Mike Veny
- Rhythm & Storytelling: Mike uses drumming, humor, and storytelling to make mental health conversations engaging and actionable.
- Healthier Workplace Cultures: He helps organizations build resilience, belonging, and emotional wellness while addressing burnout.
- Lived Experience: Mike transforms his personal mental health journey into powerful programs that inspire meaningful, measurable change.
Mike Veny Speaker Biography
Mike Veny is a globally recognized mental health speaker and Certified Corporate Wellness Specialist® who has made it his mission to transform stigma into strength through rhythm and story. Known for his electrifying drumming keynotes and raw, real talk, Mike helps workers thrive and organizations create emotionally healthy cultures. His work bridges inclusive excellence, mental health, and professional development—and is known for producing measurable change. He has been booked by NAMI, Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, and hundreds more.
Mike is also the CEO of Lovely Refinement, a women’s mental health and wellness brand, which owns the Training Refinery, a continuing education powerhouse. In all of his professional efforts, Mike is fiercely committed to empowering employees to discover the gift of emotional wellness and resilience so that they can accelerate personal and professional growth and avoid damaging burnout. He is also the host of a podcast called “Coffee With Mike: Mental Wellness & Belonging for Leaders” and the author of several books, including the best-selling book “Transforming Stigma: How to Become a Mental Wellness Superhero.” His expertise and life experience have been featured on ABC, NBC, and CBS News.
Mike has built a successful career as a mental health speaker by delivering emotionally resonant wellness programs rooted in lived experience. He bridges generational gaps with inclusive storytelling and rhythm, and his CEU-accredited programs deliver measurable change. Mike is also known for overcoming generational gaps with attention-grabbing storytelling and rhythm and for creating safe spaces to address complex topics with authenticity and humor.
His wellness solutions empower his audiences to take actionable steps to change their lives and work environments. He’s delivered presentations to Fortune 500 companies, healthcare providers, and educators, including Microsoft, CVS Health, T-Mobile, Heineken, Salesforce, Keurig Dr. Pepper, and The Wounded Warrior Project. He has also received Acquisition International Magazine’s Global Excellence Award in 2025 and Corporate LiveWire’s 2022, 2023, & 2024 Innovation & Excellence Awards for his work as a Certified Corporate Wellness Specialist®. He also won NAMI New York State’s 2023 Leader of Mental Health Awareness Award. As a PM360 ELITE Award Winner, he was recognized as one of the 100 most influential people in the healthcare industry for his work with patient advocacy.
Determined to overcome a lifetime of severe mental health challenges, Mike’s career began as a professional drummer and evolved into becoming a change maker in the workplace wellness industry. As a child, Mike was expelled from several schools, attempted suicide, and spent time in psychiatric hospitals for extended periods. Now he uses those experiences to power unforgettable wellness solutions that fuse lived experience with rhythm and artistry.
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Speech Topics
Thriving Through Uncertainty: Tools and Strategies for Today’s Challenges
Mike’s high energy, practical strategies, and real-world wisdom teach audience members not just to survive but truly thrive today – in spite of the rapid change and constant pressure that they face. With his dynamic style and relatable stories, he equips the audience with the tools to navigate stress, build resilience, and turn uncertainty into an opportunity for growth and strength. This isn’t just a talk it’s a roadmap to reclaiming emotional wellness and stepping boldly into the future with confidence. Be prepared for drumming, movement, and truth that unleash new levels of growth!
Transforming Stigma’s Into Strength
Mike once faced mental, emotional, and behavioral challenges, but was able to turn those challenges into strengths, and now he specializes in helping others do the same. In this high-energy session that features rhythm and truth, attendees discover how to break free from the limitations of labels, silence, and shame, and instead start harnessing them as fuel for growth, connection, and resilience. This keynote shows attendees that what once felt like a barrier can actually be used for growth. Attendees learn how to draw unstoppable strength from life’s toughest challenges!
Thriving Through Change: Building Resilience and Preventing Burnout with Self-Care
Change is a fact of life, and while it can feel overwhelming, it doesn’t have to drain a person’s energy or passion. This empowering workshop is packed with practical tools, energizing strategies, and powerful insights to help attendees bounce back stronger, protect their well-being, and stay at their best no matter what life throws their way. Those in attendance will discover how to turn change into an opportunity for growth, build unshakable resilience, and embrace self-care as a non-negotiable superpower. Attendees will walk away recharged, inspired, and equipped to “thrive not just survive” through every season of change!
How to Find Inner Peace in Times of Uncertainty
There has never been a more important time in history to focus on your mental wellness. Finding inner peace is crucial to your health and safety. This important presentation will revitalize you. First and foremost, you will learn to shield yourself from stress. Next, you will learn to put your mind at ease and reduce your anxiety. Last but not least, you will learn to take advantage of golden opportunities to cope with loneliness and grief. Don’t miss this unique opportunity.
Fill Your Cup: Emotional Wellness For Exhausted Educators
Teaching is one of the most rewarding callings but also one of the most draining, and that’s why this training is a “must-attend” for all educators. The session has been carefully designed to help attendees recharge, refocus, and reclaim their energy so they can show up fully for themselves and their students going forward. Through practical strategies, uplifting insights, and a much-needed dose of inspiration, audience members will learn how to manage stress, set healthy boundaries, and prioritize their own well-being without guilt. They’ll leave feeling ready to thrive both inside and outside the classroom!
Unleash Your Groove Drumming Workshop: Belonging and Team Building
“Get ready to feel the beat, break down barriers, and build powerful connections. This electrifying, hands-on experience uses the universal language of rhythm to bring people together, spark creativity, and ignite a true sense of togetherness. No drumming skills are required. Attendees just need to bring their energy and an open mind so that they can discover how making music side by side creates trust, teamwork, and belonging like nothing else can. By the end, audience members won’t just hear the rhythm they’ll feel it, and then they’ll leave more connected, energized, and in sync than ever before!
