About Nele
Nele Jacobs is a clinical psychologist, keynote speaker, and CEO of Faresa, a mental health company she founded in 2009. She is also a part-time professor of psychology, leadership and personal development at the Brussels School of Governance (VUB), and combines academic research with 17+ years of hands-on experience helping individuals and organizations build better mental health.
- PhD in Biomedical Sciences, Maastricht University (2011)
- Founder & CEO of Faresa (2009–present), 16 employees, offices in Hasselt and Brussels
- Part-time professor, Brussels School of Governance (VUB)
- Chair of the Board, Flemish Association for Behavior Therapy (since 2022)
- 37+ conference presentations · 20+ publications in international journals
From Childhood Dream to Practice
Nele knew at age 10 that she wanted to become a clinical psychologist. She pursued that ambition with growing determination to modernize mental healthcare through evidence-based solutions — earning a Master's degree (magna cum laude) from KU Leuven (2006), co-authoring a book on behavior change for cardiovascular disease prevention (2008), a Master's in Health Sciences from Maastricht University (2009), a PhD in Biomedical Sciences (2011), and a postgraduate certification in Behavior Therapy (2013).
Building Faresa
At 26, while completing her PhD, Nele founded Faresa — a company dedicated to better mental health, at home and at work. In 2013, she developed the first digital tool for burnout prevention, which has since evolved into AI-driven applications. Today, Faresa employs 16 people across two Belgian offices and has completed a successful funding round (backed by LRM and BAN Flanders) to support international growth, working with organizations including Glowi, Tessenderlo Group and Lidl.
Speaking & academic work
As a keynote speaker, Nele translates scientific insight into practice for boards, leadership teams and HR professionals — on topics ranging from mental resilience and female leadership to evidence-based prevention and reintegration policy. See her six keynotes. She is also completing her second book, Authentically Ambitious: Discover the Phoenix in You.
Beyond Faresa
Nele serves as Chair of the Board of the Flemish Association for Behavior Therapy, and is available for board advisory roles, academic guest lectures, CBT supervision, and executive coaching for C-level leaders. Outside of work, Nele is a mother of three sons — Laurens, Vincent and Maxime.
Looking to book Nele for a keynote? Get in touch.