Mental Health Speakers For Workplace Wellbeing

Mental health speakers for workplace wellbeing can help open the conversation, reduce stigma, and give your team practical tools for building resilience.

In today's fast-paced and demanding work environment, the wellbeing of your employees is paramount. Mental health issues, often overlooked, can profoundly impact the productivity and overall health of your staff, and are one of the leading causes of long-term sickness absence, which can disrupt the harmony of any workplace.

The statistics are stark. Mind reports that one in four people in England will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year, and that one in six people report a common mental health problem such as anxiety or depression in any given week. Both figures come from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, the benchmark study of mental health in England, and they underscore the urgency for employers to prioritise mental health support at work.

The twelve speakers below all help open the conversation and reduce mental health stigma at work. They fall into three groups: speakers who bring lived experience, qualified clinicians and psychologists, and specialists in workplace wellbeing itself. Each entry sets out what they cover and the kind of audience they suit.

Which mental health speakers draw on lived experience?

Lived-experience speakers have come through mental health difficulties themselves and talk openly about what that was actually like. They work well as an opening session, because hearing an honest first-hand story gives people permission to talk about their own. The five below cover grief, anxiety, addiction, OCD and male loneliness.

Addiction and recovery come up often in this group, and they connect to a wider cultural shift toward being sober curious.

Poorna Bell

Champion diversity within your team and open the conversation on mental health with Poorna Bell, speaker, journalist and mental health advocate. Poorna is the founder of Fix My Life Workshops and Events and has written two acclaimed books, Chase the Rainbow and In Search of Silence. Her third book, Stronger, combines memoir and manifesto, drawing on her experience in competitive powerlifting after her husband's death.

Learn more and book Poorna Bell →

Josh Connolly

Discover the keys to sustainable mental health maintenance with Josh Connolly, one of the UK's leading resilience experts. After coming through a serious personal mental health crisis, Josh found a way to embrace life and vulnerability, and is now one of the UK's most influential mental health advocates. He has spoken in the House of Commons, contributed to mental health policy, and advised the scriptwriting team on Channel 4's Hollyoaks.

Learn more and book Josh Connolly →

Josh Roberts

Josh Roberts is a writer, broadcaster and public speaker specialising in mental health. After a mental health crisis led to a diagnosis of Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Josh wrote about his experience for The Times and received an outpouring of public reaction. He has since made it his mission to help others by sharing his story, including in his book, Anxious Man.

Learn more and book Josh Roberts →

Max Dickins

Create a safe, non-judgemental space for your team to talk about mental health with Max Dickins, author and male loneliness and mental health expert. A writer for page, stage and screen, Max explores male friendship and connection in his book Billy No Mates and in his PepTalk sessions. Male mental health and loneliness remain front and centre of the cultural conversation, and Max brings both research and lived experience to the topic.

Learn more and book Max Dickins →

Bryony Gordon

Open up the conversation with honesty and humour with Bryony Gordon, award-winning journalist, bestselling author and one of the UK's most influential mental health campaigners. Her books, including Mad Girl and Glorious Rock Bottom, chart her experiences of OCD, depression and addiction, and her landmark interview with Prince Harry changed how the country talks about mental health. She also founded Mental Health Mates, a global network of peer support walking groups.

Learn more and book Bryony Gordon →

Which mental health speakers are qualified professionals?

Qualified speakers are trained clinicians, psychologists and doctors who can explain how mental health works and point people toward the right kind of help. They suit audiences who want evidence rather than testimony, and they are the safer choice when a session needs to touch on treatment, diagnosis or the science behind wellbeing advice.

Kimberley Wilson

Discover how to build a healthy brain with Kimberley Wilson, chartered psychologist and nutritionist, and author of How to Build a Healthy Brain. Kimberley runs a private practice in central London, previously governed the Tavistock & Portman NHS Mental Health Trust, and led therapy services at HMP & YOI Holloway, Europe's largest women's prison. She champions a holistic approach to mental health, integrating nutrition and lifestyle with psychological therapy under her Whole Body Mental Health philosophy.

Learn more and book Kimberley Wilson →

Dr Alex George

Explore the foundations of good mental fitness and learn how to open up the conversation around mental health at work with Dr Alex George, Government Ambassador for Mental Health and former Love Islander. Dr Alex is a well-known and respected figure among healthcare professionals in the UK, drawing on his years as an A&E doctor to bring the nation accessible, reassuring advice on mental wellbeing.

Learn more and book Dr Alex George →

Emma Reed Turrell

Learn to stop putting others' needs ahead of your own with Emma Reed Turrell, psychotherapist, author of Please Yourself, and podcaster. Emma has spent over fifteen years working with individuals and organisations to help them realise their full potential and support their wellbeing. Her book, Please Yourself: How to Stop People-Pleasing and Transform Your Life, offers insights and techniques to help people understand themselves more fully, and she co-presents the podcast Best Friend Therapy with Elizabeth Day.

Learn more and book Emma Reed Turrell →

💡 Would you like to book an expert mental health speaker? Let us know, and we'll find the perfect PepTalk expert for your organisation. Send us a message and we'll set up a free strategy call. Remember, it's always a good time to get a PepTalk!

Which speakers focus on workplace wellbeing?

Workplace wellbeing speakers work on the organisation rather than the individual. They cover reasonable adjustments, burnout prevention, management behaviour, and how to measure whether a wellbeing programme is achieving anything. Book them when the goal is changing how the company operates, not only how confident staff feel about speaking up.

Reasonable adjustments cover more ground than most teams expect, stretching from neurodivergent-friendly communication to menopause at work.

Nic Smith

Bring clarity to the wellbeing areas your organisation needs to focus on, with practical input from Nic Smith, positive psychologist and workplace wellbeing and leadership expert. Nic combines over 20 years of experience in talent and leadership with the latest research from positive psychology, delivering bespoke interventions that help organisations flourish. She works with teams to improve everything from overall workplace wellbeing to the skills of leadership teams.

Learn more and book Nic Smith →

Charlie Hoare

Support your team's wellbeing and beat anxiety with Charlie Hoare, wellbeing consultant, entrepreneur, life coach and speaker on male mental health. Personal experience of depression and anxiety led him to write MAN DOWN: A Guide for Men on Mental Health, and he holds an MSc in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology. Charlie also co-founded TÅPPED birch water, having previously worked for Innocent Drinks and Air Asia.

Learn more and book Charlie Hoare →

Justin 'JC' Coghlan

Openly discuss the vital subject of men's mental health with Justin 'JC' Coghlan, co-founder and director of global innovation for the Movember Foundation. Since its grassroots beginnings in 2003, Movember has grown into one of the world's largest men's health movements, raising substantial funds for men's health research and driving lasting change in how prostate, testicular and mental health issues are talked about.

Learn more and book Justin 'JC' Coghlan →

Tania Diggory

Eliminate burnout and bring a sense of calm to your team with Tania Diggory, founder of Calmer and mental health and wellbeing expert. A qualified NLP practitioner, mindfulness teacher and mental health trainer, Tania is devoted to highlighting the balance between mental wellbeing and business success, offering practical strategies to build resilience in daily working life.

Learn more and book Tania Diggory →

💡 Would you like to book an expert workplace wellbeing speaker? Let us know, and we'll find the perfect PepTalk expert for your organisation. Send us a message and we'll set up a free strategy call. Remember, it's always a good time to get a PepTalk!

When should you book mental health speakers for workplace wellbeing?

Most organisations anchor a session to an awareness date, because it gives the booking a clear reason and helps drive attendance. The calendar below lists the main UK mental health dates. Fixed dates are given exactly, and moveable ones are given as the rule they follow so the list stays usable year to year. The most popular dates get booked out months ahead.

📅 Time to Talk Day | First Thursday of February (4 February 2027)
👉 One in four of us will experience a mental health problem, but many still feel isolated, ashamed, and unable to open up about their lived experience. Run by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, this day encourages everyone to be more open about mental health, to talk, listen and change lives.

📅 Children's Mental Health Week | First full week of February (1 to 7 February 2027)
👉 Half of all mental health problems are established by the age of 14, rising to 75% by the age of 24. Place2Be runs this week to highlight the importance of mental health support from a young age.

📅 Eating Disorders Awareness Week | Last full week of February (22 to 28 February 2027)
👉 An eating disorder is an unhealthy attitude towards food, which can make you obsessed with your eating patterns. The charity Beat runs Eating Disorders Awareness Week annually to tackle myths and misunderstanding around eating disorders.

📅 Self-Injury Awareness Day | 1 March
👉 Self-harm is the intentional act of harming or injuring our body. Self-Injury Awareness Day is a global observance dedicated to raising awareness about self-harm and self-injury.

📅 University Mental Health Day | A Thursday in March (11 March 2027)
👉 Run by Student Minds and UMHAN, University Mental Health Day brings together the student community each year to make mental health a university-wide priority and to create continued change to the future of student mental health.

📅 World Bipolar Day | 30 March
👉 Bipolar disorder can make someone's mood change dramatically from extreme highs (mania) to extreme lows (depression). These changes can be overwhelming and distressing. World Bipolar Day is organised to bring global awareness to bipolar conditions and to eliminate social stigma.

📅 Stress Awareness Month | Throughout April
👉 Stress Awareness Month has been held every April since 1992 to increase public awareness about the causes and cures of our modern stress epidemic, with a focus on sharing tips and coping strategies to help manage mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.

📅 Mental Health Awareness Week | May (provisionally 10 to 16 May 2027)
👉 Run by the Mental Health Foundation, Mental Health Awareness Week is the UK's biggest mental health campaign and is built around a different theme each year. The Foundation confirms the dates and the theme in the autumn beforehand, so check before you lock in a date.

📅 National Schizophrenia Awareness Day | 25 July
👉 Schizophrenia is a common mental illness that affects around 1 in 100 people in their lifetime, yet the condition is widely misunderstood. Led by Rethink Mental Illness, this day shines a light on the challenges faced by people living with a diagnosis of schizophrenia in the UK and beyond.

📅 World Suicide Prevention Day | 10 September
👉 The International Association for Suicide Prevention hosts World Suicide Prevention Day to raise awareness of suicide and suicide prevention.

📅 World Mental Health Day | 10 October
👉 Run by the World Federation for Mental Health, World Mental Health Day is the largest date in the global mental health calendar and the most popular single day for workplace sessions, so book early.

📅 OCD Awareness Week | Second full week of October
👉 Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder affecting around 1 in 100 people in the UK. OCD Awareness Week aims to bring about a greater understanding of the condition and how it affects people.

📅 National Stress Awareness Day | First Wednesday of November (4 November 2026)
👉 Set up by the International Stress Management Association, National Stress Awareness Day raises awareness of the effects of psychological distress in the workplace and the strategies that address it.

📅 Men's Mental Health Awareness Month (Movember) | Throughout November
👉 Every November is home to men's mental health awareness month, also known as Movember. It aims to tackle the stigma surrounding men's mental health.

📅 Anti-Bullying Week | Mid-November (16 to 20 November 2026)
👉 Run by the Anti-Bullying Alliance, Anti-Bullying Week opens with Odd Socks Day on the Monday and aims to make a noise about bullying, rather than staying silent when bullying is dismissed as 'just banter'.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a lived-experience speaker and a qualified mental health professional?

The difference between a lived-experience speaker and a qualified mental health professional is where their expertise comes from. A lived-experience speaker talks about mental health difficulties they have been through themselves, which builds trust and gives an audience permission to open up. A qualified professional is a trained clinician, psychologist or doctor who explains how mental health works and what helps. Many organisations book one of each across a year.

How do I choose the right mental health speaker for my workplace?

Choose the right mental health speaker for your workplace by starting from the outcome you want. If you want people talking about mental health for the first time, choose a lived-experience speaker. If you want your team to understand treatment, diagnosis or the evidence, choose a qualified clinician. If you want to change policy, workload or management behaviour, choose a workplace wellbeing specialist.

When should we book a mental health speaker?

Book a mental health speaker several months ahead of your session, especially if it is anchored to an awareness date. Most teams choose a date such as Time to Talk Day in February, Mental Health Awareness Week in May, or World Mental Health Day on 10 October, and those are the busiest dates in the calendar.

How do you cover sensitive mental health subject matter safely?

To cover sensitive mental health subject matter safely, brief your speaker on the audience beforehand and flag anything your team is currently dealing with. Tell staff in advance what the session covers, so attending is clearly optional. Close by signposting your Employee Assistance Programme or mental health first aiders, so anyone affected knows where to go next.

💡 Interested in a PepTalk Live session on mental health or workplace wellbeing? We have a wealth of expert speakers and storytellers in our network, here to help ensure you and your team can win at the business of life. Send us a message and we'll take it from there. Remember, it's always a good time to get a PepTalk!