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The courage to look discomfort in the eye
The Day 1 attitude in times of uncertainty and polycrisis
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Objective
Many people aren’t tired of the work itself, but of not knowing. In a world of polycrisis, AI and breakneck change, uncertainty has become the only certainty — and that uncertainty drains energy and triggers fear and defensive behaviour. This keynote shows how to stop dodging discomfort and look it straight in the eye, and how a Day 1 attitude gets you moving again.
“You don’t get to choose what happens to you, but you do get to choose how you deal with it.”
Inside the session
Elke Van Hoof takes participants under the hood of their own brain. That brain isn’t a camera that records the world, but a prediction machine that constantly guesses what’s coming. As long as the world is predictable, that works brilliantly. But the moment its predictions no longer match reality, the brain reads that as danger and goes on the defensive. Shutting down, overreacting, exhaustion: it isn’t unwillingness, it’s a brain on high alert. And whoever understands how that works can do something about it.
From that insight, Elke draws a sharp distinction. Moment 0 is what happens to you, what you didn’t choose; Day 1 is what you do choose. Not optimism or comeback rhetoric, but the discipline to move today anyway, every morning again. That takes radical acceptance instead of continuing to fight, the courage not to know, and the art of navigating without knowing the endpoint: not connecting the dots from the mountaintop, but following the line already under your feet.
Finally, Elke touches on what our times call for most: how do you stay connected when opinions clash? The answer lies in the willingness to keep looking each other in the eye, even when paths diverge. That’s what standing shoulder to shoulder means — not that we agree, but that we keep standing side by side in the discomfort. She brings it all together in the Day 1 attitude, building a bridge to her book ‘Day 1’.
What you’ll take away
Insight into why uncertainty costs so much energy and how your brain responds under pressure.
The distinction between Moment 0 (what happens to you) and Day 1 (what you choose).
Radical acceptance as a starting point for getting moving again.
How to stay connected and keep looking each other in the eye, even when you differ.
The Day 1 attitude as a stance for staying curious and in motion.
Dr Elke Van Hoof holds a doctorate in psychological sciences and specialises in stress, leadership and organisational change. With more than 25 years of experience, she supports leaders and organisations in building resilient, future-proof workplaces.
As a lecturer in Disability Management, the author of internationally published books and the driving force behind the podcast ‘Stress als BFF’, she translates state-of-the-art science into concrete strategies with visible effects on well-being, performance and retention.
Elke is CEO of Oh My People, an organisation that makes stress human and durably embeds well-being, leadership and culture within companies.
Stress expert, keynote speaker & author with 25+ years of experience. She turns mental health into strategy, translating brain science into impact.
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