Top 55 Mental Health Speakers for Schools
- By Aaron Peterson
- Jun 18, 2025
Mental health is an extremely important topic for all ages. It’s certainly not something that should be ignored in children and teens. According to the CDC, ADHD, anxiety, behavioral issues, and depression affect millions of children between the ages of 3 and 17. Sometimes, children have multiple mental health issues at the same time. How many are affected?
- ADHD – Around 6 million
- Anxiety – Around 5.8 million
- Behavioral Issues – Around 5.5 million
- Depression – Around 2.7 million
We've created a list of our top 55 speakers for schools who have personal experience with common and less common mental illnesses in children. These speakers are just as comfortable talking to groups of students as they are parents or teachers. Here are the 50 best speakers for mental health in school settings to talk about bullying, the signs of depression, diversity, and knowing how to best help others who are affected by mental health issues, bullying, and other issues teens and children face.
- Ben Nemtin
- Darryll Stinson
- Alison Canavan
- Aly Raisman
- Matthew Emerzian
- Brandon Saho
- Victoria Garrick
- Baron Davis
- Shawn Achor
- James Beck
- Kim Strobel
- Caleb Campbell
- Anthony Alvarado
- Kevin Briggs
- Britt Frank
- Brian Bogert
- Dennis Gillan
- Chris Borland
- Dr. Regine Muradian
- Drew Robinson
- Grant Parr
- Alyssa Petersel
- Ana Melikian
- Greg Vogt
- Sheryl Ziegler
- Ivy Watts
- Jaime Komer
- Jimmy Spencer
- Liza Pavlakos
- Lonnie Mayne
- Mariangela Abeo
- Mark Henick
- Michael Landsberg
- Minna Lee
- Dave Delaney
- Paul Osincup
- Michelle Gielan
- Montee Ball
- Rochelle Gapere
- Ryan Leaf
- Sara Ross
- Shabnam Mogharabi
- Johnny Crowder
- Lindsay Tarpley
- Amanda Lipp
- Tony Hoffman
- Laura Haver
- Jacob Thompson
- Matthew Bocchi
- Dr. Chloe Carmichael
- Juliet Kuehnle
- Dr. Nicole Gabana
- Brandon Guyer
- Chef Andre Rush
- Cheralynne Skolnicki
Inspiring others is what Ben Nemtin is known for after he had a life-changing depression that made him drop out of college. Following this event, he went on to make the best bucket list with three of his best friends. This was his way of feeling more alive, and while he completed those bucket list items, he also helped others check off their own bucket list items. Some of the amazing things on his bucket list were playing basketball with President Obama and having a beer with Prince Harry. He’s well known now as the World’s Best Motivational Speaker, the #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of ‘What Do You Want to Do Before You Die?’, as well as the star of the MTV show The Buried Life. His journey is a testament to living life to the fullest, feeling alive, and helping others to feel the same.
Former Division I athlete Darryll Stinson had overcome multiple suicide attempts and ended up being a best-selling author of multiple books and a TEDx speaker with over 2 million views. His career as #9 Suicide Awareness Speaker has allowed him to coach hundreds of speakers to reach millions of people. Darryll has gone on as the co-founder of Seeding Greatness, which is a movement of leaders focused on restoring the planet and helping humanity to heal through their stories. Darryll enjoys rapping, spending quality time with his family, and reading when he’s not focusing on coaching or speaking. His journey has inspired millions of others to share their hardships for the motivation of others, creating a long list of amazing ocahces and speakers to follow him.
Self-care is one of the areas that Alison Canavan excels at. She is a UCLA-trained mindfulness facilitator, mental health expert, a master NLP practitioner, a HeartMath facilitator, and a nutritional coach. Her workshops help others understand and transform anxiety, depression, and addiction. Most importantly, she’s a mom. She sees the struggles she faced during the pandemic as well as how they affected her son. She uses her personal experiences with anxiety to teach her audience how to embrace anxiety and never avoid it, leading to a personal path discovery that can help all ages.
Olympic medalist Aly Raisman is an incredible voice for children, especially those who are victims of sexual abuse. She’s one of several former teen athletes who were sexually abused by Olympic team physician Larry Nassar, and she gained an Arthur Ashe Courage Award for speaking up. She wrote Fierce: How Competing for Myself Changed Everything and speaks to others about sexual abuse and how to help victims.
Speaking for Zoom, Google, HP, Chili’s, Outreach, and many more, Matthew Emerzian has focused on creating a world where everyone embraces how much people matter and why they matter. He’s gone on to be the bestselling author of four books and a popular keynote speaker who’s pretty hard to book these days. He’s the CEO of a non-profit called Every Monday Matters, which has impacted millions of lives as the K-12 Education Program serves over 3 million students worldwide. He started with a successful music industry career working alongside artists like Coldplay and Avril Lavigne, but went on to find his real purpose in life, which led him to adopt The Mattering Mindset, which is his own methodology that has transformed countless lives.
After battling alcoholism, depression, and suicidal thoughts, Brandon Saho checked himself into a mental hospital in 2022. During his stay, he realized that his true purpose was helping others, which eventually led to the creation of his podcast The Mental Game. He has hosted some of the biggest celebrities such as Terry Crews and Kevin Gates to give them a safe space to tell their story. Now he’s known as a keynote speaker and is focused solely on breaking the stigma around mental health while helping millions who have struggled with depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.
To the outsider, it seemed that Victoria Garrick had it all. She was on the #1 ranked volleyball team and won a Pac-12 Championship. She had the “Top 5 Most Digs” in the University of Southern California program’s history. All the while, she was battling mental health issues that she felt needed to be talked about. She started advocating for mental health during her second year of college. Her TED Talk on mental health and body image gained more than 180,000 views. She travels the country talking to high schoolers and college students about mental health and being your true self.
As a professional basketball player, Baron Davis is comfortable in front of a crowd. He’s also a father to two sons, and he teaches them to tackle challenges head-on. That’s one of the reasons he’s an excellent speaker for students. After his NBA career ended, he founded Baron Davis Enterprises, which oversees companies like Business Inside the Game, No Label, and Sports and Lifestyle in Culture. He excels in leadership skills, teamwork, and public speaking on a wide range of topics.
NY Times bestselling author Shawn Achor graduated from Harvard with a mission to find an approach to potential and happiness. He’s gone on to work with many Fortune 100 companies like NASA and the Pentagon. His studies have helped him to find that optimism is increased through mindset and behavioral change. He’s spoken on his findings, research, and experiences within his work on his TED Talk, which is one of the most-streamed, with over 25 million views. His two main talks, The Happiness Advantage and Big Potential, both rely on Shawn’s research. He has inspired many with his teachings of surrounding yourself with the right people, expanding power, and sustaining gains in life.
Transformative Culture Change Expert James Beck has always had knowledge and fascination with neuroscience. He’s worked to look into the deeper effects of happiness, fulfillment, and joy. One of the biggest things he’s done was giving up his possessions and traveling the 50 states to serve others, which single-handedly showed him that there was more to giving than feeling good. James has shared his findings that the neuroscience behind acts of kindness and service towards others can create exponential growth for the individual. He has even overcome his own PTSD and anxiety from an abusive childhood by using service as a way to create neural pathways that adjust perspective and behavior. Now, he spends his time speaking and coaching others on how to do this same thing for themselves.
Internationally known motivational speaker Kim Strobel is known as a happiness coach. She teaches strategies that help people to achieve transformative results that stem from prioritizing happiness, not just to “feel good,” but that it is a key to unlocking peak performance and productivity. She has gone on to inspire thousands of people to live happier and step into their power to live a far less stressful life and open up the depths of productivity and power.
“America’s Athlete,” Caleb Campbell, is the first player granted to be able to serve in the military and play in the NFL draft. However, all of this came to a standstill when the Department of Defense retracted this policy before he signed his first NFL contract, which left him on the fence about what to do. Now, he’s a known inspirational speaker who focuses on mental health, burnout, and well-being. He relates to people by sharing his own journey of being burnt out while trying to meet the demands in a world that is constantly moving forward and never slows down. He has taught many people with his framework that allows them to expand from within and take on a growth level that doesn’t need the world to slow down, but gives them the capacity to take on what comes their way.
Storytelling, insights, and authenticity is what Anthony Alvarado brings to his speaking sessions. Anthony is the founder of RISE TOGETHER, where he has transformed the lives of over 275,000 people by reshaping mental health, substance use prevention, and development in leadership. His work has been featured in many different areas, like national conferences and corporate wellness initiatives. His keynotes take it to the next level by bringing a true experience that allows his messaging to stick with the audience and truly transform their lives with actionable takeaways that empower the audience.
In his 23 years with the California Highway Patrol, Sergeant Kevin Briggs talked more than 200 people out of ending their lives. It led to his nickname “Guardian of the Golden Gate.” Since his retirement, he’s focused on advocating for suicide prevention and mental health to audiences around the world. His methods include active listening and sharing his own mental health struggles in order to let others know they are not alone.
Award-winning adjunct professor Britt Frank is now a licensed psychotherapist and human behavior expert. Her practical approach, mixed with humor, allowed her to cut through the fluff and write her book The Science of Stuck, where she speaks on being stuck and how to overcome this. She makes it clear that no matter how successful you are, everyone knows what it’s like to feel stuck. She focuses on providing actionable insights that put people back in control of their life with science-based tools that help them to be better, work better, and most importantly - think better.
As a child, Brian Bogert was run over and one arm was severely injured and had to be reattached. While many would have let that defeat them, Brian used the pain to strive for a full recovery. It’s become his goal to impact a billion lives by 2045, and he does this to help people understand how to embrace challenges, use the pain to achieve greatness, and change negative thinking patterns so that they can embrace who they really are.
After losing both of his brothers to suicide, Dennis Gillan is now a national thought leader on the topic of suicide prevention and mental health. He started by working on the suicide prevention hotline to begin his work, and then got involved with many non-profits that take on mental health issues. He has given a TEDx Talk, which got over 25,000 views, and he’s written a children’s book about dealing with sadness and talking about kindness. Dennis’ keynote talks promote real conversations that actually stick with the audience and make a difference.
He played for the San Francisco 49ers before retiring due to concerns of traumatic brain injuries that are too common in the sport. He’s not a mental health advocate and meditation teacher at Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute. He strives to share his experiences with others and through insights that he’s gained as part of the meditation study at The Center for Health Minds and as the founder of T Mindful.
She’s a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in ADHD, anxiety, body dysmorphia, depression, and eating disorders. She’s a Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional and works with all ages, including children and adolescents. Book Dr. Regine Muradian to talk to your students about the stressors they experience in a school setting and among their peers.
If you’re looking for a speaker who will capture an audience's attention, you can’t beat Drew Robinson. He’s a former Texas Rangers player with amazing potential, but he was plagued by self-doubt. After Tommy John's surgery led to him being waived by the Cardinals, he started spiraling. At the start of the pandemic, he attempted suicide. That moved him on a new path. Despite the loss of his right eye, he became determined to play professionally again. He returned to professional baseball a year later. He’s now retired and works as a mental health advocate.
Grant Parr is a mental performance coach who has helped professional athletes, Olympians, Olympic coaches, and business executives build a strong mindset that helps with mindfulness, focus, emotional control, and success. He shares his message that strength and athletic performance are not all that matter. Mental performance is critical, and he shares that message with his audiences. He’s also the author of The Next One Up Mindset: How to Prepare For the Unknown.
Alyssa Petersel is the author of the award-winning book, Somehow I Am Different . She’s a licensed medical social worker and the founder and CEO of MyWellbeing, a service that matches patients with the right therapists for their needs. MyWellbeing has helped more than 2 million patients find the help they need. She’s able to talk about mental health trends, stress reduction, and even has experience with gender-marginalized individuals. Alyssa uses an honest, impactful approach that benefits all ages.
If you need a speaker at your school, Ana Melikian is ideal. In the fourth grade, she was almost forced to repeat that school year due to poor performance on spelling assignments and tests. It wasn’t until she was diagnosed with dyslexia that things changed. She now holds a Ph.D. in psychology, two Master’s degrees, and shares her story with others. She’s a true inspiration for kids who feel that they’re being limited by their learning disabilities and mental health.
He went from having a normal childhood to experiencing mental health issues that led to a year in a mental health treatment center to address depression and his suicide attempts. Greg Vogt lost a teacher to suicide and a friend to a car accident, and he uses his pain and experiences to help others embrace their mental health and find hope by asking for help and support. He speaks to colleges across the country and is available to talk to students.
If you need a speaker for your school, consider Dr. Sheryl Ziegler, the author of Mommy Burnout: How to Reclaim Your Life and Raise Healthier Children . She’s a popular choice with parenting groups and schools serving young children. Her expertise is in stress prevention, positive mental health approaches, avoiding anxiety and burnout, and time management.
Ivy Watts is certified in Mental Health First Aid and holds a master's in Public Health. She’s a former NCAA Woman of the Year Nominee and Division II All-American. While she may have seemed to have it all, she was struggling with mental health issues. She finally decided to speak up and get help, and that led her on a path to helping others realize they’re not alone.
Jaime Komer has more than a dozen years of experience in holistic health and well-being. She’s helped implement and lead Yoga and wellness practices in professional and college sports settings. From Olympians to professional athletes, she helps them embrace the move from their athletic lives to what comes next. She leads young athletes on the path to talking about the difficulties they encounter as they get older.
Jimmy Spencer is an executive in sports media. While he works with many of the sporting world’s biggest names, he’s also experienced struggles along the way that people may not realize. As a child, he dealt with severe anxiety and panic disorder. OCD, claustrophobia, and other physical symptoms linked to anxiety plagued him. He finally recognized it and sought help. He uses his mental health struggles to help others learn to seek change and transform the trauma by accessing mental health treatments that work for them.
Liza Pavlakos specializes in talking to all ages about mental health. She’s overcome abduction, human trafficking, abuse, and homelessness to become one of the best speakers for schools. She’s been recognized as one of the world’s "Top 10 Female Speakers" and is the founder of Positive Breakthroughs, an organization comprising coaches, counselors, psychologists, and psychotherapists working together to improve mental health for everyone, including today’s youth.
He’s the founder and CEO of Red Shoes Living. Lonnie Mayne is also the author of Red Shoes Living – Stand Out For the Positive in How You Work and How You Live . His goal is to help his audience embrace living their best lives and doing their best work along the way. He can help students embrace their truest selves, just as he can help teachers develop strong leadership skills.
Mariangela Abeo lost a brother to suicide and tried to take their own life as a teen. Using these experiences, Mariangela created the Faces of Fortitude movement. Their goal is to create a safe, stigma-free space to talk about mental health and suicide. They travel the nation talking to audiences about suicide loss, surviving a suicide attempt, and advocating for mental health.
Finding the Stranger Who Saved My Life is a viral Ted Talk by Mark Henrick that shapes the reason he’s become a leading mental health advocate. He’s the youngest ever president of a division of the Canadian Mental Health Association and the host and executive producer of two podcasts: Living Well and So-Called Normal. He’s a popular keynote speaker on depression, resilience, recovery, and finding connections, and he’s one of the best school speakers you’ll encounter due to his engaging, humorous personality.
Michael Landsberg is the host of Off the Record, a Canadian talk show. Some people were turned off by his persistent approach, but what they didn’t realize is that he’d battled depression and had a lot to say. It led to him becoming one of Canada’s leading advocates for mental health. He holds the "Canadian Screen Awards’ Humanitarian Award" and the "Governor General’s Meritorious Service Medal." He’s able to talk about all aspects of mental illness to both those with mental health issues and those around people with mental illness.
Minna Lee’s message of positivity and being aware of mental health is one that needs to be spread far and wide. She’s a social media influencer who can talk about mental health, wellness, and conscious living. Her corgi, Benny, also has an Instagram page, which can bring added appeal to students who hear her speak.
ADHD Wise Squirrels podcast host Dave Delaney is a motivational speaker and communication skills expert. Dave’s signature keynote presentation The Root Down helps audiences to better know, connect with, and respect themselves and others. His work has even been used by companies like FedEx, Google, and UPS to inspire change across their industries. He talks on important business topics like employee retention, networking, and communication. His experience is unmatched, and he’s looked at as an expert in his field and has been featured in many outlets like USA Today, BBC, and CBC. His keynotes bring expertise and inspiration to the audience to help them grow and connect in the professional sector.
Positive Workplace Strategist and Speaker, Paul Osincup, helps create healthier and happier places to work. His background stems from working on college campuses, addressing potential threats like domestic violence or sexual assaults. He also has a background in comedy as he built a comedy career that allowed him to bring humor to his work to influence, de-stress, and boost resilience. His TEDx Leading with Laughter: The Power of Humor in Leadership has been used in corporate and collegiate leadership courses, which has had a huge impact on so many organizations for setting the foundation for a healthy workplace.
Bestselling author of Broadcasting Happiness: The Science of Igniting and Sustaining Positive Change, Michelle Gielan, has spent a decade looking for the link between happiness and success. She speaks about two main areas during her keynotes, which are the science of happiness and resilience. She speaks heavily about the studies that she’s published in Harvard Business Review and how the positive mindset can drive a 31% increase in productive energy. Her talks are extremely engaging and very inspiring to her audiences. She adds a combination of stories, research, and practical ideas.
Once a professional NFL running back, Montee Ball was released by the Patriots in 2016 after an arrest. His dad was an alcoholic and Montee was following that same path. After landing in jail on a domestic violence charge, he stepped up and realized he was out of control and needed to change his ways. His son’s birth helped him turn everything around. He works with several non-profit health organizations and travels the country to talk about addiction and mental health with young athletes.
Rochelle Gapere holds Positive Psychology Specialization Certification from the University of Pennsylvania. She’s an excellent choice for any mental health talk in a school setting, and she uses the lessons she’s learned in transforming your life into a fulfilling happy one to help inspire others to do the same. Check out one of her previous engagements here!
Ryan Leaf was an NFL quarterback from 1998 to 2001. When his NFL career ended, he earned his degree but ended up dealing with addiction that led to a sentence of ten years of probation. He was soon arrested again for felony burglary and ordered to serve a seven-year sentence in state prison. He also gained a five-year sentence for violating probation. He finally left prison in 2014 and changed his ways. He’s now a program ambassador for Transcend Recovery Community and travels the country talking to others about overcoming adversity.
Sara Ross talks to the leaders of Fortune 500 companies, sports teams, and in educational settings to talk about resilience, leadership, emotional intelligence, and handling pressure. Through her techniques, she helps others learn how to decrease the stress and exhaustion they experience in their work and studies. She’s the founder of BrainAMPED and specializes in helping people understand what they should be doing to excel rather than what they are doing.
She’s the co-founder of SoulPancake, a company started with actor Rainn Wilson that creates socially-conscious, positive videos about the connections humans make. She has more than 20 years of experience in impact entertainment building, team building, media production, and storytelling. She’s an excellent school speaker as she was one of the youngest winners of the Jesse H. Neal Award and she volunteers with several young organizations, so she’s able to connect to a younger audience.
Suicide and abuse survivor Johnny Crowder is one of the biggest, newest speakers on resilience and people-first leadership. Johnny spent years battling schizophrenic hallucinations and suicidal ideation before he finally got professional care and started sharing his story. His first keynote was in 2011, and his vulnerable perspective attracted the attention of outlets like Forbes and CNN. People love listening to him speak due to his authenticity and well-placed humor.
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Lindsay Tarpley was one of the most accomplished players in U.S. Women’s Soccer history. She experienced an injury in 2011 that cut her career short, but she took on a new role of inspiring others as an international speaker and mentor. She founded the World Champion Soccer Academy, which takes a holistic approach to guide young athletes in their growth. Lindsay speaks about performance, resilience, and the mindset to achieve success that is sustainable. Focusing on how people can thrive under pressure and embrace challenges, many people are enjoying her professional take on speaking at keynotes.
Documentary filmmaker and social entrepreneur Amanda Lipp has worked in mental health, technology, and storytelling to shape her career. She has played many roles in her career, such as director and owner of Lipp Studios, chief strategy officer at Peer Mental Health, and founder of The Giving Gallery. She’s produced over 80 short-form documentaries about mental health and social impact problems. Amanda speaks on how coming out as homosexual was a huge part of her mental health journey, and it’s become a giant piece of why she does what she does. Her goal in her talks is to bring more awareness to mental health and have audiences think more deeply about it.
After completing his 2 year sentence for a drug-related robbery, Tony Hoffman set four particular goals for himself that would later shape his life. The goals included racing BMX professionally, going to the Olympics, starting a non-profit, and becoming a professional speaker on mental health and substance abuse. Following these goals, he’s met all four of them and has continued on to be an author and the owner of pH Wellness drug and alcohol treatment facility. He’s become one of the most sought-after mental health and substance abuse speakers, and he showcases his real-life experiences to connect and make an impact with the audience.
Best-selling author, energetic life coach, and play expert Laura Haver has impacted many around her by being able to connect with her audiences and inspiring them to make small changes with big impacts. Laura has served a wide range of clients, including Duke University, Intel, and Girl Scouts. She’s also the founder of Author Moms, which is a community that connects, supports, and inspires other writing moms. She’s impacted moms and people across the world as she shares her former pro athlete journey and her journey into motherhood, as well as becoming an author. She speaks about her experiences and connects with people easily due to her background.
Keynote speaker, published author, recording artist, podcaster, para-athlete, and disability advocate, Jacob Thompson, aspired to be an athlete when he grew up. He was later diagnosed with Friedreich’s Ataxia, a rare disease that results in the loss of basic physical functions like balance, speech, and strength. This led to him being put in a wheelchair and told he would have a shortened life expectancy. He decided to embrace his journey and raise awareness, which has led him to speak in front of thousands of people both online and in person. He connects with his audience by sharing his experiences, showcasing his journey, and raising awareness of his condition.
Matt Bocchi’s journey started as he was the first child to tell a story of 9/11 in his best-selling memoir, Sway. He shares his journey of losing his father on 9/11, trauma, and addiction. He has been featured in numerous documentaries and has been sober now for over nine years. Matt now shares his personal stories to inspire others to speak up and seek support for their own mental health issues. His purpose is to inspire, impact, and “be a voice” for those who are still suffering.
Internationally known speaker Dr. Chloe Carmichael has spoken in front of and connected with a variety of audiences. She has been a business leader and has led female entrepreneurs, as she understands the stressors and needs of corporations. Her energetic personality makes for a unique ability to talk about sensitive topics in a relatable and engaging manner. She loves to learn and thrives in keynotes, as well as interactive events like workshops and panel discussions, where she can't really connect with audiences and people.
Therapist Juliet Kuehnle has a mission to break stigmas around mental health and the way we talk about it. She’s the founder of Sun Counselling & Wellness, located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and she’s dedicated to making these mental health conversations easy to have, as well as relatable. She’s the host of the podcast Who You Callin’ Crazy?! Where she has conversations with guests that focus on mental health. She’s been featured in many publications and is a well-known speaker who focuses her attention solely on mental health. As a Therapist who goes to therapy, she is an advocate for her own mental health and the mental health of others.
Licensed sport psychologist and certified mental performance consultant, Dr. Nicole Gabana, has worked with many top-performing individuals. She focuses on improving overall mental health and well-being for them. She’s made a huge impact in the sports industry and has gone on to complete multiple degrees in college to show for it. She later worked in Universities in many states to showcase her knowledge and impact the lives of those in Sports Psychology. Now, she lives in Florida with her family and enjoys activities like reading, praying, and surfing.
Some people may recognize the name Brandon Guyer as a former MLB player. Since his retirement from baseball, he’s been a director of mental performance and nutrition, leading mental clinics for D-BAT Academies. He also develops nutritional and mental health programs for Area Scouts. He’s a Mental Performance Mastery Coach and has a lot to offer students who are looking to excel in high school and beyond.
Chef Andre Rush can talk about so many things. He’s a pastry chef, chocolatier, and sugar sculptor. He’s a master ice carver, White House chef, and former master sergeant and combat veteran in the U.S. Army. It’s his goal to help younger generations achieve their dreams through a healthier tomorrow as part of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition.
As a mom of three, Cherylanne Skolnicki is comfortable talking to a younger generation, and she’s also comfortable in front of adults. Using non-nonsense tips and advice, she strives to teach others how to develop strong ties to their community, be great leaders, and make the most out of their daily routines.
