The Founder's Story. From burnout to balance: what a concussion taught me about leadership

Koen Verweij
Nov 4
4 min read

The Power of Nature: Reconnecting to What Matters Through Outdoor Experiences

My surfboard’s fin tore open my face and I was rushed into a 4-hour emergency surgery. Doctors didn’t know if I’d ever smile again.

Fast forward 9 months, my smile is bright, my energy is back and my 9-year old niece wants a scar like mine because it's "so cool!"

But the road between those moments was anything but easy. Being a high achiever, I wanted to get back to work immediately. Yet my nausea, headaches, and brain fog had other plans. My brain simply couldn’t keep up. I ended up crying on the phone to my management because “I just couldn’t.”

My manager’s response stopped me in my tracks: “Why are you working again three weeks after your injury? Go lay in bed, rest. Recovery first - work will come later.”

Something shifted

For my whole career, I had been admired for my ability to keep going, to push beyond my limits. I equated that drive with strength. So in those moments, my inability to work felt like failure, shame, weakness.

As I stopped forcing myself back into survival mode and began to accept my situation, something shifted. I could no longer push or overanalyse my way through, and in that surrender, space opened up:

The constant inner chatter was gone.
My days slowed down.
Creativity and clarity rushed in.

It was only later that I learned the neuroscience behind this experience, a hidden network in the brain that had temporarily gone quiet. the Default Mode Network (DMN).

In that clarity, I found my passion back, my love for teaching, my curiosity for the mind, and my drive to make a difference.r.

The role of the DMN in high performance

The DMN is the part of the brain that never really switches off - running self-talk, rumination, remembering, worrying, over-analysing.

For most high performers, the DMN runs on overdrive. It feels like productivity, but in reality, it creates a negative feedback loop:

Constant mental noise → stress hormone surges
Creativity & clarity squeezed out of decisions
Disconnection from passion & motivation
…until finally, burnout.

Burnout rates are at record highs. Employee turnover is soaring. Engagement is collapsing. And even at the top levels, we see cultures of fear, poor decisions and ethical blind spots - all symptoms of leaders whose nervous systems are running in survival.

Neuroscience helps explain why. When the DMN is overactive, leaders get trapped in rumination and reactivity. But when it softens, another network - the Frontoparietal Network (FPN) - can step in. This is the system responsible for creativity, clarity, and ethical decision-making.

And this is the real difference: Leaders who excel; move effortlessly between vision and execution - space and structure.

Full circle, from burnout to balance

In many ways, the accident made all of my worlds and knowledge come together.

When I left OneTrust two years ago, my manager said: “You pretend to be corporate, but you’ve always had a different energy. You should design leadership offsites or high performance resets. You know exactly what we need, where we struggle, and you have the tools to help.”

I laughed back then. But look at me now.

This accident stripped everything back and reconnected me to what had always been there: my passion for psychology and mental health, my training as a yoga teacher, my years in tourism, and my drive to reshape work culture.

After years of practice and a big slap in the face - with a surfboard - from the universe 😉, It was time to step fully into my purpose. To help others access the balance and clarity I had discovered.

That’s why I created The Verwild Rhythm.

Practices that soften the DMN

The good news: you don’t need a brain injury to experience this state. You can practice it.

Here are some proven ways to quiet the DMN and restore high performance (all of which I’ve built into the Verwild Rhythm):

Morning mobility & breathwork → anchoring focus in the body, not the chatter.
Cold ocean plunges → nervous system reset, sharpened clarity.
Guided hikes & sunrise runs → nature immersion proven to reduce rumination.
Surf & paddleboarding → flow states that silence self-talk.
Sound healing & meditation → calm brainwave states, mental reset.
Community dinners & connection → oxytocin release, quieting self-focus.
Balanced work/rest structure → working hard, then deeply recovering.

Cape Town is our canvas because its wild energy - mountains, ocean and open skies. This does half the work of quieting the noise.

For creatives, professionals, managers and more

I founded Verwild to create this restorative rhythm for high performers. One month in Cape Town, working remotely from a luxury villa, while integrating practices that restore balance, creativity, and passion.

Because peak performance isn’t about doing more. It’s about recovering well enough to keep going.

👉 If you’re ready to explore how the Verwild Rhythm can shift you from survival to sustainable success, let’s talk. Discover Verwild Cape Town →

For companies

If your organisation struggles with:

High turnover of top talent
Rising burnout rates
Low employee satisfaction
Leadership misalignment & poor decision-making
Ethical blind spots, harassment, or fear cultures

These are not just HR issues. They are symptoms of bodies and brains locked in survival - of leaders and teams with overactive DMNs, unable to access clarity, connection, and creativity.

There is another way.

That’s why Verwild is also open to companies:

Tailored leadership offsites in Cape Town
Curated abroad-working trips for President’s Clubs or Executive Boards
Or offering Verwild as a benefit for employees - sending them abroad for a month and welcoming them back with renewed energy, passion, and focus.