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Ferry Zandvliet

Terrorist attack survivor shows how to change a traumatic event into something positive and describes how sharing grief and talking about it is a form of therapy that can be a liberating experience.

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Netherlands

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Today Ferry Zandvliet told his story about his ordeal in the Bataclan theatre. In the audience where over 150 colleagues who had served in Afghanistan. His story is indelible. The shooting, the reptile brain, the powerlessness and sorrow changed him forever. The audience was touched by the way Ferry refused to be a victim. How he put his anger into actions by helping others. This is extremely powerful to hear. We need to hear stories like this at the corps.

Erik Akerboom

National Police Chief

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Reasons to book Ferry Zandvliet

Let Ferry Zandvliet inspire your audience how to be resilient and transform themselves into better people even after serious challenges. He shows how channeling one's anger into helping other people can actually make them a happier person.
Having suffered from PTSD himself, and as a victim support expert, he has first hand experience of the power and healing effect of sharing grief.
Ferry customizes his talks to every audience from children to adults. He shares how letting go of anger and fear, and not making yourself a victim can be very liberating.

Ferry's outlook on life changed as a result of another traumatic experience, the terrorist attack at the Bataclan in Paris, in November, 2015. Instead of becoming angry and feeling sorry for himself, his experience taught him to reach out and help other people. The gratitude he felt from not being killed, coupled with sharing his grief with others, helped him to change from an angry person to someone who could forgive and be happy.

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Keynotes

Ferry Zandvliet keynote: Speaker Ferry Zandvliet keynote topics

Ferry inspires audiences with keynotes about personal development and overcoming a traumatic experience. He delievers different keynotes created to different types of audiences and their goals. Where he creates customized messages and unique experiences to achieve the results you need.

Examples on keynote topics and their audiences could therefore be:

POLICE VERSION - An intense and vivid glimps inside the mind of a civilian who suddenly finds himself in a warzone.

Topis:

Bataclan attack.

The reptilian brain.

PTSD.

Victim support.

Media

Medication.

MOTIVATIONAL VERSION - How to become the best version of yourself after any setback, large or small.

Topics:

Letting go of anger.

Personal leadership.

Resilience.

SCHOOL VERSION - How do you turn a setback into something positive?

Topics:

Letting go of anger.

Social media & victimizing yourself is toxic.

MEDIA VERSION - What happens when a traumatized civilian gets attacked by the media?

Topics:

Media & ethics.

Interview techniques.

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Customer Reviews

Erik Akerboom National Police Chief

Ferry visited the Dublin LinkedIn office in February 2019. His presentation was focused on how to overcome setbacks in your life and actively choosing not to be angry. The feedback on Ferry’s session was great; people took a lot from his story and got inspired by the way that Ferry has handled his traumatic experience. Ferry’s presentation is one that fits many different organizations and companies, because we all face challenges on a daily base and the story that Ferry tells is a very positive one.

Sven Mo Sales Manager LinkedIn HQ

Ferry spoke to our 500 member San Diego Rotary Club, and received a standing ovation at the end of his presentation. His speaking and presentation skills are outstanding, and he relates his story to the audience very well. I highly recommend Ferry as a speaker for any audience.

Paul Devermann Executive Director - San Diego Rotary Club

Ferry Zandvliet

Inspirational Keynote Speaker and Bestselling Author

Ferry Zandvliet was born in the Netherlands in 1978. As a teenager, he was profoundly affected by his parents' divorce, becoming a very negative, angry person who made himself a victim. After leaving school, he pursued a career in the hospitality business, was a fitness trainer and coach before training to become a physiotherapist. His life changing experience came in November, 2015, when he survived the Bataclan Theater terrorist attack. When he shared his grief with a total stranger and his three fellow surviving friends, it allowed him to open up himself for the first time.

Although he was suffering from PTSD, he did not see himself as a victim and actually wanted to help other survivors. In 2017 he started a victim support group for fellow survivors of terrible attacks, and has campaigned for a better understanding and support of their needs. As a full time speaker, he has given inspirational speeches around the world including to police organizations and the UN. Talking about his experiences has helped him come to terms with them, and he encourages this in his victim support group. He wrote his bestselling book in 2020, and Ferry Zandvliet is now a happier person than ever due to his life changing experiences of the Bataclan.