Elke Geraerts
Doctor in Psychology, bestselling author on mental resilience and focus
Dr. Elke Geraerts has been building a bridge between science and practice for over ten years. She held academic positions at Harvard, St Andrews, Maastricht and Rotterdam, and was recently a guest professor at Ghent University. In 2011, the World Economic Forum named her a Global Shaper. In 2014, she founded Better Minds, now an international team of approximately fifty psychologists, coaches and consultants. Her bestsellers Mental Capital and Focus is the New Gold have been published in English, Chinese, Korean and Arabic, among other languages. She has spoken on stages from Kyoto to Cape Town, Lima, Sydney, Dubai and San Francisco, for organizations such as PwC, Microsoft, Adobe, Deloitte, Mercedes-Benz and the United Nations. No buzzwords, but neuropsychology translated into behavior that works.
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Biography
From Harvard to the Stage
Elke Geraerts holds a doctorate in psychology. For more than ten years, she held academic positions at the universities of Harvard, St Andrews, Maastricht and Rotterdam, and recently was a visiting professor at Ghent University, Faculty of Economics and Business. In 2011, she was named a Global Shaper by the World Economic Forum in Geneva.
Better Minds
In 2014, she founded Better Minds. Today, the international team consists of around fifty psychologists, coaches and consultants who help organizations sustainably strengthen leadership, productivity and resilience. This practice informs her lectures: she speaks not only about what is scientifically known, but about what actually works in organizations.
Bestselling author in four languages
Elke wrote, among other works, Mental Capital, The New Mental, Authentic Intelligence and The Mental Reset. In 2024, Focus is the New Gold was published, and in 2025, together with Marie Loop, Mental Capital for Young People. Her work has been translated into English, Chinese, Korean and Arabic, among other languages. In February 2027, The Mental Revolution will be published.
Worldwide on stage
From Kyoto to Cape Town, Lima, Sydney, Dubai and San Francisco. Spoke to management teams, employees and clients of organizations such as PwC, Microsoft, Adobe, Salesforce, SAP, Deloitte, Johnson & Johnson, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, ING, Mastercard, Zara and the United Nations. Every presentation is tailored to the context of the audience.
Expertise
Building Mental Capital
The core of Elke's work is that mental energy and attention can be managed like capital. She shows you how to calm your stress system, protect your attention and gain more control over thoughts, emotions and behaviour. It's not about reducing pressure, but about preventing that pressure from leading to burnout. With simple tools, smart boundaries and digital hygiene that make a difference from the following week onwards.
Focus as a scarce resource
In Focus is the New Gold addresses what Elke shows about how constant interruption affects intellectual work and work enjoyment. She demonstrates how to protect your attention when it matters and consciously unfocus to recover, translating that into team agreements that keep colleagues sharp without increasing pressure.
Authentic Intelligence in the Age of AI
Her latest work revolves around the question of what makes people irreplaceable. She distinguishes six pillars of authentic intelligence: emotional intelligence, genuine connection, moral courage, reflection, creative thinking, and resilience. Not soft skills, but capabilities that are demonstrably trainable, grounded in insights from neuroplasticity.
Leadership Under Pressure
Social unrest, blurring boundaries, and flexible work are making the relationship between leader and employee more human, and that requires different skills. Elke translates neuropsychology into concrete leadership behavior: rituals that build trust, tools for difficult conversations, and agreements that accelerate collaboration.
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Mental resilience
How to train your brain to better manage stress, pressure and change, and why resilience is not a luxury but a prerequisite for performance.
Focus and attention
Attention as a scarce resource. On the impact of digital stimuli, deep work, micro-recovery and working smarter instead of harder.
Bolder Leadership
Authenticity, empathy and adaptability as core skills. Long considered a nice-to-have, today essential.
Remaining Human in the Age of AI
Almost every organization has an AI strategy, yet hardly any have a strategy for the people who need to work with it. About what you delegate to AI and what you consciously keep human.
Dealing with Permanent Change
Change is no longer a project but the backdrop. How to stay agile as a leader and team without losing sight of the human element.
Brain fitness and sustainable performance
The science behind energy, concentration and recovery, translated into routines that actually transform a work week.
Why Elke
Academic authority of the highest level
Harvard, St Andrews, Maastricht, Rotterdam and Ghent. Her story is grounded in years of independent research, and she can show where the evidence comes from.
No theory to explain the theory
Her trademark is the translation: converting psychological insights into applications that find their way into practice on Monday morning.
Proven at the international top
From Microsoft and Adobe to Deloitte, Mercedes-Benz and the United Nations. She knows what's at stake in organizations where the pressure is highest.
Always tailored
Every keynote starts with one question: what do you want your people to take away? She does her homework and builds the story around your audience, challenge, and moment.
Science with humor
Academic depth, delivered humanely. No slides drowning in data, but a story that captivates from start to finish – even for an audience with no psychology background.
It doesn't stop at the last slide
Q&A, practical tools, a curated reading list, and audience connection that continues beyond the session.
Talks
The Mental Revolution · NEW
45 - 90 minutesStrengthening authentic intelligence in the AI era
Every organization has an AI strategy, but almost none have a strategy for the people who have to work with it. This growing gap is not a technological but a human problem. After the industrial and digital revolution, it's time for the mental revolution.
Six pillars of authentic intelligence
Emotional intelligence, authentic connection, moral courage, reflection, creative thinking and resilience. Not soft skills, but challenging and future-proof competencies that, according to neuroplasticity, are trainable at any age.
A compass and a challenge
You leave with clarity about what you delegate to AI and what you consciously keep human. With a 48-hour challenge, you immediately translate insights into action, before they fade. This isn't a story against AI, but for humanity.
Mental Capital
45 - 90 minutesChallenging times demand much attention and energy
We run, react and burn out. That's precisely why now is the time to strengthen your mental capital. With her number 1 bestseller as a guiding thread, Elke translates neuropsychology into behavior that works today.
Focusing and Defocusing
You learn to focus when needed, defocus to recover, and build routines for more energy and concentration throughout your day. Plus simple tools to calm your stress system and protect your attention.
The pressure remains, the exhaustion does not
The week after, you'll already notice the difference: more peace of mind, less ad-hoc work, and more completed tasks. With a 48-hour challenge to translate insights into action immediately.
Focus is the new gold
45 - 90 minutesHow many times were you interrupted today?
Emails, notifications, messages. We are constantly connected, but attention becomes increasingly scarce. Each [moment] shows how to protect your attention when it matters and consciously defocus to recover.
Techniques that work from day one
A simple framework for setting priorities, methods for deep work and micro-recovery, and agreements that help teams distribute their attention more effectively.
Your next working day feels different
Meetings become shorter, inboxes more manageable, and teams develop a shared language around attention. This way, colleagues keep each other sharp without increasing pressure.
Elke & Friends (Duo Sessions)
45 - 90 minutesThe Power of Focus · keynote or masterclass, with Mark Tigchelaar
The world is racing by: notifications, meetings, noise. Mark Tigchelaar brings sharp insights on attention and cognitive performance, Elke translates neuropsychology into effective behavior. Together, a sober, energetic session with a framework to determine what you protect, what you cut, and what you deliberately cultivate.
The Resilient Tribe · keynote or masterclass, with Jitske Kramer
How do you stay agile, as an individual and as a group? Jitske Kramer is a corporate anthropologist and bestselling author, known for her work on tribes, inclusion and leadership. Together they bring neuropsychology and cultural anthropology into conversation: brain-friendly routines that restore calm, anthropological tools for strong tribes, and a shared language that connects generations and cultures.
When AI meets AI · keynote of masterclass, with Peter Hinssen
When authentic and artificial intelligence go hand in hand. Peter Hinssen is an international keynote speaker and bestselling author with more than 1,500 keynotes for companies including Google, Apple and Microsoft. Together they show how to combine people and technology intelligently, with a compass to unite AI and human judgment. Not competition, but synergy.
Reviews
“These were the best 90 minutes I've experienced in years. Scientifically substantiated and applicable to everyday life.”
“Elke's lecture was wonderful – exactly what we needed. We were delighted that she was able to attend our global meeting.”
“What a powerful and inspiring keynote! Absolutely spot on.”
“Elke's inspiring keynote made us think about how we lead our company and support our customers. Ultimately, it's the human approach that really makes the difference.”
“The ultimate 'Elke-effect'? Participants seeking each other out long after the presentation to discuss the impact of her story. A warm, unique and exceptionally talented personality.”
