Mitch Wallis - Mindfulness & Mental Health - Global Mental Health Leader Transforming the Way t ...

Travels From New South Wales

Speaker Topics

Real Conversations - Connection & Building Trust

5 STEP PROVEN COMMUNICATION FORMULA THAT BOOSTS CONNECTION SKILLS BY UP TO 400%

WHY BOOK THIS TALK

We think that ‘talking’ and ‘connecting’ are the same thing. It turns out that they are completely different. Very few people know how to actually connect... until now. Healthy relationships are the heartbeat of life, including business. In our day-to-day interactions with our team and/or coworkers, we are often faced with the confronting reality of supporting people who are going through difficult times. It’s common to feel confused about what to say or do, overcome with fear of getting it wrong, or riddled with guilt that we might make things worse. In this keynote, Mitch shares core insights from his proprietary framework which has been adopted and trusted by some of the world’s biggest companies to boost psychological safety and facilitate conversations that truly move the needle.

Skills gained:

Better connection enables better business practice

how to persuade and influence
how to build trust
how to build solid teams
how to build better understanding with customer, clients, staff

Best for:

1. Leadership & Team Development – ideal for leadership development days or team-building events, this talk enhances communication skills, strengthens team dynamics, and fosters a culture of trust and psychological safety within the workplace.

2. Strategic Offsites & Annual Gatherings – a perfect addition to team offsites or annual gatherings, this session helps align teams on the importance of emotional intelligence, resilience, and supportive conversations, driving long-term cultural change.

3. Mental Health Awareness Days – hosting this keynote during important commemorations like R U OK Day, World Mental Health Day or Mental Health Month helps reinforce your organization’s commitment to psychological wellbeing and equips employees with practical tools for real conversations.

4. Industry Conferences & Association Events – designed for sectors with high customer interaction, this keynote is invaluable for professionals in retail, hospitality, healthcare, education, financial services, emergency response and dozens more - where staff frequently handle clients in distress without the proper tools to navigate tough conversations effectively.

Topics:

1. Mitch’s mental health story and the core insight he gained after recovering from a life-threatening emotional breakdown.

2. The #1 insight that separates helpful/unhelpful conversations that positively transforms the dynamic of personal and professional relationships.

3. What NOT to do: How to avoid the 5 core mistakes that push people away and fractures connection, even when you’re trying to be supportive.

4. What TO do: How to implement 5 proven tools that unlock unprecedented trust and promote nervous system regulation, without becoming their therapist or exceeding your boundaries in the process.

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Toward the Pain - The path to emotional freedom & internal strength

Approach & Success

The first step to emotional wellbeing is to feel understood. In this keynote, Mitch provides a platform for every person in the room to drop the brave face and realise they are not alone

This talk is designed to eradicate stigma and increase awareness & understanding of mental health, resulting in deeper appreciation for the experiences of others that might not be so well understood at present. It provides educational soundbites that can be implemented from the instant someone leaves the room. This talk also inspires action by encouraging people to speak up and make it commonplace to have emotional wellbeing conversations.

Topics and outcomes:

The 3 ingredients necessary to get out of the “stuck cycle” and reorientate our perspective toward growth (not surviving)
The 4 truths about mental health that removes the “them vs. us mentality” with a clear north star to aim for in our personal lives
10 resilience tools that form the ultimate mental health toolkit that enables ANYONE to improve the strength of their nervous system
The #1 call-to-action that motivates people to step forward and take charge of their internal world

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Mitch Wallis

Global Mental Health Leader Transforming the Way the World Feels

Mitch Wallis is one of the world’s leading voices on mental health, with a bold mission to "change the way the world feels". With over two decades of lived experience managing anxiety, depression, and OCD, accompanied by a Master’s in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University, Mitch blends deep personal insight with academic rigour to help individuals and organisations heal, connect, and thrive. His goal is to transform the lives of 1 billion people to be more mentally healthy.

After nearly seven successful years at Microsoft, Mitch walked away from corporate life to dedicate himself full-time to mental health education and advocacy. His work is anchored in three powerful pillars: Human Connection, Emotional Fortitude, and Mindful High Performance, with a recurring invitation to “go toward the pain” as a pathway to growth and authenticity.

Mitch is best known as the founder of ‘Heart On My Sleeve’, a global mental health movement that empowers people to drop the brave face and speak openly about how they feel. He’s also the creator of ‘Real Conversations’, a communication and culture-shifting program delivered to over 200,000 people, as well as ‘Real Mates’, a workplace peer-support network that trains accredited mental health mentors. Through these initiatives, Mitch is driving a global shift toward psychological safety and emotional wellbeing.

A captivating keynote speaker, Mitch has spoken to audiences of tens of thousands across four continents, including leadership teams at Amazon, Google, American Express, Salesforce, and KPMG. His presentations are not only heartfelt and highly engaging but rooted in evidence-based practices and proven psychological tools.

Mitch’s influence extends far beyond the stage. He has advised the United Nations on youth mental health, served as the first ambassador for the Australia & New Zealand Mental Health Association, and is currently an expert advisor to the Corporate Mental Health Alliance. He’s been recognised as a GQ Man of Impact, Westfield Local Hero, and one of B&T’s Top 10 Social Changemakers.

Mitch’s media presence includes features on Sky News, HuffPost, LinkedIn, and The Project, and his viral videos and podcast have reached millions, featuring guests from Harvard psychologists to Miss Universe and Olympic athletes. He is also accredited in Mental Health First Aid and is a trained Lifeline crisis supporter.

As a social entrepreneur, Mitch holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Sydney and is involved with multiple ventures, including ‘Calm Water’ (a stress-reducing supplement) and ‘Heaps Normal’ (Australia’s #1 non-alcoholic craft beer).

Mitch Wallis doesn’t just talk about mental health, he lives it. Through raw honesty, cutting-edge psychology, and practical tools, he invites audiences to reimagine what it means to be human.

Testimonial

"It’s authenticity. The story that Mitch tells, and the way he tells it, breaks through. We’ve been having this conversation about wellness for a long time, inside of Microsoft, and making progress. But there’s no question that when we introduced Mitch to the team and saw how he shared his personal story it resonated in a way we hadn’t been able to get through in the past"

Microsoft

"As we are discovering more about the importance of mental health in creating a safe work environment, it was suggested by one of our colleagues that we invite Mitch to speak to our organisation about his experiences. Mitch spoke with such openness about his journey with mental health that our colleagues were inspired to share their own stories and experiences. This lead to us implementing the Real Mates program, a source of peer support for our colleagues as we navigate our way through these challenging times of 2020. I’d like to thank Mitch for sharing his story with us, and I hope he has the chance to spark more positive change across other organisations as the awareness of mental health grows"

American Express

"Mitch’s keynote events and workshops are always delivered with great proficiency. Mitch is an extremely knowledgeable and engaging speaker in the mental health space who has the ability to capture the audience, across each level of the organisation, with real passion and authenticity. Each program Mitch has delivered across our organisation is met with positive feedback and we have our people continuing to ask for more"

KPMG

"It was really incredible having Mitch here telling his story. Because if we can't lead by example, we can't make it real. And to have someone be so vulnerable and so open, that was a gift to Everybody… and I think it's just inspired 14,000 people to wear their heart on their sleeve"

Salesforce ANZ & ASEAN