True healing starts the day you feel understood. When you are real, there are no demons to hide from.
Mitch is one of the top global thought leads in psychology, with a lifelong mission to ‘change the way the world feels’.
His goal is to transform the lives of 1 billion people to be more mentally healthy through his educational platforms, inspiring talks and social impact organisations he’s involved with.
After working at Microsoft for almost 7 years, he left his successful corporate career to devote himself full-time to helping people overcome suffering and reimagine the healing potential of the mind.
His focus is on three core pillars: Human Connection, Emotional Fortitude, and Mindful High Performance, with the common through-line in all of his work being: “go toward the pain”.
Mitch is a mental health expert – holding a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University in New York, and he has over 2 decades of lived experience with mental ill health including anxiety, depression and OCD. He has accrued countless hours of experience researching and delivering evidence based emotional wellbeing practices.
He is most well known for being the founder of Heart On My Sleeve - a leading global mental health movement that helps people drop the brave face and be real about how they feel.
He is the creator of “Real Conversations” – an interpersonal relationship program that transforms workplace culture and family systems toward psychological safety through emotionally intelligent communication skills. He’s delivered workshops to C-level executives on over 4 continents. As an accomplished keynote speaker having delivered talks to tens of thousands of people, including some of the most recognised companies in the world such as American Express, Amazon, Google, KPMG, and dozens more.
He has been an advisor to the United Nations on the topic of youth mental health and won a Man of Impact award by GQ. He was appointed the first-ever ambassador for the Australia and New Zealand Mental Health Association and is currently an expert advisor to the Corporate Mental Health Alliance. He’s been named a Westfield Local Hero and was featured in B&T’s Top 10 Social Changemakers in Australia. He’s been featured in wellbeing campaigns by the likes of Allianz and LinkedIn, and featured in top news publications like Sky News, Huffington Post and Channel 10’s The Project.
He is accredited in Mental Health First Aid and a trained Lifeline crisis supporter. Mitch runs a popular podcast that has featured guests from Harvard Psychologists, media personalities, and world-class Olympians. His social media videos have reached millions of people and he received the award for “most inspiring mental health video of the year”.
Mitch also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from the University of Sydney. He is involved with multiple social impact ventures including Heaps Normal (Australia’s #1 non-alcoholic craft beer), Calm Water stress reduction supplement, and many others.
He shares with us what it means to be human.
Talking Points
Supporting Others
Healthy relationships are the heartbeat of business. In our day-to-day interactions with colleagues at work, or with our friends and family at home, we are often faced with the confronting reality of supporting people we care about who are going through difficult times. It’s common for us to feel confused about what to say and do, overcome with fear of getting it wrong, or riddled with guilt that we might make things worse.Supporting Others
In this keynote, Mitch shares the core insights from his proven proprietary framework that’s been adopted and trusted by some of the biggest companies in the world to boost psychological safety and empower cultural resilience. A must-see presentation for all leaders and teams facing periods of uncertainty and high stress.
Best for
- Company-Wide Mental Health Awareness – hosting this keynote during important commemorations like R U OK Day, World Mental Health Day or Mental Health Month helps reinforce your organisation's commitment to psychological wellbeing and equips employees with practical tools for real conversations.
- 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.
- 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.
- Industry Conferences & Association Events – designed for sectors with high customer interaction, this keynote is invaluable for professionals in retail, hospitality, healthcare, education, financial services, and emergency response—where staff frequently handle clients in distress without the proper tools to navigate tough conversations effectively.
Topics and outcomes
- The #1 insight that separates helpful/unhelpful conversations that transform relationships
- The 5 habits of daily disconnection and how to reverse these subtle yet game changing behaviours
The major learning from each part of the 5-step framework ‘ELsA.B’ including:
- The hidden secret of setting up a conversation for success
- The evidence based listening technique that leads to hyper-understanding
- The key to mitigating risk in the highest stakes situations
- The coaching model that empowers people to solve their own problems
- The key to not becoming someone’s therapist, yet how to still be therapeutic
Supporting Self
10 pillars to Emotional Fortitude.Supporting Self
Cultivating resilience amidst uncertainty to overcome any obstacle.
The first step to emotional wellbeing is to feel understood. In this keynote, Mitch provides a platform for every person in the room to 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 to help improve their state of mind and cultivate long lasting emotional stability.
Best for:
- Company-Wide Mental Health Events – perfect for organisations aiming to inspire resilience during times of high change, helping employees navigate uncertainty with practical tools.
- Inspirational Conferences – ideal for events that aim to leave attendees inspired and motivated to adopt new, positive behaviours by sharing groundbreaking science and compelling stories.
- Cultural & Awareness Days – a meaningful addition to events that mark significant cultural moments, such as Men's Mental Health Week or International Women's Day, helping participants develop personal resilience.
- Leadership Development – essential for leaders and managers to learn self-care strategies that enable them to support their teams effectively during challenging times.
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
Video
Mitch Wallis | One of the Top thought Leaders in Emotional Wellbeing | Saxton Speakers
One of the most credible mental health speakers in the world. Book Mitch to speak at your company, conference or event.Mitch Wallis | Mental Health Microdocumentary | Saxton Speakers
Mitch Wallis' journey with mental health.Heart On My Sleeve Movement for Mental Health | Mitch Wallis | Saxton Speakers
The Heart On Your Sleeve Movement is a human-led human-grown social campaign designed to break down the stigma of mental health amongst young millennials. Talk to anyone who has a mental health challenge and you will get the same answer: on the outside it may seem like society has made big steps forward accepting mental illness, but there is still a strong stigma in this country. People are quick to label others (consciously or subconsciously) as weak, crazy, boring or too much effort. There may be an epidemic of suicide, but the real underlying problem is the epidemic of loneliness. The numbers tell us that things aren't getting better, and something needs to change.My lowest point ever with mental health (trigger warning) | Mitch Wallis | Saxton Speakers
A short video of my lowest point ever. I am grateful to be in such a positive headspace today, but it's important to acknowledge where I've been so others know they are not alone.Such a fantastic session and I could've listened for hours from a leaderships side as well as a personal. Such great advice around being more open, a better listener and just being available ... keep reading American Express
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.
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.
Honest and raw. Mitch shares his story with such passion & authenticity. A must for all in business. The learnings & insights will stay with you.
