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Speaker • Storyteller • Research Collaborator • Founder

 

Helping people untangle the mess and move forward with clarity, purpose, and hope.

Trusted by schools, universities, healthcare systems, nonprofits, and national conferences to create meaningful conversations around mental health, resilience, leadership, grief, recovery, and human connection through lived experience, storytelling, and evidence-informed practices.

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Why Organizations Bring Anthony In
 

Over the past 13 years, Anthony has helped engage more than 500,000 youth and community members through keynotes, workshops, leadership trainings, prevention initiatives, and community storytelling experiences. His work is currently being explored through NIH-supported research focused on connection, resilience, and mental well-being.


Anthony combines lived experience, research, and storytelling to create conversations people remember long after the event ends.

His sessions are known for being:
 

✓ Authentic, not scripted

✓ Research-informed and practical

✓ Interactive and engaging

✓ Focused on connection, resilience, and action

✓ Adaptable for students, professionals, and community audiences

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Most Requested Keynotes
 

Connection Changes Everything

What Research Is Teaching Us About Mental Health, Resilience & Human Connection

Drawing from NIH-supported research, lived experience, and more than a decade of work alongside youth, educators, healthcare professionals, and communities, this keynote explores why connection remains one of the strongest protective factors for mental health and well-being.

 

Audience Takeaways

  • Practical tools for building connection

  • Understanding resilience beyond "pushing through"

  • Creating cultures where people feel safe asking for help

  • Why belonging drives better outcomes
     

Turning Pain Into Purpose

Finding Meaning Through Grief, Adversity & Growth
 

A deeply personal and inspiring keynote about loss, healing, responsibility, and the possibility of growth after life's most difficult moments.


Audience Takeaways

  • Navigating grief and adversity

  • Finding purpose after loss

  • Healthy coping and resilience

  • Moving forward without leaving people behind
     

What We Carry

Burnout, Pressure, Performance & Mental Well-Being

An honest conversation about stress, burnout, boundaries, and staying human in a world that rarely slows down.

 

Audience Takeaways

  • Recognizing burnout before it takes hold

  • Building sustainable habits

  • Managing pressure in healthy ways

  • Creating space to reset and recover
     

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Keynote topics

Anthony Alvarado

Anthony is empathetic and I believe a safe person to talk to about anything, sees the good in people, and believes there is goodness in all others. 

I see Anthony as a leader in every room he enters and is at his best when he is modeling true vulnerability.  He knows how to love others unconditionally, is changing the world, and an expert in pain and fear.

Anthony Alvarado Speaking

Greatness, true greatness! I see humility. I see someone who says "I can & we can". Anthony is confidently vulnerable, someone that makes me feel safe and secure in my own skin. A man of openness and acceptance

Who This Is For?

Perfect For
  • Schools & Universities

  • Leadership Teams

  • Healthcare Organizations

  • Mental Health & Recovery Conferences

  • Nonprofit & Community Organizations

  • Corporate Wellness Initiatives

  • Educator & Staff Development Events
     

Whether delivered live or through guided group experiences, this helps people make sense of their internal noise. 

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Recent Speaking Engagements

RISE TOGETHER — National keynotes, workshops & youth summits (ongoing, multi-state)
Penn State College of Medicine — Addiction Symposium (Keynote / Presenter)
American Society of Addiction Medicine Conference — Presenter (3 years running)
National Prevention Network Conference — Presenter
University of Houston — Collegiate Recovery Conference (Keynote)
Lawrence University — Campus keynote & team sessions
Santa Rosa Junior College — Keynote
University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh — Mind, Heart & Teaching Symposium (Keynote)
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration — “Road to Recovery” Expert Panel (Washington, DC)
NAADAC National Conference — Presenter
Statewide Recovery Rallies & Mental Health Conferences (WI, NV, and beyond) — Keynote & Featured Speaker

 

Spoken Word & Storytelling Performances
— First spoken-word performance exploring grief, recovery, and responsibility (2025)

 

Agency-Booked Speaking Engagements
— Corporate, education, and healthcare audiences across leadership, burnout, resilience, and lived-experience storytelling

Representation

Anthony is represented by select speaking agencies for conferences and institutional events through ENGAGE  and GRAVITY SPEAKERS

 

Direct inquiries are preferred*

Anthony Alvarado on Rise Together's 10 Year Celebration - 9/12/23 Houdini Plaza
03:02
RISE TOGETHER: Our past, our future.
03:08
Anthony Alvarado
01:19
Rocking Recovery - 2014
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