, and energy. A stimulating wake-up call for anyone who sometimes feels lived.
The psychology behind social media and digital dependency
Why do we keep scrolling, even when we know it drains us? In this lecture, Mikkel unravels the addictive dynamics of social media and the need for constant affirmation. With humour and relatable examples, he provides insight into how technology shapes our behaviour – and how we can regain control ourselves.
Humanity as an answer to complexity
Leadership in the 21st century does not require more control, but more connection. Mikkel shows how resilient and meaningful leadership arises from authenticity, proactive behaviour, and self-awareness. He connects his Core Healthy model with practical insights for leaders who want to bring balance to themselves, their team, and their organisation.
From stress culture to resilience and connection
Burnouts, turnover, and absenteeism are not personal failures, but signals of a system that no longer works. Mikkel shows how organisations can build a culture where people thrive instead of just survive. Inspiring and concrete – with lessons from twenty years of experience in vitality and occupational health services.
Rediscovery of meaning, rhythm, and connection
In our drive for efficiency, we have lost something essential: humanity. Mikkel invites his audience to reflect: what does it mean to do good work, in a time when everything is measurable except meaning? A lecture that touches and prompts different behaviour – calmer, more conscious, and more genuine.
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