Image by As every year, May is the month of Mental Health Awareness week. This year it will run from 15th to 21st May and it will focus on the theme of anxiety.
While anxiety is a feeling that is known to a lot of individuals, it has spread since the beginning of the Covid crisis, and it became a common feature of everyone’s experience during the pandemic years.
The theme is even more relevant in 2023 as not only we are all still adjusting to the ‘new normal’ post-Covid, but we are also facing the consequences of the political instability that has followed since the beginning of the Ukrainian war.
While these might sound like very broad and abstract themes, the impact on the individual is very tangible and measurable: a higher cost of living, insecurity and instability of the work landscape are all contributing factors to the growing anxiety in the world population. With this said, it’s also important to point out that anxiety can be made easier to manage and the mental health speakers I recommend can play a role in raising awareness on the topic and can get the conversations started at your next event.
John Amaechi
John is one of those speakers that can effortlessly and confidently address a wide range of topics during his talks. Once a professional basketball player in the NBA, John has since become a respected psychologist and the founder of APS Intelligence. Whether he’s sharing strategies for reducing workplace stress or insights into individual development and diversity, John’s talks are always purposeful and leave his audience feeling inspired. John believes that in order to see change, one must act upon it and he excels at providing practical takeaways that empower his listeners to make a difference.
View John Amaechi‘s speaker profile here.
Jonny Benjamin & Neil Labourn
Jonny and Neil’s incredible bond formed under the most challenging of circumstances. They first met when Neil stepped in and talked Jonny out of taking his own life on Waterloo Bridge. This life-changing encounter led them to found the mental health charity Beyond. Their inspiring story has even been made into a Channel 4 documentary called ‘The stranger on the bridge’. Today, Jonny and Neil use their experiences to drive their passion for mental health, with the hope of breaking the stigma around the subject. In their talks Jonny and Neil wholeheartedly share their personal experiences and actively assist workplaces by equipping the audiences with crucial knowledge in order to better confront the challenges of mental health and raise awareness about mental well-being.
View Jonny Benjamin & Neil Labourn‘s speaker profile here.
Petra Velzeboer
Petra approaches mental health from a unique angle. Instead of focusing on the challenges arising from poor mental health, in her talks she empowers employees and companies to proactively cultivate environments that encourage personal growth and well-being. Growing up in the religious cult ‘The Children of God’ exposed her to abuse and punishment, which eventually led her into addiction and depression. Today, she’s a respected psychotherapist and she’s founded the Mental Health Consultancy PVL with the mission to establish a mentally healthy culture at all organizational levels. Despite her compelling story and the heavy topic, Petra inserts lightness and humor into her talks as she dares audiences to take personal responsibility for their health and challenges them to create workplaces that empower individuals to thrive.
View Petra Velzeboer‘s speaker profile here.
Petra also spoke at our JLA Speakers Breakfast on Motivation, Resilience & Mental Health in December, please see a short clip of her at that event below.
If you’d like to enquire about any of the names above, or would like some more examples of great mental health speakers, please contact your JLA Account Manager.