Recovery And Rebuilding: 10 Speakers Who Talk Honestly About Coming Back

Recovery speakers cover the part of resilience most agendas skip. Addiction, imprisonment, career-ending injury, bereavement and breakdown all happen inside workforces, and a session delivered by someone who has come through one lands differently from a session about coping strategies in general.

How do you book a recovery speaker without getting it wrong?

Brief the speaker properly and give the audience an exit. Where you need name recognition to fill the room first, several of our TV personality speakers carry this material too. Tell the speaker what your workforce has recently been through, agree in advance which details are in scope, and make sure people know they can leave the room. Every speaker on this list is experienced at handling that, and most will ask before you do.

The second thing that separates a good booking from a difficult one is what the session gives people afterwards. A story on its own can leave a room flat. Look for speakers who pair the account with something practical, whether that is a manager's guide to spotting a problem or a framework the individual can use.

Five speakers here carry a full session, followed by five whose material sits alongside it. Our wider list of mental health speakers for workplace wellbeing covers the same audience with a broader remit.

Gab Stone

Book Gab for

Opening up a gambling and addiction conversation most workplaces avoid entirely.

Gab Stone managed Olympic medallists before his gambling addiction took the business and left him bankrupt. He now speaks from lived experience on gambling harm, which is a category of addiction most workplace wellbeing programmes do not address at all despite its prevalence.

His session The Psychology Of Addiction covers the mindset of gambling addicts and the behavioural patterns that often start young. Gab gives teams a way to understand what they are looking at, which matters in sectors where the culture around betting is normalised.

Learn more and book Gab Stone →

Michael Maisey

Book Michael for

A story of addiction, imprisonment and recovery paired with practical tools for staying steady.

Michael Maisey is a former young offender turned author, charity founder and community leader, whose bestselling memoir covers addiction, prison and recovery. He now runs community outreach programmes alongside his speaking work.

His session Bringing Calm In Challenging Times gives audiences practical tools for stillness and presence when things feel unmanageable. The combination of a difficult personal account with usable technique is what makes him work for a general workforce rather than only a specialist audience.

Learn more and book Michael Maisey →

Anthony Ogogo

Book Anthony for

Reinventing after an injury ends the career you built everything around.

Anthony Ogogo won Olympic bronze in boxing, then had his career ended by injury and rebuilt as a professional wrestler and sports broadcaster. That is an unusually clean case study in involuntary reinvention, since the ending was decided for him.

His sessions give teams practical strategies for navigating change and maintaining focus when the plan is gone. Anthony works well for organisations going through restructure or role change, where the audience is being asked to let go of expertise they spent years building.

Learn more and book Anthony Ogogo →

Ben Brooks-Dutton

Book Ben for

Inclusion work informed by grief and by 15 years inside brand and marketing.

Ben Brooks-Dutton is a bestselling author and diversity consultant who works with brands and senior marketers on cultural sensitivity and inclusive strategy through his Wokeshop programme. His writing on grief brought him to a wider audience.

For marketing and communications teams, Ben covers how brands avoid costly missteps when speaking to audiences whose experience they do not share. The personal material gives the inclusion content weight, and he is precise about where good intentions still produce harm.

Learn more and book Ben Brooks-Dutton →

Roman Kemp

Book Roman for

Destigmatising mental health conversations with a name younger staff already trust.

Roman Kemp built a broadcasting career and then made BBC documentaries on mental health and suicide following the loss of a close friend. That advocacy is now central to his work rather than an add-on to the presenting.

For organisations trying to start a mental health conversation with a workforce that has not engaged with previous efforts, Roman brings recognition and credibility at the same time. He suits large all-hands sessions, awareness day events and employee network launches.

Learn more and book Roman Kemp →

Five more speakers on rebuilding

These five bring related material on psychological safety, performance culture and finding a way through a hard period. See also our speakers on overcoming adversity.

Judd Shaw

A lawyer, CEO and award-winning author, Judd created the Connection CURE framework for building psychological safety in high-performing teams. His session The Brave Space examines the leadership habits that drive early success then start limiting growth.

Learn more and book Judd Shaw →

Daniel Sarginson

A former England rugby international, Daniel speaks openly about addiction, depression and 25 years of performance anxiety. He helps organisations spot the performance cultures that quietly create burnout and build psychologically safer teams.

Learn more and book Daniel Sarginson →

Adelé Nicoll

A British shot put champion and bobsleigh World Cup silver medallist with a masters in psychology, Adelé translates elite sport psychology into workplace technique. She covers decision-making under pressure and stress management.

Learn more and book Adelé Nicoll →

Elle Daniel

A wellness expert, yoga teacher and rare disease advocate, Elle works with organisations on resilience through creativity and mindfulness. Her session on harnessing creativity to overcome challenges suits teams under sustained pressure.

Learn more and book Elle Daniel →

Brickman Allen

Creator of the #LiveOutside method, Brickman speaks on adversity, trust and loyalty. His session Chosen For This addresses life's unfairness directly and gives teams strategies for adapting when the situation is not their fault.

Learn more and book Brickman Allen →

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you brief a recovery speaker?

Tell them what your workforce has recently experienced, confirm which details are in scope, and agree the tone. Say whether anyone in the room is dealing with something similar. Every speaker here handles this professionally and will usually raise it before you do.

Should we offer support alongside a recovery session?

Yes. Signpost your employee assistance programme, mental health first aiders or an external helpline at the start and the end, and make it clear people can step out. A short manager briefing before the session also helps.

Which awareness days suit these speakers?

Mental Health Awareness Week, World Mental Health Day, Men's Health Month and International Men's Day are common. Roman Kemp and Michael Maisey work well for large awareness events, and Gab Stone suits Safer Gambling Week.

Are these sessions suitable for a full workforce?

Most are, with the right briefing. Sessions covering addiction and bereavement need more care than general resilience content. Tell the PepTalk team about your audience and we will recommend who fits and what preparation is worth doing.

💡 Looking for the right speaker for your next event? Let us know what you need and we will find the perfect PepTalk expert for your organisation. Email us at hello@getapeptalk.com or send us a message via the chat. You can also call us on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US). Remember, it's always a good time to get a PepTalk!