Ben Nemtin

Ben Nemtin is a keynote speaker and #1 New York Times bestselling author who speaks on purpose, resilience, and mental health for corporate, healthcare, and association audiences. He is the co-founder of The Buried Life movement and a former star of MTV’s highest-rated show on iTunes and Amazon. Global Gurus has ranked him the #2 Motivational Speaker in the World and named him a Top Organizational Culture Thought Leader for five consecutive years.

In university, Ben was hit with a depression severe enough to force him to drop out of school. Searching for a way forward, he and three friends wrote the world’s greatest bucket list, borrowed a rickety RV, and crisscrossed North America completing it — with one rule: every time they achieved a dream of their own, they helped a stranger achieve one of theirs. That mission became The Buried Life, taking Ben from playing basketball with President Obama to reuniting a father and son after 17 years apart and surprising a young girl with a bionic arm. President Obama called the movement “inspiration for a new generation,” and Oprah called it “truly inspiring.”

Ben has delivered more than 1,000 keynotes worldwide, earning standing ovations from over half of the Fortune 100, including FedEx, Cigna, Deloitte, and Lincoln Financial Group. “Ben’s storytelling and ability to connect with our audience was apparent from the minute he greeted us,” says Laurie Cummins, HR Strategic Advisor at FedEx. “The message was perfectly aligned.”

Ben’s current keynotes include Make the Impossible Possible (his signature “5 Steps” framework for turning big goals into action), Powered by Purpose (on building purpose-driven teams), The Change Advantage (on leading through disruption), and From Burnout to Balance (on mental health and sustainable performance). He is also the author of What Do You Want to Do Before You Die? and The Bucket List Journal, and an outspoken mental health advocate who shares openly about his own experience with depression to help destigmatize the conversation. He has crossed off 96 of his original 100 dreams — with “Go to Space” still ahead.

Categories: Educator - Motivation and Inspiration, Health Care, Health Care - Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery, Inspiration, Motivation, Quality Virtual Keynote, TED Talk

Show More

View Ben Nemtin's

Videos

Topics

The Change Advantage – Turn Change into Your Greatest Catalyst

In an era where change is the only constant, leaders face perhaps their most critical challenge: how do you build truly unshakeable teams that don’t merely survive disruption, but actively harness it as a catalyst for growth and competitive advantage?

Ben’s message is forged in change. From depression and feeling stuck, to chasing 100 “impossible” goals, he learned something simple and powerful: you can’t control the world, but you can control your next step. And your next step is where momentum lives.

Ben teaches leaders how to focus on what they can control without draining energy on what’s outside their control, and how to help teams find stability in their purpose and values when everything else is shifting. He also shows why leading the whole person, not just the job title, and serving yourself first aren’t optional, but essential to guiding others through the storm.

This is not theory. It is a practical, story-driven blueprint for navigating real change, building stronger humans, and creating teams that move forward even when the plan changes.

Mental Wealth

Ben authored a #1 New York Times Bestselling book, starred in an MTV show, met President Obama at the White House, was interviewed by Oprah, had beers with Prince Harry and has been living his dreams for the past decade.

He also struggles with depression. This may come as a surprise, and that’s exactly why Ben wants to talk about it. In university, Ben was hit with a crippling depression that forced him to drop out of school and retreat into his parents house. In an effort to climb out of his darkness, Ben decided to surround himself with friends who inspired him and committed to finally following his buried dreams. These commitments led him to Jonnie, Dave and Duncan and The Buried Life was born.

Ben is a mental health advocate who believes that all humans have ups and they have downs. He believes the stigma around mental illness can be broken through open, honest conversations. However, the onus is not on the 1 in 5 who struggle with mental health to break the stigma, the responsibility falls on all of us. By showing how his vulnerabilities have become his strengths, Ben gives others the courage to talk about their internal battles. Ben shares the tools that help him cope with the stresses of life and emphasizes that it is ok to reach out for help. His astounding story and authentic levity gives audiences hope and normalizes behavioral health in a vibrant way.

REMOTE KEYNOTE TOPICS

RESILIENCE IN THE FACE OF UNCERTAINTY
The world is changing faster than we ever imagined, leaders and teams have to dig deep within themselves to break through and find opportunity in uncertain times. Before becoming a #1 NYT best selling author, playing basketball at the White House, having beers with Prince Harry, or living out his other dreams, Ben suffered from crippling depression.

After committing to a series of positive life changes, Ben had a shift in perspective that changed his outlook on life and opened himself up to endless possibility. From there he committed to following his buried dreams and helping others through acts of service. The rest is history and Ben’s life changing message has opened up audiences around the world to cultures of service, gratitude and endless potential.

COMMUNITY OF SERVICE
“It is the power of giving, compassion and hope that will get us through hard times.” Ben has experienced this first hand. He has helped hundreds of people accomplish their dreams over the past 15 years and this feeling of connectedness and purpose has fueled him through feelings of uncertainty.

Ben shares touching stories of helping others to not only inspire but also offer insight that can improve our daily life and our work environment. A culture of service can unlock potential and align team members in the workplace and in their communities. And contrary to popular belief, helping others doesn’t always have to be a selfless act. Giving can actually help us in more ways than we think.

5 STEPS TO MAKE THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE
Ben has driven countless people to achieve their dreams, as both a helping hand and as an inspiration. These experiences have taught him that articulating and prioritizing your personal goals is not a selfish act—but one that creates a positive ripple effect that inspires others to live their best life. Ben weaves the remarkable story of how The Buried Life grew from 100 impossible dreams into a global movement and connects his lessons to the fabric of our daily lives.

Ben’s message of radical possibility combined with his ‘5 Steps to Make the Impossible Possible’ leaves audiences not only inspired but also equipped with tools to tackle the seemingly insurmountable. Ben’s system of achieving impossible goals demystifies daunting tasks by turning ‘pipe dreams’ into ‘projects’ and creates inspiration through action and accountability. Ben reminds us of the lasting power of service and that it’s never too late leave your impact on the world.
*Also available in-person

NEW LEADERSHIP: WHY YOU MATTER
Throughout life, you have been setting goals for your career, college, relationships and finances. When was the last time you did something just for you? Psychologists say that focusing on personal goals helps promote positive mental health by giving you a vehicle for self care while keeping you energized and avoiding burnout. Simply put: you can’t take care of other people if you don’t take care of yourself.

Prioritizing your personal goals isn’t just for your benefit, however, it’s for benefit of your organization. Companies with a people-first culture see measurable improvements in productivity, lower absenteeism, higher customer satisfaction and improved recruitment. By putting yourself first, you put yourself in a position to serve others. Ben facilitates exercises that drive us towards our goals by implementing tiers of accountability and he inspires action through masterful storytelling and tangible take away.
*Also available in-person

Activations to Enhance the Keynote

List Writing Workshop
Ben’s 30-minute list writing workshop puts the '5 Steps to Making the Impossible Possible' into action. Inspiration doesn’t come to us, we must create inspiration by taking steps toward our goals and this workshop does exactly that. The breakout session includes writing your list, identifying the most important item on your list, dream sharing with an accountability partner and helping one another reach our goals in intimate group settings. These steps are designed to build accountability around personal goals, to generate inspiration by stimulating small actionable steps and to illustrate that help might just be sitting right next to you. This breakout session can be added to any keynote.

Dream Wall
A “Dream Wall” (or “Before I Die Wall”) is a popular pre-keynote activation. The walls come in many forms, shapes and sizes but they all serve the same purpose: to get people thinking about their list leading up to Ben’s presentation. A “Dream Wall” is a place for attendees to write, stick, clip or post their bucket list item on a wall for everyone to see. This dynamic visual doesn’t just get people talking, it’s also a fantastic way to learn about the folks around you. It’s common for organizations to secretly choose a few bucket list items to check off and announce this after Ben’s presentation.

Dream Portraits
Dream portraits are a popular post-keynote activation. In his keynote, Ben helps attendees identify the #1 item on their bucket list (the personal goal they want more than anything in the world) and dream portrait helps them share this goal in a memorable way. After Ben’s presentation, audience members write their biggest goal on a small chalkboard and a professional photographer takes a beautiful portrait that can be shared instantly. This not only memorializes the keynote experience and the goal, it also builds further accountability through sharing on social media.

Books

What Do You Want to Do Before You Die?

What Do You Want to Do Before You Die?

What Do You Want to Do Before You Die? is an illustrated collection of your wildest dreams. Two hundred of the most moving, imaginative, unexpected, and inspiring things to do before you die are brought to life through handmade art curated by Ben, Dave, Duncan, and Jonnie—the founders of The Buried Life.

You can purchase this book here

Testimonials

Ben was amazing! It is always hard to gauge how a sales audience will respond to a speaker. The attendees were blown away by his keynote. Our team has held this sales kick off for many years, and everyone said Ben was the best keynote ever!! Thank you for a great recommendation!

Emily Barrett - Wolters Kluwer

Ben was engaging, motivating, and a true professional! 10/10!

Alicia Stephens - Biolab

Ben was phenomenal. I have heard nothing but praise for his message and presentation. His presentation hit just the right note to end our week-long conference and send our attendees home with something to really think about. We’ve had enquiries from members of our Board about wanting him to speak to their companies.

Merla Zollinger - American Cleaning Institute

Ben has been amazing and personable throughout, would highly recommended and employee feedback has been amazing! Thank you to Ben & team!

International Benefits & Wellbeing Project Manager - Kimberly-Clark Corporation

Need Help?

Call us at 617-782-3111 and we will get back to you promptly!