Johnny Crowder

Johnny gave a thought-provoking Keynote at the 2022 ICMA Annual Conference that gave this audience of local government officials and ICMA employees the reality check about mental health that we all needed to hear. Johnny tailored his talk to speak to our audience in a way that created the most impact, and he even took the time to speak with many of them afterwards as they eagerly lined up to engage with him. It is refreshing to see a speaker of his caliber take the time to interact with attendees in such an authentic way. Johnny was personable, kind, relatable, and compassionate to each conference attendee and staff member he interacted with, and was definitely a key highlight of our event.

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.

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!

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!

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!

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!