Scaling demands a lot. From your organization, but certainly from you as a founder as well. As your company scales, expectations, decisions, and responsibilities accumulate. Pressure increases, while slowing down is rarely an option. How do you remain resilient as a leader without pushing yourself or your organization out of balance?

In the interactive Deep Dive 'The Resilient Founder', we explore resilience and balance on two inseparably connected levels:‍

- The personal level of the founder: how do you deal with increasing complexity, pressure, and uncertainty, and what do you need to stay sharp and energized?‍

- The organizational level: how do you build a scalable organization in which people can perform sustainably, even as the bar continues to rise?

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Professor Katleen De Stobbeleir (Vlerick Business School) offers a clear and practical framework to help you navigate the tensions that come with growth. Not by lowering the bar, but by consciously examining what it takes to keep meeting that bar in a healthy way, for yourself and for your organization.

In addition, founders Cedric de Vleesschauwer and Dewi Van De Vyver share their personal experience. They bring an honest and relatable account of the reality of scaling: the choices, the pressure, the moments when balance is tested, and what has helped to remain resilient. Not a polished success story in hindsight, but real-world insights that resonate and endure.

Through targeted reflection exercises, you will:

- clearly identify what currently drains your energy and what fuels it,

- uncover where bottlenecks arise, both personally and organizationally,

- translate insights into concrete actions and decisions,

- and exchange experiences with other founders navigating the same growth phase.

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The Resilient Founder is not just an inspirational session. You will leave with concrete insights, practical tools, and actionable steps to lead with resilience, for yourself and for the organization you are building.

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The workshop will be led by experts

Katleen De Stobbeleir is a Professor at Vlerick Business School, dedicated to helping organizations unlock their full potential. She integrates her research, teaching, and coaching to build stronger, more innovative, and more sustainable organizations. As expert in adaptive leadership, she supports teams in developing the mindset, skillset, and toolset needed to respond to change quickly and effectively.

Her work spans the full spectrum of leadership, including authenticity, the future of work, growth mindset, psychological safety, hybrid leadership, responsible and inclusive leadership transitions, and a strong feedback culture.

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You will be further inspired by:

Cedric De Vleeschauwer, founder and CEO of Warren.

Cedric De Vleeschauwer is a Belgian entrepreneur and startup leader with strong experience in launching and scaling tech-driven businesses. He played a key role in building Alan in Belgium, serving as General Manager Belgium, where he led the market entry and growth of the digital health insurance company from its early days through mid-2024.

After that, Cedric went on to found WARREN, a company dedicated to improving financial health and well-being. He regularly shares insights on entrepreneurship, strategy, category creation, and company building, and is an active voice in the European startup ecosystem.

Dewi Van De Vyver, co-founder and CEO Effex

Dewi Van De Vyver is a Belgian tech entrepreneur and leader with over 20 years of experience in digital innovation. She co-founded the digital agency Flow Pilots and later co-founded EFFEX, a SaaS platform focused on Design of Experiments. Dewi is a strong advocate for ethics, diversity, and inclusion in tech, and is a frequent speaker and board member recognized for her impact in the European tech ecosystem.