Opening & Closing
Indra Diallo is a Dutch-Guinean harpist, composer and therapeutic practitioner whose work builds bridges between music, health and storytelling.

Blending West African blues with neo-classical vibes, her live sets, guided by voice and nurturing strings, are honest, raw and full of space to breathe. Her work spans workshops, sessions, gatherings and mentorships.This November, she is releasing her debut album: the Foundation and speaking at TEDX Rotterdam.

Talk: Soft opening
To connect to our heart with a soft moment of opening. Creating space for new thoughts, ideas, and feelings. When we strengthen the connection with ourself, we can connect with others.

Speaker Bio
Caroline de Gruyter is a Europe correspondent and columnist for the Dutch newspaper NRC. Based in Brussels, she is also a columnist for Foreign Policy, De Standaard and EUobserver, and a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Caroline has covered European politics for over 25 years. She has also lived in the Gaza strip, Jerusalem, Geneva, Vienna and Oslo. Her book about the lessons today’s Europe can draw from the Habsburg Empire became a bestseller. It is published in Dutch, German, French, Swedish, Hungarian and Croatian. Her latest book, Zondagskinderen (Children of Fortune), available in Dutch and soon in French, explores the effects of the ‘long peace’ on society and (security and defence) policy in post-war Europe.

Talk: How Europe deals with a world in turmoil
Can Europe, with its pacifist compromise culture, survive in a world where raw power and bullying have again become the norm? Many Europeans are not so sure. These days, all one hears is about European weakness, failures and fragmentation. However, below the surface, things are rapidly changing, too - also for the better. As Caroline de Gruyter explains in her keynote talk: it is only during crises that Europe changes course, implements reforms and even manages to inspire a kind of European identity.

Speaker Bio
Andreas Ekström is an author and a speaker, currently making it big with his autobiographical book “Two Boys” in his native Sweden. But for the most part, his focus lies on digital humanities – mankind’s space and place in the digital revolution. Andreas has spoken in 34 countries all around the world and got a global outreach through TED.

Talk: Organic Intelligence
Understanding artificial intelligence starts with understanding human intelligence. This presentation is made for those who want to insist on the uniqueness of mankind - while boldly charging into the future.

Dr. Marcia Goddard took neuroscience out of the lab and into the Formula 1 paddock. A trained psychologist with a PhD in neuroscience, she left academia to study what sustainable high performance looks like in practice, in a sport where the difference between winning and losing is measured in thousandths of a second.

Her research inside Formula 1 forms the foundation of her company Brain Matters Consulting, and of her book Driving Performance: Ten Lessons About Building High Performing Teams from Neuroscience and Formula One (Wiley, 2026). She is a sought-after coach for senior leaders in F1, advising teams on the culture, leadership, and team dynamics that turn talented individuals into title contenders.

Talk: Built to Adapt: Lessons from the Fastest Sport on Earth
Change is coming whether your brain likes it or not, and mostly it doesn’t. Neuroscientist and author of Driving Performance dr. Marcia Goddard unpacks what uncertainty does to the mind, and why it hijacks clear thinking. Using lessons from inside Formula 1, where teams adapt at speed or lose, she shows what human adaptation looks like in practice. Attendees leave knowing how to keep a steady head when everything around them shifts.

Joris Luyendijk wil be the moderator of the breakfast session.

Joris Luyendijk is an anthropologist and a writer. He has written for The Guardian, Die Welt, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Le Monde Diplomatique and a range of newspapers and magazines across Europe.
In the Netherlands he is best known for his work as correspondent from the Middle East, for his columns in NRC Handelsblad about the culture of finance in London, and for his TV work for Vpro Zomergasten and Vpro Tegenlicht.

Mr Luyendijk received the Dutch national book award twice, and his books have appeared in over two dozen countries. In the course of his life he lived in the US, Egypt, Lebanon, Israel and the United Kingdom. The author of seven books so far, his most recent work is ‘de zeven vinkjes’ (’the seven ticks’) which caused a massive response when it was published in 2022.