Hi, I’m Mark!

The short version of me:

I'm a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with 20+ years of experience helping many of the largest companies in America support the mental health of their employees and leaders — and build cultures of wellness that make people excited to come to work.

Today, I bring that experience to the stage. As a speaker, I help organizations move past the idea that mental health is a "nice to have" and show them what it actually takes to build a workforce that's resilient, engaged, and doing their best work.

I also have an amazing wife and two pretty cool kids! (but don't moose with them)

The longer (but still worth reading) version:

I grew up in Plano, TX, and went to school at Texas Tech University for my bachelor's degree in psychology and The University of Denver for my master's in counseling psychology. I've been a licensed therapist since 2010, and for two decades I've worked directly with employees and leaders inside some of the country's largest companies — which means what I bring to the stage isn't theory. It's two decades of real rooms, real people, and real workplace challenges.

Here's what I've learned, and what I talk about: most companies think they have to choose between performance and wellbeing — that pushing hard for results and taking care of people are somehow in tension. They're not. In fact, they can't be separated. The companies (and the people) who figure that out are the ones who build the cultures everyone wants to be part of.

Most workplaces aren't struggling because their people don't care. They're struggling because burnout, anxiety, and disconnection are treated like individual problems instead of what they actually are: a mindset and culture challenge that starts at the top and shows up everywhere.

My talks are built around a simple truth: our actions start with our thoughts. If we don't help people build a healthier mindset, we can't expect healthier behavior — not from individuals, and not from organizations. I bring the clinical background of a therapist and the practical, real-world experience of someone who's spent 20+ years inside high-performing companies to give audiences something rare: a talk on mental health that's grounded, credible, and immediately useful.

Whether I'm speaking to leadership teams, HR and people teams, or an all-company audience, my goal is the same — give people language, tools, and a new way of thinking about mental health at work, so they leave ready to actually do something with it.

 

Even More of My Story:

I live in Denver, CO with my wife and two young kids.

In high school I was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Epilepsy due to concussions in high school football.

My diagnosis changed my life overnight. I struggled for years to cope with it. I eventually found that focusing on other people was one of the best ways to reduce my own stress and anxiety, a must for anybody with epilepsy.

That’s when I knew I wanted to focus my professional work on helping others!

It has taken many forms over the years, and I have gained incredible experience along the way. I have honed my helping skills through years of working in both business and clinical settings.  My work background includes:

  • Coaching individuals to create a life grounded in success and happiness

  • Delivering talks on communication, positive psychology, wellness and integrating work & personal lives

  • Providing coaching and consultation to organizational leadership helping them address behavioral-risk issues impacting the workplace

  • Sales & account management working with companies of all sizes from 10 person startups to Fortune 20 corporations

  • Helping The Epilepsy Foundation of Colorado (EFCO) create a first of its kind, state-wide mental health provider network specially trained to work with people living with epilepsy and their families.

  • Counseling employees on everyday issues such as relationships, coping with an unexpected life change, and managing stress

  • Providing crisis stabilization to people who were actively homicidal, suicidal, or experiencing another type of life-crisis

  • Training individuals to improve their speaking and presentation skills

As someone with epilepsy, I support the epilepsy community in CO through coaching, psycho-eduation classes, and mental health consultations. I’m also part of their Professional Advisory Board.

 

Want to talk about having me speak at your next event? I'd love to hear more about what you're working on.