Waar is Sarah? – The Talk

Q: Waar is Sarah? – The Talk

Waar is Sarah? De talk is a powerful keynote that shakes audiences, touches hearts, and provokes reflection. It tells the story of a sea rescuer’s search for Sarah, the infant he saved years earlier from a sinking rubber boat in the Mediterranean. Where is she now? And is she better off? It’s both a personal and universal quest for the answer to one question: how can I do good? Expect goosebumps, tears, and smiles—a story that leaves no one untouched and will stay with the audience long after. The talk encourages reflection: what truly makes my life meaningful? Is it money, comfort, success—or something more? Rob’s story awakens listeners while offering hope and inspiration to do small acts of good themselves. Honesty, vulnerability, wisdom through failure, and masterful storytelling define this unforgettable keynote.

Speaker

Rob Timmerman

Rob Timmerman exchanged his career as a television producer for a life as a sea rescue worker, driven by the moral ambition to make a difference. Through powerful stories from his work in refugee camps and on the Mediterranean Sea, he shows how encounters with others shape our humanity. His inspiring lecture challenges audiences to reflect on living and working according to their ideals and the power of seeing through another’s perspective.

Rate indication: Price on request
Available for booking as: Speaker
Languages: Dutch English

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About Rob Timmerman

Rob Timmerman’s search for Sarah, an infant he and his team rescued from the sea in 2016, became the Radio1/VPRO podcast series Waar is Sarah?. The series won the BNR/FD Dutch Podcast Awards 2024 for the best podcast in the Netherlands.

Rob as Speaker

Rob’s story is authentic and inspiring. He speaks from experience—no empty talk or grandiose ideas, but real stories from someone who is hands-on in the field. His narrative is honest, about searching for what’s right, stumbling, getting back up, and above all, the mystery and power of human encounters. It’s a story that leaves a lasting impression.

Moral Ambition

Inspired by his award-winning podcast, Rob’s lecture challenges audiences to reflect on universal yet essential themes such as moral ambition: living and working according to your ideals. At the heart of his story is the human being—the person behind the stranger, the refugee—in their vulnerability, beauty, and strength. Rob’s core message is simple but vital: we become human through the eyes of others; we become human in the encounter.

Career

In 2016, Rob Timmerman left his job as a children’s TV producer to work as a humanitarian in refugee camps and later as a rescue worker in the Central Mediterranean. He now spends five months a year on Search & Rescue missions for Médecins Sans Frontières and other NGOs, helping rescue thousands of children and adults along what is known as the deadliest migration route in the world. While his work is serious, his story as a speaker is inspiring and hopeful because he meets real people—strong, caring, and determined. “I have the most beautiful job in the world.”

Themes

Sessions

Waar is Sarah? De talk is a powerful keynote that shakes audiences, touches hearts, and provokes reflection. It tells the story of a sea rescuer’s search for Sarah, the infant he saved years earlier from a sinking rubber boat in the Mediterranean. Where is she now? And is she better off? It’s both a personal and universal quest for the answer to one question: how can I do good?

Expect goosebumps, tears, and smiles—a story that leaves no one untouched and will stay with the audience long after. The talk encourages reflection: what truly makes my life meaningful? Is it money, comfort, success—or something more? Rob’s story awakens listeners while offering hope and inspiration to do small acts of good themselves.

Honesty, vulnerability, wisdom through failure, and masterful storytelling define this unforgettable keynote.