David Magee brings an educational, inspirational and ultimately uplifting message of hope, joy and recovery on the topics of mental health and substance misuse to audiences nationwide, including schools (students and parents), universities, companies and non-profits.

Students, and therefore families, face an unprecedented mental health crisis resulting in anxiety, depression, substance misuse, eating disorder and suicide ideation -- and David Magee delivers a powerful, inspiring message outlining both the problems and solutions with his joy-based messaging. David draws upon his work as the author of an award-winning family addiction/mental health/recovery memoir, leader at a university institute focused on student wellbeing (named after his late son), deep engager with thousands of students and parents throughout the country, and biographer with access to some of the most impacting brands and business leaders of our time.

It’s natural, of course, to assume that David's role as a change-maker in student behavior and wellness solutions for students is because of his son William, an honors college student, fraternity member and a track athlete at the University of Mississippi who died of an accidental drug overdose not long after graduation. And, it’s true that Magee works tirelessly to save other lives. But the story goes much deeper than that.

Consider that David’s other son “died” at a fraternity house on a college campus in 2012 but was brought miraculously back to life. Today, Hudson is a successful businessman with a beautiful family, with a decade of sobriety, after drastically changing his life to one of wellness and fitness. Magee's daughter, Mary Halley, is years into recovery as a married mother or two after battling anxiety and eating disorder, when years before she was warned that her struggle might prevent motherhood. And David, the father, saved his failed marriage and career with sobriety, and finding joy and purpose. Together, the Magee's turnaround story from broken to close-knit and fulfilled, sent David and his wife, Kent, on a mission to awake what he calls the walking dead – those who are functioning but only at a fraction of their potential due to habitual and distracting substance use. Yes, it's about saving lives, as overdoses and deaths by suicide soar. But, it's also about helping so many more thrive, avoiding costly and dangerous yet completely avoidable pitfalls.

David speaks nationally to varied audiences including schools, college campuses, parenting conferences, corporate events, and writing workshops. He brings a combination of honesty, relatability, and depth to every event -- relying upon lessons learned as an author with access to leading brands including Toyota, John Deere, and Ford Motor Company, everything learned on his family's journey of resiliency, and all he's learned deeply engaging with students in high schools and universities, helping them find joy and clarity in a world of anxiety and self-medication.

He's addressed more than 35,000 students, parents and educators in the past year on finding and keeping joy related to mental health and substance misuse in the past year, and is ready to engage with your school, university or company on the topic.

David is represented by APB Speakers, and you can find more information about engaging him to speak below.