Real Life Resilience for Schools
Resilience for the Next Generation
Mike Rolls and Ben Pettingill are mental health keynote speakers, celebrated for their authentic, high-energy presentations on resilience, leadership, and overcoming adversity. Drawing on personal experiences and research-backed strategies, they inspire audiences to build mentally resilient teams, foster inclusive cultures, and thrive in the modern workplace and school.
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Founded by Mike Rolls & Ben Pettingill, the Real Life Resilience team are privileged to have worked with hundreds of schools, community organisations and young people around Australia to help them uncover and build their capacity to overcome anything from day to day obstacles, to the greatest of challenges. Real Life Resilience delivers real, relatable and practical programs that are designed to empower students & their schooling communities to build Real Life Resilience.
Through keynote presentations, workshops and in-depth, long term programs, we help students to understand resilience in a deeper level while sharing practical, easy to implement strategies they can use to build resilience, increase self-awareness and improve their mental health and wellbeing.
We combine emotion, humour, vulnerability and storytelling with evidence based research and proven strategies to connect with our audiences on a deeper level. This allows the Real Life Resilience message to not only stick, but have an impact years to come.
Mike Rolls
In September 2001, at the age of 18, Mike’s life changed forever. Whilst on a footy trip to Tasmania, he contracted one of the deadliest diseases on the planet, Meningococcal Septicemia.
A lethal, fast acting and brutal infection left him with horrific internal and external injuries, including multiple amputations. Mike’s faced an incredibly long journey back to health that was aided by a positive outlook, an adaptive mindset and a conscious decision to embrace uncertainty.
Mike has a background in the health industry. He is a qualified Counsellor, a highly skilled communicator and a passionate supporter of amputee charity, Limbs 4 Life. He is an official ambassador of Interplast Australia and New Zealand, and Ossur, and currently represents Australia in All Abilities Golf.
Ben Pettingill
Losing 98% of your eyesight overnight is something that is simply unimaginable for most people, however this was the reality for Ben Pettingill at age 16.
Out of nowhere Ben found himself faced with extreme adversity thanks to a rare genetic syndrome that no one knew was coming. The sudden change was massive, and the challenges came thick and fast in all different shapes and sizes. Building resilience, discovering a new perspective and learning the importance of a strong support network were all vital parts of Ben navigating from complete denial about what had happened, to embracing and taking ownership of his new situation.
Ben has spent the last 7 years working with and helping organisations around the country build resilience.
He could also be described as an adrenalin junkie, competing in water ski racing, obstacle course races and riding motorbikes and crossing the Kokoda track twice. You may have seen him featured on Channel 9’s This Time Next Year.
Ben also supports causes closest to his heart as the Ambassador of Vision Australia and Ski for Life.
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Real Life Resilience offers a variety of products and programs to suit the needs of your organisation, association, team or community group.
Think highly engaging keynote presentations, mental health and well being workshops, and bespoke community resilience tours. There really is a solution for all of your needs.
We believe that the greatest asset of any organisation or community is its people. All Real Life Resilience products and programs are developed with a powerful goal in mind; to equip people and organisations with the confidence and skill needed to overcome challenge and change whilst providing a platform for your people to:
- Have real conversations
- Develop deeper connections
- Increase engagement
- Fast track personal and professional growth
- Build resilience
& have a damn good time doing it!
Keynotes and Workshops
For serious organisations who don’t take themselves too seriously
Real Life Resilience offers high energy keynotes that are designed to reframe the way we see and respond to challenge, change and adversity. These highly engaging sessions delivers a powerful message and implementable ideas that will transform the way people tackle the real challenges they face, always done with a decent dose of humour, of course!
The Real Life Resilience led by Mike and Ben provide organisations, teams, and individuals with vital tools to cultivate enhanced mental health, well-being, and resilience. These presentations demonstrate effective strategies for maneuvering through the intricate, uncertain, and demanding landscape of today’s corporate world. Confronting these challenges proactively is the key to success.
With their signature dynamic, interactive, and authentic style; Mike & Ben seamlessly blend their lived experiences, evidence-based research, and spirit-lifting humour. Their goal is to assist organisations and individuals in crafting a comprehensive guide for successfully navigating challenges, embracing change, and overcoming adversity. Ultimately, their approach contributes to fostering improved mental health, well-being, and resilience. To equip your team with the tools to stride confidently into both professional and personal realms, the Real Life Resilience presentations are a tailor-made match!
Want to break it down even further? The Real Life Resilience workshops unpack and expand on critical resilience building and problem solving strategies. Being fun, interactive and high energy, participants will work both individually and collectively to build on and develop their existing coping strategies whilst discovering new, alternative and innovative ways to deal with challenge and change.
The Real Life Resilience presentations can be delivered in the following formats:
- 1 hour interactive keynote presentation
- 3 hour immersive workshop: 1 hour keynote plus 2 hour interactive workshop
- 30, 45 or 60 minute informal panel discussion: perfect for breakfast/lunch events or afterwork drinks!
Coming to you Virtually
Real Life Resilience virtual presentations are available for online conferences and team building sessions. Virtual presentations allow for added flexibility and greater reach both nationally and internationally, especially in a world that has been turned upside down and inside out. As with all Real Life Resilience presentations, these sessions are delivered by Mike Rolls & Ben Pettingill and are designed to be authentic, interactive, educational and hilarious!
Virtual presentations led by Mike and Ben provide organisations, teams, and individuals with vital tools to cultivate enhanced mental health, well-being, and resilience. These presentations demonstrate effective strategies for manoeuvring through the intricate, uncertain, and demanding landscape of today’s corporate world. Confronting these challenges proactively is the key to success.
With their signature dynamic, interactive, and authentic style (yes, even in virtual settings), Mike & Ben seamlessly blend their lived experiences, evidence-based research, and spirit-lifting humour. Their goal is to assist organisations and individuals in crafting a comprehensive guide for successfully navigating challenges, embracing change, and overcoming adversity. Ultimately, their approach contributes to fostering improved mental health, wellbeing, and resilience. To equip your team with the tools to stride confidently into both professional and personal realms, the Real Life Resilience virtual presentations are a tailor-made match!
Want to break it down even further? The Real Life Resilience workshops unpack and expand on critical resilience building and problem solving strategies. Being fun, interactive and high energy, participants will work both individually and collectively to build on and develop their existing coping strategies whilst discovering new, alternative and innovative ways to deal with challenge and change.
The Real Life Resilience virtual presentations can be delivered in the following formats:
- 1 hour interactive keynote presentation
- 3 hour immersive workshop: 1 hour keynote plus 2 hour interactive workshop.
- 30, 45 or 60 minute informal discussion: perfect for breakfast/lunch events or afterwork drinks where the boys can be on the big screen!
Not your average road trip
The fellas hit the road to build real life resilience!
Mike, the self confessed city slicker, and Ben, the country boy at heart trapped in the city, visit regional, rural and remote areas of Australia multiple times a year where they roll out school presentations, organisational keynotes, community sessions, sport participation events, local media appearances and more. All are approached with a focus on positive mental health, wellbeing and building community wide resilience.
Mike & Ben recognise that each and every community is vastly different. Collectively they face different challenges to the next community, they have different needs based on their demographic & location, their population sizes vary and their people are unique. That is why a cookie cutter approach cannot and is not taken when planning and executing a Real Life Resilience community tour. Instead, they work with key community contacts to piece together the perfect community tour for that particular area so that there is great impact, plenty of fun and lasting results when it comes to mental health, wellbeing, and resilience.
If you would like to discuss what a Real Life Resilience community tour in your area could look like, the boys would love to hear your thoughts!
