About VITA-Universe.
Building Mental Strength
Rikke Voldsgaard
We are Rikke Voldsgaard and Kim Østergaard, founders of VITA Universe, based in Singapore, working globally.
VITA Universe is a mental strength training platform built on more than four decades of combined experience in psychology, leadership, performance coaching, education and high-performance environments.
Mental Strength is how you think, regulate emotion, act with discipline, and define direction, in relationships, in ambition, and under pressure. It determines whether you drift or lead in life.
Rikke is a psychology practitioner, couples coach, educator, certified sexologist, and entrepreneur. Her work centers on life purpose, identity, and mental strength, and how we build the inner capacity to live what actually matters to us.
Kim is a former Frogman and Director of Training in Denmark’s elite naval special forces (Danish Frogman Corps). He is an executive leadership advisor, entrepreneur, and author, specializing in trust building, resilience, focus, discipline, and performance under pressure.
Through years of practice, we identified a core principle:
“Our Life Purpose sets direction and Mental Strength makes it actionable.”
That principle is the foundation of VITA Universe.
It’s what we Teach.
It’s what we Train.
It’s what we strive to Live.
Kim Østergaard
Meet The Founders
Rikke Voldsgaard
M.Sc./B.Sc in Psychology, University of Essex (in progress)
Currently pursuing a M.Sc. in Psychology, with a strong interest in social, existential and positive psychology. Integrating research and evidence-based practice to understand how people create meaning, authenticity and direction in their lives.
Certified Relationship Coach & Sexologist
Specializing in desire, intimacy, and relationship dynamics, with a focus on emotional well-being, authenticity, and sustainable connection.
Metacognitive Therapist
Helping clients reduce overthinking, find emotional calm, and regain mental freedom.
Bachelor of Education – Learning & Curriculum Design
With expertise in instructional design and structured curriculum development. Skilled in transforming psychological and educational theory into clear, applicable learning frameworks.
Entrepreneur
Different entrepreneurial and investment activities which span several industries. Each venture reflects the integration of LIFE and MENTAL STRENGTH in real-world leadership.
CPO/HR Director | +10 years
Extensive experience in organizational leadership, focusing on people management, organizational development, and international work environments.
Kim Østergaard
Operational Special Forces Frogman, Danish Naval Special Forces
Served more than a decade as an operational special forces frogman in Denmark’s elite naval unit, operating in high-risk and high-pressure environments. Built deep expertise in discipline, focus, and performance under sustained pressure.
Former Director of Training in Denmark’s Elite Naval Special Forces (Danish Frogman Corps)
Leading elite performance, mental resilience and decision-making under extreme pressure.
Executive Leadership Advisor
Supporting executives in leadership, decision-making, and mental strength under pressure.
Author
Author of books on mental strength, leadership, and human resilience, focused on developing clarity, discipline, and performance under pressure.
Entrepreneur
Chairman and co-founder of several development-focused companies, bridging leadership, mental strength, and human performance.
Master of Management Development
Focusing on strategic leadership, organizational development, and executive self-leadership. Integrating theory and practice to lead complex change and drive sustainable performance.
Our Theoretical Foundation
We build on five traditions — because knowing WHY and knowing HOW are two very different things.
Existential Psychology and Philosophy — Meaning, Freedom, Authenticity
Søren Kierkegaard asked the hardest question: What would you live and die for? Viktor Frankl answered it from the darkest possible place, and showed that meaning sustains us where nothing else can. Emmy van Deurzen turns the insight into skill: the ability to navigate life's contradictions with direction rather than collapse.
Humanistic Psychology — Growth, Authenticity, Self-Acceptance
Carl Rogers' foundational insight is that every person has within them the capacity for growth, when the right conditions exist. The tension between who we are and who we think we should be, is where most of our inner struggle lives. Our work creates the conditions for that gap to close: not through pressure or performance, but through honesty and genuine self-acceptance.
Positive Psychology — Wellbeing, Strengths, Resilience
Martin Seligman discovered something uncomfortable: people don't give up because they're weak, they give up because experience has taught them that trying doesn't work. He called it Learned Helplessness, and the good news is that it can be unlearned. His research on optimism, resilience and the five elements of genuine wellbeing shapes how we build every programme. Mental Strength is not the absence of struggle, it is the practice of building what actually sustains you.
Sport and Exercise Psychology — Motivation, Habit, Performance
Sport psychology has spent decades on one question: What makes people actually keep going? The answers are clear: Motivation that comes from within outlasts motivation that comes from pressure or reward, every time. Confidence is built through action, not inspiration. Goals that focus on process beat goals that focus on outcome. We don't just borrow these findings, we build our programmes around them.
Social and Relational Research — Connection, Identity, Belonging
People don't hold back because they don't care, they hold back because shame is loud and courage is hard. Brené Brown's research made this undeniable, and gave us a language for what it actually takes to show up. John & Julie Gottman's decades of research on couples shows that relationships are not defined by the absence of conflict, but by the presence of connection, small, consistent moments of turning towards each other rather than away. Kenneth Gergen reminds us that who you are is not fixed: identity is built through the stories you live inside, and the people you live them with. This is why community is not a nice addition to change, it is the condition for it.
A note on our evidence base
Our programmes are built on well-established traditions in psychology and behavioural science, research developed over decades and validated across cultures, ages and contexts. We are aware that science is not static. Some of the theories and findings we draw on have been debated, refined or challenged since they were first published, as is the nature of good science. We follow these conversations as good as possible, and where the evidence has evolved, our understanding evolves with it. Where we reference specific studies, we are transparent and aware of their scope and limitations. We use them as illustrations of broader patterns, not as standalone proof. We believe intellectual honesty is part of what it means to take people seriously.
Ready to Train Your Mind?
Explore our programs and take the first step toward a stronger, more intentional life.
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