Johnny Crowder

Using the power of mental health to transform your relationships, your work… and your life.

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Johnny Crowder is the 32-year-old founder and CEO of Cope Notes, a science and text-based mental health platform that provides daily support to healthcare systems, employers, government agencies and individuals in nearly 100 countries around the world. He is also a well-known mental health advocate and suicide survivor, Certified Recovery Peer Specialist, million-plus view TEDx speaker, and Billboard-charting musician.

*Fee ranges are presented as a guideline only. Speaker fees are subject to change without notice. For an exact quote, please contact your Speaker Exchange Agency representative.

About

After more than a decade in the trenches battling his own mental health and abuse demons, Johnny Crowder has emerged as one of America’s exciting new voices on resilience, support, and people-first leadership. He is a 32-year-old suicide/abuse survivor, TEDx speaker, Billboard-charting musician, mental health and sobriety advocate, and the Founder & CEO of Cope Notes®, a text-based mental health platform that provides daily support to users in nearly 100 countries around the world.

But in the years leading up to these incredible leaps in advocacy, every day was a battle against schizophrenic hallucinations and suicidal ideation. After a lifetime of resisting professional care and shying away from sharing his story, Johnny’s curiosity flowered, and the healing slowly began.

Armed with 10+ years of clinical treatment, a psychology degree from the University of Central Florida, and a decade of peer support and public advocacy through the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Johnny created Cope Notes in 2018. The award-winning startup continues to gain worldwide attention and adoption for its innovative approach to helping people of all walks of life build mental wellness on a daily basis.

Since his first keynote in 2011, Johnny’s refreshingly vulnerable and candid perspective has attracted praise from hundreds of outlets, including Upworthy, CNN, and Forbes.

With authenticity, well-placed humor, and unconventional wit, Johnny draws on his own experiences to provide hopeful and proven insights into building greater mental health and a deeper connection with those around us.

Topics

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

Crippling burnout. Chronic absenteeism. Rampant resignations. The multi-headed monster of compassion fatigue, longer working days, and employee isolation are damming up the rivers of productivity at thousands of companies. Employers are concerned—and rightfully so.

Leveraging insights from his own lifelong mental health journey, Johnny Crowder shows audiences why talking about mental health should be as straightforward as talking about physical health, even in the workplace. In plain English, he shares the hard-won strategies for emotional wellbeing that led to the creation of his science-backed breakthrough mental and emotional support program, Cope Notes, which is now in use in nearly 100 countries around the world. This entertaining and actionable keynote program delivers proven steps to:

  • Rethink and reframe professional and personal challenges as they arise
  • Build work cultures that proudly prioritize and support mental health for all
  • Process mental and emotional distress in a way that builds relationships, confidence, and happiness
Radical Vulnerability: An Unconventionally Candid Conversation about Building Mental Wellness

Play it cool. Keep it together. Don’t let ‘em see you sweat. As CEO of the global mental health company Cope Notes, Johnny Crowder knows how it feels to bury emotional health challenges for the sake of maintaining a “professional” image in the face of watchful employees and a discerning marketplace. After all, that’s what a leader should do, right?

In fact, keeping up the “everything is fine” charade didn’t help or protect him. As researchers now know, emotional resilience requires vulnerability. But self-judgment and shame keep people from developing the authenticity they need to confront pain, learn self-acceptance, and practice better self-care. In this fun and engaging presentation, your audience will learn how to:

  • Leverage past hardships for the benefit of others
  • Work toward being truthful and authentic in even the most challenging situations
  • Process mental and emotional distress in a way that builds relationships, confidence, and happiness.
Lessons From the Accidental Entrepreneur: Unlocking the Key Mindsets Behind Success in Any Business

By embarking on any entrepreneurial journey, you are likely signing up to fail – at least, that’s what the statistics say. So what do you actually need to succeed? Outside capital? Industry know-how? Friends in high places? If that were the case, today’s Fortune 100 companies wouldn’t tout garage-to-NASDAQ stories that inspire scrappy self-starters to pursue innovative new ideas.

Johnny Crowder built a global mental health company without a business degree, without venture capital, and without any experience as a counselor. So how did Cope Notes® become a worldwide force for good? In this relatable and tactical presentation, Johnny peels back the startup veil to teach your audience how to:

  • Differentiate between the nice-to-haves and the essentials for a successful venture
  • Identify and foster the types of mental strength that entrepreneurship demands
  • Discover and apply self-care, focus, and resilience strategies that build stamina and long-term success
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 and compassionate 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 unhappiness, unproductivity, and an inability to help the very people you care about in the first place. Mindfulness is one of the simplest and most practical tools for self-care, and Johnny shows audiences how to gradually make it an important part of anyone’s daily routine. Your audience will learn how to:

  • Identify the sources and symptoms of compassion fatigue
  • Rethink the assumptions that trigger impostor syndrome and guilt
  • Implement self-care strategies that drive a renewed sense of energy and purpose in the workplace and beyond
The Punk Rock Guide to Entrepreneurship: Going From Zero to 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? Outside capital? Ivy League degrees? Friends in high places? If that were the case, today’s Fobes list wouldn’t tout the infamous garage-to-NASDAQ stories that inspire scrappy DIY self-starters to pursue innovative new ideas.

Johnny Crowder built a global mental health company without a business degree or even a business plan. But how did he leverage the skills he honed in his heavy metal music career to turn Cope Notes® into a worldwide force for good? In this empowering and tactical presentation, Johnny peels back the tech startup veil to teach your audience how to:

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

  • Identify and foster the types of mental and emotional strength that entrepreneurship demands

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

Testimonials

President and Founder, Illuminate
It was both a privilege and a profound experience to have Johnny Crowder as our keynote speaker at our annual meeting. Johnny sparked crucial conversations on mental health and the importance of active participation in overcoming workplace challenges. His strategies for building a strong work culture and fostering a sense of belonging among team members were transformative .His ability to balance entrepreneurial endeavors with his roles as a touring musician and speaker showcases remarkable resilience and contribution. Johnny’s story is a powerful reminder of the importance of stepping forward and challenging the bystander effect in our actions as well as the strength it takes for personal growth. We eagerly anticipate welcoming Johnny's inspiring presence and insights again in the near future.
Flagler Health
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.
Care Connect+
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!
Ultimate Medical Academy
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!
Florida Philanthropic Network
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!
Pasco County School District
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!
International City/County Management Association
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.
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