JM is a wagon driver and with great success, he spends all of his spare time teaching others his successful strategies for using writing, alongside other coping strategies, to help them maintain a positive mental state, as well as how to use writing to put closure on the events of the past. Having suffered from depression for most of his adult life, following childhood trauma, JM has now recovered and supports others in doing the same.
Instead of speaking out about the trauma he endured, JM’s coping mechanism for dealing was to bury it. However, in 2011 he read that the same man that had abused JM as a child, had been convicted of possessing child pornography. JM was instantly riddled with guilt that had he spoken up earlier, other victims of the abuser would not have suffered the same emotional and psychological traumas that he had as a child. He therefore took the brave step of confronting his abuser and seeking prosecution, so that he could find some inner peace and put closure on this sad chapter in his life.
Despite gaining a conviction, JM continued to suffer mental health problems, which he was in denial of, and in the process he lost everything; marriage, business, friends, and his financial livelihood; created during his successful business career. His downward spiral in life culminated in May 2019 when, 5 days after losing his much-loved Mother, he came within seconds of ending his own life. Further anguish followed as he lost his mother and was forced through personal circumstances to move back into the childhood home in which he was abused.
By his own will and self-determination, he found the strength from within to pull himself back from the brink and recover from his trauma through facing his demons head on. Shortly, JM will begin a new role as a volunteer mentor with a local mental health charity which he will combine with his work as a speaker. JM is an incredibly positive individual, whose life story, although desperately sad in places will have you in fits of laughter as he charts his remarkable journey and promise to himself to make his late Mother a best-selling author on Amazon.
How to hire JM Ricketts
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring JM Ricketts for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do not accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
At corporate events, JM Ricketts is known to discuss the following topics:
- Overcoming Adversity
- Mental Health
- Bullying
JM is also regularly booked to engage audiences at in-person events, read his latest feedback below.
I've known JM for a number of years and to say he has turned his life around for the positive is nothing short of an understatement. He has been an incredible source of inspiration for myself and the many others who have crossed his path and heard his story. He has been diligent in working through his childhood trauma to be able to heal himself and work from an empowered place to help uplift those around him. His unabashed ability to be his authentic self and overcome adversity to be a published author and motivational speaker is an example for us all. - Nick Fon, UK Law of Attraction Event Organiser
