Johnny Crowder

Biography

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Mental health entrepreneur Johnny Crowder is a true master of one of the most pressing strategic concerns in business today: wellbeing. But revealing the keys to a healthier workplace, headspace, and heartspace for all is just the beginning.

As a Certified Recovery Peer Specialist and the Founder/CEO of the globally-utilized positive psychology startup Cope Notes, Johnny Crowder gives audiences practical self-care tools and mental health strategies that people can begin using today to improve their emotional health and wellbeing. With infectious positivity, humor, and authenticity, this trauma survivor shows audiences why opening up about mental health is the key to coping, and why the most resilient organizational cultures proudly prioritize and support mental health for all.

Whether Johnny Crowder is discussing ordinary, everyday struggles or challenges like anxiety, depression, addiction, burnout, and compassion fatigue, Johnny Crowder confronts the myths that keep people stuck. As he explains in his 2020 TEDx Talk that garnered over one million views and catapulted him to the world stage, good mental health is like physical health—quick fixes and miracle cures don’t work. Instead, Johnny gives audiences a toolkit of self-care and wellness techniques they can put into practice immediately to re-wire the brain for positivity over time, coupled with a blueprint for making mental and emotional wellbeing a cultural cornerstone in any workplace.

Johnny Crowder’s own personal experiences of poverty and abuse, his deep knowledge of psychology, and his remarkable ability to explain complex topics in an easy-to-understand way make for presentations that are both powerful and practical. Johnny Crowder’s refreshingly vulnerable and candid perspective has attracted praise from hundreds of outlets, including Upworthy, CNN, and Forbes. Even when commanding a virtual stage or touring with his Billboard-charting heavy metal band, Prison, his firsthand experience with mental illness and infectiously positive humor never fail to resonate, educate, and inspire.

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Speech TopicsExpand each topic to learn more

Beyond Coping: How to Foster Resilience, Connection, and Happiness in the Workplace

Crippling burnout. Chronic absenteeism. Rampant resignations. The perfect storm of workplace pressure, constant change, and employee isolation is damming up the rivers of productivity at thousands of companies. Employers are concerned—and rightfully so.

Incorporating insights from his own lifelong mental health journey, Johnny poses a thought-provoking question: Why should we merely cope with hardship when we can leverage it to become stronger, happier, and more connected versions of ourselves? In plain English, he shares the hard-won resilience and emotional intelligence strategies that led to the invention of the science-backed health and wellness program Cope Notes®, now used in nearly 100 countries around the world. This entertaining and actionable keynote delivers proven steps to:

Reframe and respond to personal and professional challenges as they arise

Forge deeper connections and cultures that foster mental wellness and belonging

Process adversity in a way that builds relationships, confidence, and true happiness

The Surprising Productivity of Self-Care: Using Mindfulness to Combat Burnout and Compassion Fatigue

48% of the U.S. workforce struggles with compassion fatigue. The result? Burnout, absenteeism, mental and emotional distress, poor sleep, unhealthy diets, reliance on dangerous coping mechanisms, and sky-high turnover… particularly in caring professions.

Empathetic people are invaluable on any team. But when compassion makes it feel as if the weight of the world is on your shoulders, genuine empathy can devolve into stress, overwhelm, and an inability to help the very people you care about in the first place. Mindfulness is the backbone of all practical self-care measures, but without understanding how to integrate it into your daily routine, your strained relationship with your work will never change. Through this enlightening and easy-to-implement program, your audience will learn how to:

Identify the sources and symptoms of burnout and compassion fatigue

Rethink the assumptions that trigger impostor syndrome and work-life imbalance

Establish daily self-care strategies that drive a renewed sense of energy and purpose in the workplace and beyond

The Punk Rock Guide to Building a Brand: How to Earn Millions Without Selling Your Soul

By embarking on any entrepreneurial journey, you’re signing up to fail—at least, that’s what the statistics warn. So what do you need to beat the odds? Venture capital? Ivy League degrees? Friends in high places? And don’t you have to play a little dirty to get ahead?

Johnny Crowder built a globally recognized brand without any of the advantages listed above. But how did he leverage the lessons he learned on tour with his Billboard-charting heavy metal band Prison to turn Cope Notes® into a worldwide force for good without cutting corners or compromising on his values? In this empowering and tactical presentation, Johnny gives your audience a peek behind the tech startup veil by teaching them how to:

Differentiate between the nice-to-have and essential ingredients of a successful business

Master the types of mental strength and integrity that entrepreneurship demands

Apply mindset, focus, and resilience strategies that build character, stamina, and scalable success

Testimonials

Johnny is SO very real! From the moment I met him, he felt like a trusted friend. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! He absolutely had a positive impact on more than 2000 of our employees today with extremely strong survey results with a score of 4.9/5 across key metrics!!

– Molly Sjostrom, General Mills

To say that the event went well is an understatement. The amount of positive feedback we received from my fraternity brothers and our university's administration was astounding. I cannot speak more highly of Johnny Crowder's ability to engage audiences. Almost everyone who went to the event felt personally impacted by his story. A lot of men were able to shed their masculinity and truly open up to their peers without the fear of being judged; that would not have been possible without Johnny's insight, humor and candidness. Many of those in attendance said that Johnny was the best speaker event they had ever attended and would love to hear more from him in the future.

– Ethan Haqq, Elon University

I've been fortunate enough to hear Johnny a handful of times, both in-person and virtually, and he never disappoints. He has a way of instantly building a connection with his audience, keeping them interested and entertained with his storytelling all the while driving the message and importance of mental health in his presentation. He is inspiring, talented, and insightful. Don't be surprised if you go from laughing to tears in a matter of minutes as you'll be in awe of the person you're listening to. Thank you for sharing your story with others. It's making an impact on so many people, including my own.

– Sam Wagner, International City/County Management Association

Johnny Crowder has been one of, if not the best, speakers I have had the privilege of working with. His powerful story paired with his relatability allowed for the students at our event to really connect and have meaningful conversations around their mental health. We even had students wanting to take positive action in their own lives and seek treatment after hearing Johnny’s story! Johnny comes fully prepared to engage with the audience and tailors his talks to the specific population of your event. I cannot sing high enough praises about the impact he has had on our community! There are students still talking about what an impact his story had on them. We are so grateful to have such a fierce advocate for mental well-being like Johnny as a friend!

– Paige Stanton, BRAVE Summit

Johnny was the Keynote speaker at the Pasco County Schools Mental Health Symposium. We were really struggling to figure out how to support three virtual sessions for our Symposium this school year. And Johnny was the perfect fit and partner for us throughout that journey. Personally, I could not be more grateful for his flexibility, communication, and participation across all three sessions. I honestly don’t know that we would have been able to manage that with another Keynote. Our experience with Johnny was fantastic!

– Wendy Belfield, Pasco County School District

I’ve never seen a speaker drive such positive, energetic engagement in a virtual setting. Halfway through Q&A, my inbox was flooded with encore requests from our staff. Due to the demand, we invited him back a second time, and unsurprisingly, it was another smash hit. The impact Johnny’s talk has made on our company culture is still talked about to this day. He truly became part of the UMA family!

– Dr. Jenna Sage, Ultimate Medical Academy

Planning for an event that is geared towards youth to talk about their mental health, finding a dynamic relevant speaker wasn’t easy. Until we found Johnny. Throughout the planning, Johnny was extremely professional and responsive, and he even jumped in to promote the event with us on a local podcast. Johnny’s talk was very well received and the youth who attended the BRAVE Summit learned about acceptance, and that it is ok to not be ok from Johnny. The excitement has not quelled and the youth are still talking about the talk that Johnny gave and how he inspired them to take control of their mental health and seek help when needed. I would absolutely recommend Johnny to speak to ANY group.

– Jennifer Wills, Flagler Health

Johnny was the keynote speaker at our recent dinner for philanthropic professionals and the response from the attendees was overwhelmingly positive! Attendees shared that they appreciated Johnny’s very personal presentation style and his willingness to engage with them. Johnny was very attentive during the two pre-session meetings we had in tailoring the session to best suit the needs of our audience. He took our input to heart and incorporated ideas and concepts seamlessly into his presentation without sacrificing any of his core messaging. The attention to timelines, deadlines, requests for additional information and session descriptions was impeccable and very much appreciated!

– Guela Ferguson, Florida Philanthropic Network

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