About the author

Jules Prast (The Netherlands, 1961) is a former board advisor and executive coach. Before he worked as a journalist, lecturer, speechwriter, press officer, and corporate communications executive.

At university Jules qualified as a historian and a specialist in European press history. His book about Holland’s first political daily, protestant newspaper De Standaard (founded in 1872), is now available in the Dutch National Library’s collection of essential reading in literature and cultural history as well as in university libraries in the Netherlands and the United States.

In 1985 Jules interrupted his studies for a one year period to work as a reporter for a business weekly. After resuming his academic life he continued to write as a freelance journalist for major national newspapers and other publications.

After graduating Jules entered the ranks of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. Here he fulfilled his military service as a second lieutenant, lecturing to cadets about NATO and defence policy in the context of the history of international relations, at a time when the Iron Curtain still divided Europe.

Next he worked for two decades in a sequence of communications roles. He was employed by the Ministry of Finance as a press officer and speechwriter (1989-1994) before becoming Vice President and Global Head of Media Relations with ABN AMRO Bank (1994-2000). Subsequently he was Executive Vice President and Global Head of Communications with Royal Philips (2000-2008). After relinquising this role for health reasons, he continued working as a senior advisor to the company’s managing board until 2010, when he left Philips altogether.

In 1990 Jules was diagnosed with an acute, seemingly innocuous and transitory form of sarcoidosis (Besnier Boeck disease), a rare inflammatory disorder. After an (apparent) absence of fifteen years the disease resurfaced in more serious ways in 2007, bringing unexpected changes to the direction of his life and career.

A period of intensive medical treatment ensued, lasting a total of four years. In 2012 he became a member of the editorial team of Sarcoidose.nl, the Dutch sarcoidosis patient society. Until 2021 he contributed articles to its quarterly print magazine, mainly covering medical research and developments in the international sarcoidosis community. In addition, he created this website in 2012, over time writing more than a hundred blog posts about life with sarcoidosis.

After his initiation and conversion to Zen he also became a contributor to a Buddhist web journal with a readership in the Netherlands and Belgium. Jules’ practice has grown to encompass a mixture of Zen and Pure Land Buddhism, two closely aligned traditions in China and other East Asian countries until this present day.

Among other things this website contains a selection of Jules’ writings since 1985, including a digital copy of his book. Upon request he participates in historical research projects.

Since September 2020 Jules serves as founder and executive chairman of the European Sarcoidosis Foundation, a charity which raises funds for sarcoidosis research and advocates easy access to clinical best practices for all sarcoidosis patients across Europe.