Organizations are hiring mental health keynote speakers for executive retreats and conferences to combat rising employee turnover. Wellness has been a key component of conferences for the past decade, but now it has been brought center-stage.
Mental health and wellness is one of the fastest growing marketplace categories of this past year according to venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. Fast Company speculates that this is because of the increased focus on health and wellness since the pandemic. Additionally, they note that, according to the CDC, symptoms of depression and anxiety in adults have tripled from 2019 to 2021.
We have put together this list of keynote speakers that focus on mental health so that you know what’s best for your company.
Top Mental Health Keynote Speakers List
Tara Schuster
- Best-selling Author
- Former VP of Talent and Development at Comedy Central
- Workplace Culture
Tara Schuster is a former Comedy Central executive and best-selling author of Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies and Glow in the F*cking Dark.
While the VP of Talent and Development at Comedy Central, she was the executive in charge of critically acclaimed shows such as Key & Peele.
Today, she is a keynote speaker that draws from her experience of quickly climbing the ranks of Comedy Central. She not only faced discrimination because of her gender and age, but she also battled self-esteem issues. Schuster neglected her physical and mental health, which ultimately resulted in burn-out.
Tara Schuster’s mission is to give her audience the tools they need to discover their authentic voice. Her active following and name recognition make her a top mental health keynote speaker for conferences, expos, and retreats targeted towards rising professionals.
Dan Harris
- Former co-anchor on both Nightline and Good Morning America
- #1 New York Times Best Selling Author
- Prolific Speaker on Meditation and Wellness
Dan Harris joined ABC News in 2000, and was an anchor for several of their live on-air programs. He is widely-recognized for his work on Nightline, covering the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, and as an anchor for ABC World News Tonight.
In 2004, Dan Harris had a panic attack on live television while anchoring Good Morning America. Even though he had covered war zones and 9/11, it was the ambient stress and unaddressed issues in his life that caused him to have a panic attack during a standard broadcast.
Dan Harris’s on-air panic on air inspired a transformation in his life. He is now an advocate for meditation and work-life balance. His book, 10% Happier, is a New York Times #1 bestseller and gives advice on how to manage stress in a competitive environment. Now, he is one of the top mental health keynote speakers in the world.
Jay Shetty
- Former Monk
- Author of #1 Amazon Best Selling Book
- Host of the #1 Health Podcast in the World.
Jay Shetty is one of the most booked mental health keynote speakers in the world. His book Think Like a Monk is a #1 Amazon bestseller, and he is the host of the #1 Health Podcast in the world.
His insight comes from his time spent as a monk. At 24, Jay Shetty gave up his fast-paced urban lifestyle to live as a monk in India. However, after three years of meditation and sleeping on bare floors, Shetty realized his life had a different calling. He returned home to an 80-hour work week and crushing debt. But from those depths, he built an empire.
Joe Holder
- Founder of The Ocho System
- Wellness Columnist for GQ
- NIKE Master Trainer
Joe Holder is a lifestyle influencer, wellness columnist for GQ, and employee wellness advisor for Fortune 500 companies. He has collaborated with leading organizations such as Salesforce, Snapchat, and Discovery Channel.
With over 100,000 followers on social media, Joe Holder is an up-and-coming voice in health and wellness leading a new generation.
As a mental health keynote speaker, Joe Holder breaks down how individuals can make the decision to act on their personal health. He has spoken to NIKE, Louis Vuitton of the Americas, Spotify, and more.
Errol Doebler
- Former Navy SEAL and FBI Special Agent
- Professional Executive Retreat Director
- Official Wim Hof Meditation Instructor
Errol Doebler has a career of 20 combined years as a Navy SEAL and FBI Special Agent. His experiences make him the ultimate executive coach, mental health keynote speaker, and leadership expert.
Debler is an official Wim Hof Meditation Instructor, a form of meditation utilized by the Navy SEALs to achieve top performance in high-stress environments.
Errol Doebler’s philosophy is based on self-reflection and improvement. We are often told that making mistakes is the “right” thing if we want to eventually succeed. However, one must be aware of their mistakes, make the proper adjustments, and apologize.
Robert Paylor
- Mental-health Keynote Speaker
- Speaker on Disability & Overcoming Adversity
- Panelist
Robert Paylor sums up his journey best with “Paralyzed to Powerful.” He emphasizes that, whether our challenges are visible or not, the approach to overcoming adversity is universal.
While playing in the 2017 Collegiate Rugby National Championship, Robert Paylor broke his neck, changing his life in an instant.
He was told he would never walk again, but against all odds, he would walk across the stage at his graduation ceremony at UC Berkeley.
As a top mental health keynote speaker, Robert Paylor uses his story of recovery as a touchpoint between him and his audience. While his battle is physical, he emphasizes that mental issues are just as difficult to overcome. Whether they are addiction or a lack of motivation, they require consistent and extreme effort to face, as with Paylor’s own recovery.
AK Ikwuakor
- Google Master Faculty Trainer
- CEO
- International Philanthropist and Sports Diplomat
Ak Ikwuakor is a certified sports performance specialist. As a 4-time All-American Athlete, Ikwuakor spent his early career traveling to over thirty countries as a sports diplomat.
He’s worked with corporations, students, victims affected by terrorism, and CEOs. Google hired AK Ikwuakor to pioneer their new internal employee-training initiative. Now, he is a Google Master Faculty Trainer, and speaks on leadership and sales to Fortune 500 companies.
Ak Ikwuakor specializes in teaching his audiences to challenge what they know and who they think they are. His diverse professional background helped him come to terms with his identity and goals. As a mental health keynote speaker, AK Ikwuakor speaks on motivation, self-actualization, and high-performance.
Grace Killelea
- Former Comcast Executive
- DE&I Consultant
- World-class Executive Coach
Grace Killelea is a world-class executive coach and DE&I consultant. She specializes in women’s leadership building and human resource management.
Killelea led the training and development of over 3,000 directors every year as the Senior Vice President of Talent with Comcast. Over her tenure, she pioneered new diversity and inclusion efforts at Comcast. Following her executive career, Killelea dedicated her life to empowering and connecting women in the workforce.
Grace Killelea is now a widely-recognized TEDx speaker. She has also given keynotes to the ESPN Women’s Leadership Conference, the WithIT Conference, and other high-profile events.
Rich Diviney
- Retired Navy SEAL Commander
- Leadership and Human Performance Expert
- Best Selling Author
Rich Diviney revolutionized special operator training while he was a Navy SEAL commander. He created the first-ever “Mind Gym” to train special operators and enhance their brains for faster, longer, and better performance.
Today, he is a mental health keynote speaker that consults on leadership strategy and peak-performance techniques. His bestselling book “The Attributes: 25 Hidden Drivers of Optimal Performance” is filled with practical, actionable insights on human performance.
Kevin Reilly
- 30-Year Career as a Sales Executive
- Former NFL Player for the Philadelphia Eagles
- Amputee and Oldest-Known Survivor of Desmoid
Kevin Reilly is a former Philadelphia Eagle, sportscaster, and corporate executive. At the hight of his career in the NFL, he was diagnosed with a rare cancer-like disease called a desmoid tumor. Following the amputation of his left arm, shoulder, and four ribs, Reilly began his journey to rebuild his life.
Kevin Reilly learned how to “tackle life” with his new disability, returning to his family and corporate life. As a mental-health keynote speaker, Reilly advocates for “brain-breaks” and self-care as essential tools for “tackling life.” Today, he speaks on how faith, family, and fortitude kept his head in the game, and allowed him to live a prosperous life.
Mel Robbins
- Top-booked International Keynote Speaker
- Television Personality
- CEO
Mel Robbins is a prolific keynote speaker and digital media consultant for Fortune 500 companies. She is a CEO, author, and TV host as well.
After her TEDx talk, Stop Saying You’re Fine: Discover a More Powerful You, went viral Robbins quickly became one of the most-booked mental health keynote speakers.
Robbins’s speeches focus on what the individual can do to transform their lives with foundational and practical advice. She wants you to know: The secret to changing your life is five simple seconds.
Matt Newman
- Top Salesman in Wholesale Financial Services
- Brain Cancer Survivor
- Mental Health Keynote Speaker
Matt Newman was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 39. While he was a top salesman in wholesale financial services, a man who prided himself on planning for the worst, he was never prepared for this diagnosis. However, through mental fortitude and a positive attitude, Newman took ownership of his life as a cancer survivor.
As a mental health speaker Matt Newman emphasizes that sales and referrals can be boosted by making deeper, genuine connections with clients. He walks sales teams, financial advisors, and organizations through his philosophy of risk management and motivation.
Sarah Robb O’Hagan
- Former Executive of Gatorade, Equinox, and major Sports Brands
- Transforming Organizations Through Tech
- Women’s Empowerment
Named one of the “Most Powerful Women in Sports by Forbes, Sarah Robb O’Hagan revitalized the brands of Gatorade and Equinox with a technological transformation.
Once O’Hagan climbed to the top of the corporate ladder, she began keynote speaking to empower other professionals. While being introduced at an engagement, she realized that most people only recognize her for her successes. However, O’Hagan knew that her courage to face failure, and the many defeats she suffered, was what truly created her career.
Her speeches now cover the missteps that eventually led her down the path to success, a message that has resonated with thousands of professionals across the globe.
Hiring Top Mental Health Keynote Speakers
The Mollie Plotkin Group represents top mental health keynote speakers that specialize in every industry.
Contact us for more information, and we’ll immediately connect with you and start planning your next meeting, conference, retreat, or expo.
