About

Name: Joey Velberg

Pronouns: he/him

Vision: A world connected; a world in balance; a world united in diversity

Core values: Compassion, Courage, Curiosity, Creativity, Communication & Change

Fully mastered languages: Dutch, English

Element: Air

One of the first conscious decisions of my life was to grow long hair. I thought it suited me, so I went for it. Completely unintentionally, I questioned gender norms at my small-town elementary school. For children and adults alike. That is the essence of who I am: my presence brings change. 

I was a creative child. At the age of seven I started to learn how to play the guitar. And at school I was in the top of my class consistently. Being bright and independent as I was, I was bullied for almost my entire school carrier. 

At the age of thirteen, I won a national poetry competition. I got to perform my work live on stage, in front of hundreds of people. As an added bonus, my poem got published. Not long after that empowering experience, I came out to my classmates as queer.   

After high school, In continued going to university where I started a bachelor’s in communication science. Around this time, my love for language and music coincided, and I started to write my own songs. During my master’s in urban environmental management, I was very active in student and student/staff committees, so I quickly became a well-known face on campus. 

This was a time of joy for me: things were going well, and I was excited about both the present and the future, particularly life after graduation.  

After college, I tried a vast array of different jobs. On paper, they all sounded great. I worked for startups, NGOs, big municipalities and consultancy firms. But they all had one thing in common: I was not allowed to live my ideals. After almost two years of giving it my best shot, I crashed. 

What had appeared as a burnout, actually turned out to be an invitation to process lingering trauma. It took me roughly three years to recover. Those years were a very intense time. To this day, working through all that was the most difficult period of my life.

But somehow I knew that I would be okay. And that by facing my demons, I was allowing myself to make room and move closer to a life that was fully my own.  

And I was right. For the first time in my young life, I can now say that I am happy. I am free. I am where I live and I live where I am. Life is a journey, and I am a nomad. I have no idea what tomorrow will bring. But I do know I am content with today. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I hope we meet each other soon! 

Fresh regards,
Joey
 

In the course of multiple decades, I have educated myself to become the Young Master that I am today. The graph below shows the progress I have made per school of thought. When a beam is not fully lit, it means I am currently working on completing a course. The adjacent list specifies the programs, in reverse chronological order per category (most recent on top). 

Healing
Mentor trajectory
Being

Atana traineeship for diverse boardrooms – in progress
Theory U – Leading from the Emerging Future
Organisation Constellations
Urban Environmental Management, MSc.
Communication Science, BSc.

Deep Democracy
Intervision Methods
Train the Trainer
TeamWork 

Mentor coaching – in progress
Masterclass Grief and Reintegration
Master Coach
Family Constellations

Polyvagal Theory
Breath Work Instructor
Meditation Instructor
Restorative Yoga Instructor

Surf instructor – in progress
Lifeguard – in progress