International Stress Awareness Week 2020: What, When & Which Speakers Can Help?

Stress is an unfortunate fact of everyday life. From finances, to your work or family relationships, heightened anxiety can be triggered by a multitude of factors and can take a devastating toll on someone’s wellbeing. Every year, International Stress Awareness Week raises awareness for stress-related mental health issues, including the stigma preventing people’s recovery and the importance of stress management professionals, like our speakers.

Our wide range of experts understand that everyone manages stress in different ways. Therefore, stress management speakers devise speeches tailored to their audience, taking into account their industry and personal struggles. From workshops to keynote addresses, we have booked stress specialists for a multitude of events, which have received a wealth of positive responses from clients.

Check out our selection of top stress management speakers in this article, along with everything you need to know about this year’s International Stress Awareness Week.

What is Stress Awareness Week?

Coined in 2018, International Stress Awareness Week served to expand upon Stress Awareness Day, started in 1998, and draw more attention to the issue. Founded from one of the most important international days, it works in unison with the Mental Health Awareness campaign to impact business leaders, Governments, and the public alike.

By dismantling the stigma surrounding stress, and teaching employers how their workplace culture can directly impact someone’s wellbeing, Stress Awareness hopes to help those suffering, with relevant, life-changing advice. Drawing media coverage from the BBC, Stress Awareness Week 2019 received over two million online impressions, while highlighting resources for managing mental health issues like anxiety.

When is International Stress Awareness Week 2020?

International Stress Awareness Week 2020 runs from the 2nd to the 6th of November, 2020.

This year, organisers are addressing the impact of COVID-19 on mental health, to suggest methods for physical and mental wellbeing. Many groups, including ISMA, are organising global summits and online events during the week. With the intention of reaching a wider audience, such webinars will supply techniques for mental resilience, and teach businesses how to support their employee’s mental health.

Why is stress management important?

With 74% of people reporting that they cannot cope with the levels of stress in their lives, stress management is more important now than ever. The psychological effects of stress result in 61% feeling anxious, and a worrying 32% with suicidal thoughts.

What are the most common causes of stress?

• Pressure to Succeed – 60% Young Adults
• Self-Image – 49% of Young Adults
• Health – 36% of Adults
• Body Image – 36% of Women and 23% of Men
• Housing – 32% of Young Adults
• Work – 26% of Adults
• Debt – 22% of Adults

With such staggering statistics in mind, the International Stress Awareness Week’s work could mean the difference between life and death. As the humble office is the cause of so much stress, which includes the financial and emotional pressures of work, corporate speakers are in high demand for their transformative power. Stress management speakers are regularly booked to arm employees with a toolbox of wellbeing strategies, ideal for reducing their stress levels at work.

(Source: Mental Health Foundation & The American Institute of Stress)

Stress Management Speakers

Below is a selection of our influential stress management speakers, perfect for a multitude of events, from corporate workshops to global webinars.

Samantha Clarke

Owner of Samantha&, Samantha Clarke’s consultancy service has benefited the likes of Shopify, Virgin Media, and Giorgio Armani. She is a pioneer of happiness and wellbeing, using her knowledge of psychology she sets the standard for workplace culture, reducing the impact of stress in offices across the globe. When booked for events, Samantha supplies the toolbox for mental wellbeing, equipped with startling statistics and transformative techniques. A speaker like Samantha will ignite passion in your team.

Previous testimonials of Samantha’s include:

"It was very obvious that Samantha loves what she does and cares about helping people. She genuinely cared about the problem we were having on our team and thought very critically about what could be done to help solve it. We appreciate Samantha’s hard work and dedication. She is a very talented woman and I, and my team, enjoyed working with her"

- Shopify Studio Team

Dr Sam Wass

Specialising in child psychology, Dr Sam Wass has dedicated his career to the study of stress, as well as such disorders as Autism and ADHD. In children, stress can have a devasting effect on their neurological development, as discovered through Dr Wass’ studies. He uses these discoveries to educate parents and schoolteachers, highlighting the impact of their behaviour and the importance of support. Audiences will recognise Dr Wass from his role on Channel 4’s Secret Lives of Four-Year Olds, where he supplied insightful psychological analysis of the children’s behaviour.

Previous testimonials of Dr Wass’ include:

“Asking Dr Sam Wass to be keynote speaker at each of our four Annual Conferences was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. Absolutely every delegate raved about his presentation. These were experienced teachers of young children who were blown away by the science and research Sam presented so powerfully. Absolutely spot on the brief, Sam covered a huge amount of information in the most engaging way, keeping a huge audience gripped for the whole morning - it was intense yet good humoured. With authority and humility in equal measure, Sam was the ideal speaker for this knowledgeable audience. And if that wasn’t enough he then, generously, spent his entire lunchtimes talking to individuals, posing for selfies and signing books.”

- Early Excellence

Ollie Ollerton

Driven by his military experiences, Ollie Ollerton is a leading authority on stress management. Having suffered with PTSD, he understands more than most the impact of mental health on every facet of your life. Now, Ollie is a trained PRISM practitioner and founder of Break-Point, a corporate training programme that fuels communication, collaboration and emotional wellbeing. Ollie’s workshops are renowned for their strategies on stress management. Best known from SAS: Who Dares Wins, audiences resonate with Ollie’s story.

Previous testimonials of Ollie include:

"Ollie was brilliant, his speech was insightful, motivating and relevant. We had really good feedback from those who attended and our Project Director was very impressed. A couple of people mentioned they wanted to ask a question during Q&A but they were a bit star-struck. And some have said they are going to buy his book, so clearly Ollie made quite an impact. Ollie was a pleasure to work with yesterday so please pass my thanks and feedback on to him. From myself, and on behalf of the LM Leadership, a massive thank you to Champions and Ollie."

- LM JV

Dr Brené Brown

Bestselling author and top TED talk speaker, Dr Brené Brown, is a pioneer of the emotional intelligence philosophy. Her research lectures are world-renowned, as Dr Brown’s unbeatable insight into vulnerability, stress management and leadership are respected by professionals across the globe. As a speaker, she has presented for Disney, Google, and NASA, to name just a few of her previous bookings, a testament to Dr Brown’s reputation on the circuit. Awarded the 2019 HR Dive’s Innovator of the Year, her podcast, lectures, and speeches uncover the secrets of stress management.

Dr Brown’s speaking topics include:

• Dare to Lead
• Rising Strong
• Braving the Wilderness
• Courage & Determination
• Emotional Management

Simon Cohen

A speaker with a difference, Simon Cohen’s unique perspective on leadership has benefited business owners from across the globe. He specialises in innovation and emotional wellbeing, a signature approach that has led Simon to appear on Sky News and present at the International Festival of Creativity. Simon has been booked by the World Economic Forum and UNESCO, to name a few of his previous clients, a testament to his global reputation. When booked for events, he discusses the secrets to emotional management.

Simon Cohen’s speaking topics include:

• Leadership
• Social Innovation
• Successful Start-Ups
• Sustainable Business Growth
• Communication

How to Book a Speaker?

To book one of our impactful stress management speakers, browse and select a desired topic and simply complete our online booking form or call us on 0207 1010 553. For all your webinar needs, check out our free ultimate guide.

If you or someone you love is struggling with mental illness and need somebody to turn to, please see Mind’s helplines.