Available to book
Transform trauma into creative resilience with Mark O'Sullivan, speaker, mental health advocate and award-winning director. Mark works with organisations to harness creativity for positive change, delivering impactful workshops backed by his RTS Programme Award-winning documentary.
Mark O’Sullivan is a writer, director, and actor best known for his work in television. He co-created, directed, and starred in the Channel 4 comedy Lee and Dean, which aired for two seasons.
His first drama series, Tell Me Everything, produced for ITV and the BFI's Young Audiences Content Fund, addresses mental health and the challenges faced by young people today.
In 2024, Mark presented his first documentary for Channel 4 titled My Sexual Abuse: The Sitcom, which was awarded the prestigious Royal Television Society 2025 Programme Award for Art. The documentary followed Mark on his journey to explore the abuse he suffered as a child, and his attempts to make a live studio sitcom about his experiences. It received rave reviews in the UK press and media. Charities working with survivors of sexual abuse have even reported an increase in people accessing their services following the programme’s first broadcast.
Most recently, Mark launched Making Lemonade, a platform that includes a podcast, talks, workshops, and live events. Drawing from the "lemons" that Mark has experienced in his life, this initiative aims to demonstrate how creativity can transform difficult experiences into positive outcomes, effectively turning lemons into lemonade.
Before starting his career in television, Mark spent almost two decades working as a facilitator, teacher, and trainer—firstly in education, then for organisations in the public, third, and private sectors. He has designed and delivered talks, seminars, and workshops on topics from issues-based programmes like domestic abuse and hate crimes, to harnessing creativity and resilience. Mark now offers a range of talks and workshops that can be delivered 'off the shelf' or tailored to suit your organisation's specific requirements.
Topics, sessions and talks
In this session, Mark O’Sullivan shares his story and advice on how to turn the bad stuff - when it happens - into the energy for success. He’ll teach your team how to build resilience, as individuals, communities and organisations.
In this session, Mark O’Sullivan will guide your team in overcoming their struggles with creativity and demonstrate its vital role in their work. Through engaging discussions and practical exercises, he will help attendees recognise the importance of creative thinking in problem-solving and innovation. By the end of the session, participants will learn how to foster a creative mindset and integrate it into their daily tasks, enhancing both individual and team performance.
*which isn’t really a stand-up routine… but could be. Mark O’Sullivan has always tried to approach everything difficult in his life through humour. It’s how he’s survived. And his various and long-running struggles as a man with Mental Health issues are no exception. In this session, Mark shares his story of anxiety, depression, PTSD, therapy, and laughter.
In this session, Mark O’Sullivan discusses how negative experiences can serve as a catalyst for future achievements and successes. He emphasises the importance of resilience in overcoming challenges and transforming setbacks into opportunities for growth. Attendees will learn practical strategies to harness their own experiences, fostering a mindset that embraces adversity and propels them towards their goals.
In this session, Mark O'Sullivan draws on his extensive experience in writing and directing television series, along with his award-winning documentary work and stand-up comedy, to enhance storytelling skills. Attendees will learn effective techniques for crafting compelling narratives that engage audiences and convey messages powerfully.
Testimonials
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frequently asked questions
Something we've not covered here?
To book Mark O'Sullivan, email mark.osullivan@getapeptalk.com or call PepTalk on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US), and one of our speaker agents will contact you within hours to confirm Mark's availability and speaking fee. If you can, please include your budget upfront – it helps us fast-track your request. It’s also helpful to know the date, format (virtual or in-person), location, and about your audience.
Mark O'Sullivan draws on personal narrative as his primary device, framing lived experiences of mental health, trauma, and adversity as the source material for practical frameworks around resilience and creativity. His sessions combine autobiographical storytelling with facilitated discussion and structured exercises, delivered through a format he has developed under the Making Lemonade platform.
Mark O'Sullivan's sessions cover resilience and turning adversity into positive outcomes, creative thinking and its role in problem-solving and innovation, and mental health including anxiety, depression, PTSD, and the use of humour as a coping mechanism. He co-created, directed, and starred in the Channel 4 comedy Lee and Dean, created ITV's Tell Me Everything, and presented My Sexual Abuse: The Sitcom, which won the Royal Television Society 2025 Programme Award for Art.
No. PepTalk adds no booking fee, so you pay the speaker's fee and nothing beyond it. The service, from shortlist through to contracts and event-day logistics, is included. For repeat or multi-event bookings, PepTalk can agree preferential rates with your procurement team.
Share your event date, audience, format, objectives and budget, and PepTalk sends a hand-picked shortlist within 24 hours. Each suggestion comes with a profile, a fee and a recommendation on the strongest fit. Once you choose, PepTalk handles contracts, travel and logistics through to event day.
The typical fee range is the speaker's standard in-person fee in their home market, shown in their local currency. It moves with format, location, date and session length: virtual sessions and shorter slots usually cost less, while international travel and peak dates cost more. Send your brief to PepTalk and the team will confirm the exact fee in your currency.
Not all of them, and it makes no difference to your booking. PepTalk's network of 15,000+ speakers covers talent the team works with directly alongside speakers represented by agents and agencies worldwide. PepTalk approaches the speaker, negotiates the fee and handles contracting either way.
Three to six months ahead is comfortable for most events, and 12 months is better for large conferences, peak-season dates or one specific in-demand speaker. Shorter timelines are workable, and PepTalk regularly fills last-minute and replacement bookings within days. Availability is the constraint, so get in touch as soon as you have a date.
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