Dr. Mara van den Berg
Platform Director
Mara holds a doctorate in health psychology and has spent over a decade writing and teaching about stress physiology and behavioral change. She oversees the educational direction of Valernavio.
The People
The team behind Valernavio
Valernavio is built by a small group of health educators, mindfulness practitioners and nutrition specialists. Each person brings a specific background and a shared interest in making health knowledge more accessible.
Team members
Sven Hoekstra
Mindfulness Specialist
Sven trained as a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) instructor and has led group programs in Amsterdam and Utrecht. He develops the guided meditation content and writes on attention training.
Lena Dijk
Nutrition Advisor
Lena is a registered dietitian with a background in public health nutrition. She writes the nutrition guidance content on Valernavio, focusing on practical, everyday dietary information grounded in current science.
Thomas Osei
Wellness Researcher
Thomas works on translating academic research into readable, useful content. His background is in behavioral science and he focuses particularly on habit formation and lifestyle change programs.
Our Approach
How we work
Every piece of content on Valernavio goes through an internal review before publication. We check sources, verify that claims are supported by the referenced research and ensure the language is clear and accessible.
We do not publish sponsored content or accept advertising that could influence editorial decisions. The platform exists to provide educational information, and that purpose shapes every content decision we make.
If you have questions about our content or want to suggest a topic, use the contact page. We read every message, though response times vary.