Ben Nemtin

Ben Nemtin is on a mission to achieve the unthinkable. From playing basketball with President Obama to streaking a soccer field, from raising over $400,000 for charity to placing a record-breaking $250,000 bet on roulette—Ben’s bucket list quest has inspired millions to strive for greatness. Ben weaves the compelling story of how The Buried Life started with 100 impossible dreams scribbled on a piece of paper and grew into a global movement of millions, skillfully connects his story to the fabric of our daily lives.

Ben’s message of radical possibility combined with his ‘5 Steps to Making the Impossible Possible’ leaves audiences not only inspired but also equipped to tackle the seemingly insurmountable. Ben’s system of achieving any impossible goal demystifies daunting tasks and turns ‘dreams’ into ‘projects’ by creating a digestible pathway to success. Mediocre is crowded, raise your bar and surprise yourself.

What’s your dream? Asking this question is one of the fastest ways to transform relationships and build meaningful connections. Ben knows firsthand, he’s been asking it for the past decade. He also knows that pursuing your passions brings you a sense of purpose, fulfillment, and happiness. The truth is, a company can only become the-best-version-of-itself to the extent that its employees are becoming better-versions-of-themselves. Showing that you care enough to ask your team what their dreams are goes a long way, and it’s usually easier than you think to help them get there.

Ben brings home the importance of pursuing a bucket list, not only for your own wellbeing but also for your career and for those around you. Ben facilitates goal sharing and inspires people into action by implementing tiers of accountability. Organizations that take a stand to support their employee’s dreams see increased retention, improved recruitment and experience greater work-life-harmony.

Ben authored a #1 New York Times Bestselling book, starred in an MTV show, met President Obama at the White House, was interviewed by Oprah, had beers with Prince Harry and has been living his dreams for the past decade.

He also struggles with depression. This may come as a surprise, and that’s exactly why Ben wants to talk about it. In university, Ben was hit with a crippling depression that forced him to drop out of school and retreat into his parent’s house. In an effort to climb out of his darkness, Ben decided to surround himself with friends who inspired him and committed to finally following his buried dreams. These commitments led him to Jonnie, Dave and Duncan and The Buried Life was born.

Ben is a mental health advocate who believes that all humans have ups and they have downs. He believes the stigma around mental illness can be broken through open, honest conversations. However, the onus is not on the 1 in 5 who struggle with mental health to break the stigma, the responsibility falls on all of us. By showing how his vulnerabilities have become his strengths, Ben gives others the courage to talk about their internal battles. Ben shares the tools that help him cope with the stresses of life and emphasizes that it is ok to reach out for help. His astounding story and authentic levity gives audiences hope and normalizes behavioral health in a vibrant way.

List Writing Workshop

Ben’s 30-minute list writing workshop puts the ‘5 Steps to Making the Impossible Possible’ into action. Inspiration doesn’t come to us, we must create inspiration by taking steps toward our goals and this workshop does exactly that. The breakout session includes writing your list, identifying the most important item on your list, dream sharing with an accountability partner and helping one another reach our goals in intimate group settings. These steps are designed to build accountability around personal goals, to generate inspiration by stimulating small actionable steps and to illustrate that help might just be sitting right next to you. This breakout session can be added to any keynote.

Dream Wall

A “Dream Wall” (or “Before I Die Wall”) is a popular pre-keynote activation. The walls come in many forms, shapes, and sizes but they all serve the same purpose: to get people thinking about their list leading up to Ben’s presentation. A “Dream Wall” is a place for attendees to write, stick, clip or post their bucket list item on a wall for everyone to see. This dynamic visual doesn’t just get people talking, it’s also a fantastic way to learn about the folks around you. It’s common for organizations to secretly choose a few bucket list items to check off and announce this after Ben’s presentation.