Thomas Dunning is a passionate mental health activist, fuelled to break the stigma that surrounds mental illness. Having suffered with mental health himself, diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder and PTSD, Thomas is making it his mission to ensure that no one struggling with their mental health feels alone. As a mental health speaker, Thomas brings an authentic and passionate viewpoint to the topic and pushes the message of ‘healthy body, healthy mind’.
Having struggled with mental illness, Thomas unfortunately has attempted to take his own life. In a bid to help his recovery, Thomas founded Mental Health Runner, using his passion for running to help both himself and others find a form of escapism. In partnership with Mental Health Runner, Thomas has also become a popular keynote event speaker delivering speeches to top clients to help change how mental health and illness are perceived. In his darkest days, Thomas felt as though he was alone and the only one suffering from mental illness. So, Thomas now works to help people have access to the right support that they need to overcome their struggles and to support, motivate and inspire people to keep on going.
Thomas is also the founder of the First Steps Forward Programme, helping individuals who have been diagnosed with mental health issues to put on their trainers and find their own happiness in running. Thomas has also forged a reputation as a popular and award-winning mental health blogger. He has previously been the winner of Safety and Health Practitioner Trailblazer of the year, North Kesteven District Council contribution to health and wellbeing Award and Lincolnite’s 30 under 30 inspirational award to name a few, and has also authored Surviving the War Against Yourself. Thomas has also claimed the Active Lincolnshire Active Change Award, started Run Talk Run Lincolnshire and had been appointed as the Service User Governor for Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Thomas is also a member of the Brooks Run Happy Team and a qualified Leader in Running Fitness with Athletics England.
Now a popular international event and keynote speaker, Thomas has been hired by countless businesses and organisations to deliver authentic and insightful speeches about mental health. Thomas has previously performed a TEDx talk, titled The Fight For Survival in the War Against Yourself. He has also been hired as a speaker for Associated British Foods Plc, Rolls Royce, BULK, Lincoln College and Boston College to name but a few. Thomas is also sought as a mental health consultant, delivering speeches and workshops to school and college students to encourage meaningful talks around an important subject. Also a media volunteer for Mind and Rethink, Thomas is the perfect choice as a speaker to bring awareness to mental health issues and stamp out the stigma surrounding them.
How to hire Thomas Dunning
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Thomas Dunning 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.
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
"The event was a great success, and the contribution of Thomas was exactly what we were looking for. In parts humbling and thought-provoking, but with a positive and hopeful message, the presentation Thomas delivered created the opportunity for open and honest conversations with our staff which hopefully sets a solid reputation on which we can build going forward. If you can let Thomas know that there was a lot of positive feedback from our staff during the final Q&A session that wrapped up the event and of course pass on our gratitude for his attendance." - Swietelsky Construction Company Ltd
"It was great to have Thomas come and join us to share his experience, strength and hope. He was very personable, relatable and took us all on an emotional journey through his life story. It was incredibly inspiring but there was a serious message about mental health and suffering in silence. It's remarkable to see how much he's achieved and how important running has been as a tool to aid mental health. The connection with exercise aligned closely with our campaign and has definitely helped raise awareness of mental health. I'd highly recommend Thomas as anyone passionate about putting mental health firmly on the agenda." - Nick, Engineering Lead, Keep Me On Track Lab, Lloyds Banking Group
"Thomas was great thanks! Very inspiring story, thanks so much for arranging." - Laramie, Associate, Systemiq
"Thomas was great and the event went really well. Comments from the chat said people found Tom's talk thought-provoking and powerful and wanted to thank him for his openness, his honesty and his willingness to talk in such a matter-of-fact way about a topic so many people find hard to address. Some participants had quite an emotional reaction to his presentation as he touched on things so close to the listeners' own experiences. Questions were around how Tom managed to keep motivated, his work in community mental health and a request for the Talk to Us tags, and how his work reacted to Tom's need to take time out to look after his mental health, where Tom talked of how things had changed in his workplace over time. Please could you pass on our heartfelt thanks to Tom from me and Team NHSD for being such an inspiring and engaging speaker." - NHS Digital
"The session went really well. We decided to hold the session in the meeting room as well as via Teams, everyone loved the talk. We received such great feedback from employees which I showed to Tom. Please thank him again for being our guest speaker." - Jodie, Workplace Experience Manager, Coty Services UK Ltd
"Thank you so much for organising this, the session went really well and both our students and Thomas seemed to take a lot from it." - James, George Salter Academy
"Such a great, moving and inspiring story! Tom can be so proud of himself!" - Kantar
"Just sending all the love in the world to Tom... he has a powerful story and is so brave to share. His words have really moved me this morning. Well done to him and so pleased things have turned around for him- he is an inspiring young man" - Kantar
"I never expected this from a webinar, his story is so real and so inspirational!! Thank you so much" - Kantar
"Bless you for being so open and honest about all the details we are normally so ashamed of, and breaking the stigma! So much respect" - Kantar
"Such an open and inspiring guy, to have gotten through all these major moments in his life and not only showing he's able to get on with his life but help others experiencing the same thing is brilliant. Thank you!" - Kantar
"At VMware, we are passionate about Diversity and Inclusion, with Mental Health being a key thread in that program. I was looking for an external speaker who could help me put across, in authentic language, that Mental Health, can and does, affect anyone/everyone. Thomas Dunning’s story is at the same time tragic, inspiring and very, very thought-provoking. Working with him has helped us put the internal dialogue about Mental Health onto a different level. Tom is engaging, disarmingly honest and tells a true story of suffering, overcoming adversity and personal/spiritual development that will inspire even the most stoic and stiff upper lipped members of any team. Amazing." - Simon, VM Ware
"Just a quick note to say how good the video was and on the back of a feedback discussion, My students really did take a lot from the presentation. I personally thought it was excellent and really did pick up a lot of positives from Toms difficult and sometimes harrowing journey through the Quagmire. Once again thank you for putting this on it really has helped me and my students to be better informed and more understanding regarding mental health." – Tutor, UCNL
"The webinar is going to become mandatory for all groups to watch which is just amazing. When some sort of normality resumes we would love to also have you in college giving talks to students." - Higher Education Schools & Community Engagement Coordinator, UCNL
"Very Honest and Powerful presentation. Thank you so much for sharing." – HSE Specialist ABF (Associated British Foods)
"Thank you again for your time and energy in the session on Tuesday morning with AB Sugar head offices. Even though it has only been two days, it has acted as a further catalyst to amplify the discussion around the importance of mental (and physical) health. For info, [AB Sugar Managing Director] plans to write out the leadership teams across AB Sugar later today and will link back to your session to say how he found your journey inspiring and will remind people of the importance to take time to look after our own wellbeing." – Head of HR AB Sugar
"I have just listened to your story – very powerful and very honest. Thank you for sharing, you are a great advocate for mental health." – Group Company secretary & Head of Legal Services @ABF Weston Centre
"A huge thank you from myself and the Wellbeing Team for coming to King’s Lynn and talking to us today. As I mentioned I had already received great feedback before you had even left the building and it continued for the rest of the afternoon! It is remarkable how well you speak about your experiences and your story is truly inspiring. I hope you continue with your talks and I wish you well with your future projects which sound really amazing. I will be promoting you wherever I can within the group, so hopefully you may get a call from somewhere else." - Wellbeing and Office Manager @Germains seed Technology Kings Lynn
"Thomas spoke during the first lincolnshire Think Active (Mental Health and Physical Activity) Conference at the beginning of March 2019. His experiences have led him to help others by giving the most inspirational speaches, he is confident, motivated and extremely engaging and I am very sure that the work he is doing is going to help a lot of people in the future! Keep up the great work Thomas!" – Project Team Member at Active Lincolnshire
"I just wanted on behalf of all of us at the ABF Head Office to thank you so much for joining us during mental health awareness week. I know I speak for others when I say that your story which you generously shared with us was humbling and inspiring. I joined the morning Session and listened intently to what you said and so many others did which will help them no end." – ABF Chief people and performance officer
"Please pass on our thanks to Tom, his talk was very insightful and resonated with a lot of our team and lots to take away for individuals and a business." - Anila, OM
"Emotional and I felt like him sometimes. Running has helped my mental health"
"I've never been so moved before listening to someone's presentation. So glad I was off-screen as I had tears rolling down my cheeks"
"Very emotional and inspiring, what a great person and someone that everyone will look up to. Hats off also to his partner Amber"
"Amazing what people can get through and not only recover but go out of their way to help others"
"Very inspirational and made me think about how the people around me may be feeling and how I may be able to help - even if it's only my time"
"Tom's story was powerful, mental health is a big topic at the moment and the more we hear success stories the better"
"Tom's presentation was so impactful and something I will remember for a long time. He is so brave and strong to have come through it"
"Definitely beneficial and quite pertinent with the pandemic, lockdown and working from home especially"
"Tom's story stands out and is truly inspirational. Plus he gave his time to talk about his demons whilst in work! Amazing bloke"
"He articulated his experience in such a way, I was captivated. He was very inspiring"
"Outstanding guest speaker, brave, honest, just incredible to listen to"
"Thanks for checking in, the session went really well. We had great engagement and people were really interested in what Thomas had to say!" - Finty and Millie, Atkins Global
"The feedback I got from the team was fantastic with many stating they really appreciated Thomas sharing his experience with them and help champion mental health awareness. The presentation was pitched at the right level and the delivery style very engaging." - Martin, Rolls Royce
“Thank you Tom for sharing your inspirational story, and for the positive impact you have on others”
“Thank you for your vulnerability and for sharing your incredible story. Pleased to hear you have a great support system that helped you through those challenging times. A prime example of turning pain into your purpose. Take care and all the best!”
“Tom, thank you for sharing the journey of your life. I am sure there will be many who will benefit from this! All the very best for the future!”
“Tom, you truly are an inspiration & so are your closest allies.”
- Kirsty & Ley, BMS Community
