Speaking Services
Conference Keynotes, Workshops & Breakouts | Associations and Corporate
There is no lack of information regarding mental health, suicide, and addiction in the workplace. In recent years, there has been more focus on employee mental health due to violence in the workplace. What many professionals are talking about is how the treatment of employees both active and those terminated or laid off play a crucial role in outcomes desired by the C suite. Our focus is about how the corporate mission is connected to the actual behaviors (being intentional) of human resources and leadership (being supportive).
A White Executive's Experience with DEI After Termination for Racism* Jeff's signature talk shares a powerful story of working for a large mental health agency as Director of a team of individuals with lived experience with mental health challenges and addiction. Following the murder of George Floyd, his agency like many others rushed to respond and deploy DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) initiatives with little appreciation for the foundational aspects needed to facilitate effective conversations between white employees and employees of color and years of systemic racism. Jeff became the target of harassment by a member of Senior Leadership and employees of color experiencing trauma from broken promises made by Senior Leadership. Jeff's story is about how he became the scapegoat of a failed diversity, equity, and inclusion program and the impact on his mental health. It's a powerful lesson about the tragic consequences of corporate "Virtue Signaling" . Like many social movements of the past decades, there are stories of silent victims often seen as unavoidable collateral damage to an overdue reckoning. Jeff's story becomes a powerful lesson in risk management and what is means to live corporate values with intention.
"No one ever wants to talk about the ugly and hard parts of doing DEI and race work. What happens usually is it gets brushed under the rug and the initiative is abandoned with a quiet gasp. However, there is a cost both to white employees who took chances sharing their beliefs and employees of color who took chances believing that things would be different this time. Jeff's vulnerability and courage to talk about what happened to him is remarkable. You never hear the voices of silent victims of the social movements like DEI and MeToo, because most are too traumatized and just want to put it behind them. This was an once in a lifetime opportunity hearing from Jeff who shares his painful lessons so we all can benefit." Director of Human Resources, Tampa, FL
How Men Hurt and How Men Heal*" is a poignant talk infused with Jeff's lived experience working with men in the healthcare field for 25 years. A talk for any audience, but ideally suited for First Responders and Military. Men between the ages of 35 and 64 have a suicide rate that is more than double the national average. Understanding men's pain and how to offer solutions that resonate with men is crucial to healing men. The first step is knowing that men's pain is invisible in our society. The solutions offered are often repackaged solutions designed for women and usually offered by a female therapist who does not know how men heal. Finally, the veil of silence and shame is pulled away about men's pain. Jeff offers his thoughts on how men hurt and heal using his own personal story to bring the audience into the conversation.
"A powerful presentation for anyone who has a man in their life they love and care about." - VP of Clinical Services
Target Audience: Human Resource Conferences, Human Resource Professionals, Leadership Conferences, Men, C-Suite, Senior Leadership, Risk Management Leadership, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Conferences, Employee Resource Group Leadership, Middle Managers, Team Leaders, Employees, Military Leadership, First Responders, and Law Enforcement.
Length: 60-90 minutes
Signature Talks: Both Keynote and Breakout
- A White Executive's Experience With DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) After Termination for Racism
- How Men Hurt and How Men Heal (Ideal for First Responders and Military)
Communities
Every community member has a role to play in providing support for mental health issues and preventing suicide. To help, community members can learn how to identify warning signs, ask if someone is thinking about suicide, and connect those at risk with services and resources. Building upon the strength of communities, community connection programs can create networks of support for people who may have suicidal thoughts and feelings, or have lost someone to suicide. They may also help in addressing, social isolation, a public health issue and risk factor for suicide, though it can be hard to reach those who choose to remain isolated.
Target Audience: Faith-based Leaders, Civic and Business Leaders, First Responders, Men, Educational Leadership Superintendent of Schools, Parents, Students, Town/City Governing Boards and Policy Makers, First Responders, Military, Mental Health Providers, Doctors, Men's Health Advocates, and those involved in the healing arts.
Length: 60-90 minutes
Titles of Talks:
- How Men Hurt and How Men Heal (Ideal for First Responders and Military)
- Building Community-Based Peer Support Programs to Address Mental Health
- Alternatives to Suicide: A Different Approach to Helping Those in Crisis
*Please call or email to discuss key learning objectives of each talk.
Education | College Students
Everything young adults view today via mass media has a specific intent which is to make them feel not good enough. If that media channel can create a poor sense of worth, then that young person can be manipulated into a commercial transaction. Our social media and consumerism environment is incapable of assessing those young people who are vulnerable. Jeff approaches this talk with a combination of age appropriate sharing of his personal story of mental health and suicide with practical strategies to approach living that can create a sense of self-worth and protective factors against future mental health issues.
Target Audience: College Students, Educators, School Counselors, and Health Practitioners
Length: 60-90 minutes
Best suited for: Suicide Prevention Week, Mental Health Week and Month, First-Year Experience (College), Transfer Orientation (College), Men's Health Month (November a.k.a Movember). Greek Life, Athletics Departments.
Titles for Talks:
- Mental Health & Addiction: What I Wish Someone Told Me When I was 18 and Then at 21 (College Audiences Only)
- Life 101 - What Most Adults Won't Tell You About Love, Work, and Life (College Audiences Only)
*Please call or email to discuss key learning objectives of each talk.
Family Office | Mental Health Peer Support and Recovery Coaching
Family offices are private wealth management advisory firms that serve ultra-high-net-worth individuals (HNWI). They are different from traditional wealth management shops in that they offer a total outsourced solution to managing the financial and investment side of an affluent individual or family. A Family Office will tailor services to each particular family. Clients make use of a Family Office for a suite of capabilities based on their particular needs, including legal advice, professional trust services, investment management, trust administration, charitable foundation management, estate settlement, and tax services. In the last twenty years, Family Offices are understanding the need to include both mental health and addiction recovery services as part of their suite of services. We are discreet and unmatched in our level of experience working with clients internationally for over 25 years. We have an extensive background working with the US Embassy system and high profile families and individuals.
Services:
- Recovery Coaching
- Mental Health Peer Support
- Sober Companion
- Treatment Placement and Follow Up
*Please call to discuss rates and duration of services
**Specialize in working with men.
Recovery Coaching for Men
Recovery coaching is a form of strengths-based support for people with addictions or in recovery from alcohol, other drugs, codependency, or other addictive behaviors. Recovery Coaches work with people who have active addictions, as well as those already in recovery. The job of a Recovery Coach is to provide direction and support to men seeking a new life free of the bondage of addictive behaviors that have stolen their ownership of their lives.
We specialize and only work with men. Society views men as disposable. This doesn't mean that the man has to see himself as disposable. Part of recovering from addictions is recapturing a man's lost relationship with his masculinity. Men who succumb to addictions either alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, have a weakness that only another man who has traveled that journey to reclaim his masculinity can provide. The body needs to be strong, an adaptive mind equipped to address the day, meaningful work that provides pride and worth, and he needs to take care of those that his addictions have hurt. The process is hard and painful for those men lucky enough to pull the curtain away and see for the first time how they have lost their footing in the world. And, in many cases, allowed it to be taken away willingly. We rebuild men. No matter what the age, men need to be able to compete on the stage of life.
"It is not death a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live." Marcus Aureilius
Four Factors That Make Men's Pain Invisible
1. The cultural taboo of men's emotional pain
2. Traditional sex roles of provide and protect
3. The male dominance hierarchy
4. Brain and hormonal sex differences
Services:
- Recovery Coaching $150 per hour
- Recovery Coaching Assessment $300 (First appointment)
- Mental Health Peer Support $150 per hour
- Sober Companion Hourly, Overnight, and Vacation Rates
*Please call to discuss rates and duration of services
speaking fees
High School & Colleges
Conference Speaking and Keynotes
Conference Speaking and Keynotes
Fees range from $2,500 for an assembly
$3,500 for a day at the school
We suggest having us spend the day and include a morning talk with teachers and parents.
*Travel expenses are covered by the client as well.
"Please contact us to discuss learning objectives"
Conference Speaking and Keynotes
Conference Speaking and Keynotes
Conference Speaking and Keynotes
Keynotes $5,500
*Travel expenses are covered by the client as well.
"Keynotes are tailored to the outcomes desired by client within the context of our values and experience.
Community
Community
Community
Spend a day in your community
$2,500
*Travel expenses are covered by the client as well.
"Please call to discuss what you hope the community will take away from our work together."
Corporate
Community
Community
$3,500 for two hours
*Travel expenses are covered by the client as well.
Most corporate programs are customized for each client. There is a core content, but how we deliver the material is a collaboration.
About Us
Jeff Wolfsberg
For over 25 years, I've worked my entire professional life in the addiction, mental health, and peer support field. I've worked in drug treatment centers as a licensed counselor, held senior leadership positions in mental health agencies, and worked independently as a speaker and consultant. I'm in recovery from addiction, remission from mental health challenges and feelings of suicide, and have had the experience of being "Section 12" by family. I would be honored to share my lived experience with your audience with the hope of sparking necessary conversations.
- CPS (Certifed Peer Specialist)
- CARC (Certified Addiction Recovery Coach)
- CRCS (Certified Recovery Coach Supervisor)
- COAPS (Certified Older Adult Peer Specialist)
Reach out to me: 508.622.5177 or info@lifeistrauma.com
booking
Additional Information
If you've come this far, I'm assuming you have some interest. I've been speaking for 25 years and know you can never learn everything you need to know from a website. Everyone has different needs and different operational challenges. I suggest we speak about your goals and my approach to the material to ensure a good fit. What do you hope the audience walks away feeling, thinking, and talking about later? Although I posted my fees, I understand that your budget and time may be limited. I will try to not let financial restraints and operational restraints get in the way of making your event a success. In addition to speaking fees, you'll be responsible for travel expenses. Modest hotels, speaker deposit to secure your date, flying coach, car rentals, and food allowance are standard and I do my best to reduce costs.
Most clients deciding on a speaker for a conference keynote, workshop, or breakout session will list engaging and credible as key aspects they are looking for in a speaker. Regardless of the advancing tools for human interaction (social media), what remains constant is people react to personal story and humor, elements that tap into our evolutionary biology. Our society may be advancing, but our brains have not. No matter the size of the audience, it is still one person (in a seat) listening to another (on stage), a relationship that goes back thousands of years to people sitting around a fire. Jeff is adaptable to your conference needs because of his history of speaking to age groups from high school to corporate. His easy going nature and mission-first thinking, makes him easy to work with because he is eager to build lasting relationships that promote effective outcomes.
Reach out to me
508-622-5177 (text or call)
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