- Founder of Speak Happiness
- Screenwriter & Director
- Certified in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.
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Valerie Alexander is an accomplished mental health speaker, renowned for her expertise in happiness, unconscious bias, and women’s advancement. As the founder and CEO of Speak Happiness, she has made it her mission to transform organisations by fostering environments of inclusion and wellbeing. Her engaging and thought-provoking talks are designed to empower individuals to embrace positive change and improve both personal and professional lives, with a special focus on mental health and workplace culture.
In the early stages of her career, Valerie began as a corporate securities lawyer and investment banker in Silicon Valley, before transitioning to the entertainment industry. With her screenwriting and filmmaking background, she developed a unique perspective on storytelling that allowed her to connect with diverse audiences. Valerie’s experience working in high-pressure environments gave her insight into the impact of mental health on productivity and wellbeing, which she would later integrate into her speaking and advocacy. Her journey from corporate law to Hollywood and then to mental health advocacy reflects her adaptability and desire to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
Recently, Valerie has gained widespread recognition for her TED Talk, How to Outsmart Your Own Unconscious Bias, which has been viewed over half a million times. This talk is widely used in educational settings to address biases and foster inclusivity, making it a valuable tool for improving mental health and social wellbeing in both personal and professional contexts. Additionally, she has authored several influential books, including ‘Happiness as a Second Language’ and ‘Success as a Second Language’, which focus on empowering individuals to achieve personal growth and happiness, often in relation to mental health struggles. Valerie’s background in filmmaking also contributes to her dynamic speaking style, enabling her to capture the attention of her audience with relatable stories and actionable insights.
Valerie is hired for her ability to combine practical tools with a deep understanding of mental health challenges. Her engaging presentations leave a lasting impact, offering not only a deeper understanding of unconscious biases and mental wellbeing but also actionable strategies to improve workplace culture. With her personal experiences and extensive expertise, Valerie provides invaluable resources for individuals and organisations looking to prioritise mental health and create a positive, inclusive environment.
“CFA Montreal recently invited Valerie to speak about unconscious bias in the workplace. Valerie is an excellent presenter – she delivered a powerful, eye-opening, thought-provoking virtual presentation to our members, translating science into day-to-day examples and providing practical, valuable guidance on how to effectively outsmart unconscious biases. She kept everyone engaged through polls, animations and visuals, and the audience loved her energy and passion. Valerie is a pleasure to work with. Extremely professional, gracious and accommodating, she took the time to understand our organization’s needs. I highly recommend Valerie!”
“Diversity and inclusion are topics that are very close to my heart. We recently invited Valerie to speak to my leadership team about the same topic. Valerie took us through a journey and it was a humbling experience when we realized how unconscious bias sets in and how much more we have to do! We covered topics that can be uncomfortable but Valerie’s mastery in helping our teams guide through those moments was amazing! She is an amazing presenter, used remote conferencing tools to perfection and kept our whole management team engaged throughout the session”
“Simply sensational! Valerie delivered a very inspiring, thought-provoking conversation to our 700 participants on elevating their professional effectiveness (as women). This was by far the most engaged our audience has been in a virtual program all year!”
“Valerie is a terrific presenter. She gave an inspiring virtual talk to my group of attorneys that helped me change my outlook to a more positive one instantly. She made full use of the tools available on zoom, shared screen, PowerPoint, polls of the members, etc. She uses mnemonic devices and clever lists to help you remember what she says. It was a complete presentation on happiness for lawyers. She’s definitely one of the top speakers we’ve had, and we’ve had quite a few. In a word, she’s memorable.”
“We recently had Valerie as the main speaker for our F5 Women’s EIG (Equality Inclusion Group) virtual events. This was one of our first virtual events, and working with Valerie made it so much easier. Not only was she great to work with, but she was also very well received by our employees globally. Her enthusiasm and energy came across even though it was all virtual! Valerie took the time to understand our company and make her presentation personable to F5 to help encourage us to think differently. The feedback from the audience was amazing! I would highly recommend Valerie for any virtual or face to face events and I look forward to working with her again in the future”
“Valerie was supposed to present to us in person in March 2020 — then we had to pivot once the pandemic hit us. Valerie didn’t miss a beat– she was gracious, flexible, and adapted her keynote to 100 of our leaders virtually– as a master in the Zoom setting I must say. Her specific examples were spot on and she delivered a message with confidence, without shame and blame, and in an approachable and actionable way to our organization. I highly recommend Valerie and her visualization exercise alone is so worth getting her to speak to your audience”
The Mental Health Speakers Agency has been one of the UK’s leading bureaus for emotional wellbeing experts since 2020. We supply speakers for corporate and public events across the world, and cater to both in-person occasions and online webinars. Our roster includes athletes, psychologists, celebrities and more, to ensure that audiences of all demographics receive tailored, impactful mental health guidance.
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