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About us | From zero to world leader
About Anthonie Wurth
Its all about Behavior Change
In 1991 I became European Judo Champion and competed successfully in the 1992 Olympic Summer games in Barcelona. I was among the best Judo players in the world.
Now I am an author, trusted advisor, and frequent speaker at international learning conferences. I am among the best Behavior Change experts in the world.
Anthonie Wurth
Founder and CEO of Behavior Change Champion
Years of
Experiences
Behavior
Change
Programs
Trusted
Clients
Published
Books
Our Foundation
The Journey of our Founder
To help you see the world differently and create impact on lifelong learning and lasting behavior change we need to be special to make you special. Get inspired by Anthonie’s story.
PERFORM BETTER
I was born in 1967 in the Netherlands. My father and grandfather were successful entrepreneurs. My mother and grandmother supported them and my younger brother and I admired them.
Understanding the importance of hard work and self-discipline, I started practicing Judo at a very young age.
My coach (who later became my father-in-law) quickly noticed how dedicated I was. I always wanted to practice more and perform better.
OLYMPIC GAMES 1992
When I turned 18, he sent me to Japan to train with the best Judo players. That year, in 1991, I became European Champion. I then competed in the 1992 Olympic Summer Games in Barcelona, among the top 7 Judo players in the world.
The next year, I ended my sports career and entered the learning industry, joining one of the largest training companies in Europe. Over ten years at the company, I trained thousands of participants to develop and master soft skills.
MY FIRST DRAWING
During that time, I compared how Olympic athletes were trained to how employees were trained and noticed a huge difference. I realized that more important than the training itself was the application of the training, or what I call behavior change. In 2004, I finished my career as a business trainer and started to develop a methodology that focused on lasting behavior change.
The drawing above is from April 2006. I scribbled it as I passionately explained to my wife, Monique, the methodology I was developing, which I later called “The 7 Principles of Behavior Change.” She just looked at the drawing and said nothing. I still wonder what she was thinking at the time.
Family Business
Max, Sem and Fleur
At the time, I was no longer an active Judo player but was very involved in coaching. In addition to the corporate coaching I did for over 10 years, I was also coaching my three kids, Max, Sem, and Fleur, in Judo. Coaching them, I began to apply my methodology to change their behavior.
Lead by Example
"You Are a Dirty Ferrari"
I also applied this methodology to change my own behavior. I hesitate to tell you this, but I want to share my full story: After my years of rigorous training and living on a strict diet as a Judo player, I lived the complete opposite way. Working out less and eating more, I gained over 60 pounds and felt ashamed. After a few years of feeling horrible, I sought to regain control over my behavior.
That was when I met the personal trainer Jorgen de Mey, author of The Action Hero Body: The Complete Workout Secrets from Hollywood’s Top Trainer.
After explaining my situation, he called me “a dirty Ferrari.” He explained that at the Olympics in 1992, my body was like a Ferrari — fast, powerful, and lean — and I had to bring it back. I had to change my behavior and honor my body. This was the greatest test of my methodology and I’m happy to say it worked. I ran the New York Marathon. I hiked Mont Blanc. Within 6 months, I returned to a healthy lifestyle and have kept it up. Over 54 years old, still strong and athletic, I can confidently say I changed my behavior with lasting impact.
What we did
From Zero to Worldleader
I gain 20 years top sport experience and 20 years behavior change experience to become one of the most sought-after behavior change specialists. Experienced consultant using a proprietary methodology, translated into 45 languages in over 100 countries.
EDUCATE THE WORLD
After being a Behavior Change Champion and educating the learning industry about the difference between learning and applying, I moved the company headquarters to Atlanta, Georgia.
At the time, my brother joined the company as an investor and CEO so that I could focus on presenting the methodology all over the world. At many conferences, I sat at a booth that functioned as a whiteboard and gave training on the spot.
PUBLISHED AUTHOR
As I was giving dozens of presentations on behavior change, I wrote my first book on the topic in 2009. The book was based on a true story from my time in Shanghai. It focused on how my behavior changed after the Chinese government put me in quarantine on suspicion that I was carrying the Mexican flu.
Then, in 2016, a publisher asked me to write a book about my methodology, “The 7 Principles of Reinforcement.” Two years later, I published my second book that continued to iterate on this proven and successful methodology.
PERFECT MARRIAGE
The 7 Principles of Behavior Change methodology is used by many Fortune Global 500 companies and all major global training companies to improve the impact of their training programs, including the Ken Blanchard companies.
I had the honor of meeting Ken a few years ago, and we talked about my vision for behavior change and how to implement my methodology. Afterwards, he said, “You are today’s Behavior Change Champion.” A few months later, I created a behavior change program for his program called Situational Leadership®.
Where are we now
The BEHAVIOR CHANGE CHAMPION
Let’s create impact on lifelong learning and lasting behavior change
We are proud to have built a well-regarded company for driving behavioral change and increasing the impact of many lives.
Our focus remains to strengthen our 7 Principles of Behavior Change methodology and share it with the world.
We continue to develop all services to support you and your loved ones as a behavior change champion. I hope you will join us on this continuous journey.
Let’s change the world, Step by Step, Habit by Habit.