LIFE-STUFF With Samuel Johnson & Aaron Williams

LIFE-STUFF is a live, interactive presentation by accredited mental health social worker and executive coach Aaron Williams and Gold Logie Award winning actor and philanthropist Samuel Johnson. This uniquely structured presentation has been developed to smash the stigma around mental health. Samuel’s personal anecdotal style is complemented by Aaron’s positive, practical strategies. Together they help their audiences to feel happier, healthier and stronger – at work and home. They help people come to the realisation that it’s OK to struggle from time to time, and that it’s equally OK to talk about it.

More about Aaron Williams:

Aaron Williams started out as an IT Account Executive, but following an unforeseen period of depression and suicidal thinking, was inspired at 32 years of age, to change careers and focus on mental health.

As a senior mental health clinician and trainer, he has worked with the Department of Health and has spoken and lectured widely on mental health. He has been a speaker and chair at major clinical conferences including the International Mental Health Conference, National Suicide Prevention Conference, 2016 National AMHSW conference and the Australian National Rural & Remote Telehealth Conference.

In 2015, Aaron co-founded Mindstar, the mission for which is to make Australia the happiest, healthiest country in the world. Mindstar works with some of Australia’s leading national organisations.

More about Samuel Johnson:

Samuel Johnson is a Gold Logie Award winning actor and a committed philanthropist, having established the high profile, successful charity Love My Sister, with his sister Connie, who sadly passed away from cancer in 2017.

Samuel became an actor as a teenager when he was cast in television programs including Home and Away as a love interest for Kate Ritchie’s character, Sally. He played the role of Evan Wylde in the TV series The Secret Life of Us for which he won the AFI award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Telefeature. Additionally, he won a Gold Logie for his portrayal of Ian ‘Molly’ Meldrum.

When Samuel’s sister Connie was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer, he and Connie established the charity Love Your Sister, which has raised millions of dollars towards “cancer vanquishment”. His autobiography, Love Your Sister was nominated for Best Biography in 2016 at the ABIA awards.

The organisation Love Your Sister has been GQ’s Social Force of the Year, Samuel has been Research Australia’s Advocate of the Year and his efforts have been recognised with a Medal of the Order of Australia at Government House. In 2018, he was appointed the 2018 Victorian Australian of the Year. In 2019, he danced his way to success as the winner of Dancing With the Stars. His ascension to the upper echelons of the entertainment industry and the Not-For-Profit sector has garnered him enormous reach, broad public support and a string of significant accolades.

More about LIFE-STUFF:

During ‘LIFE-STUFF’, Samuel unpacks the man behind the myth, to reveal a deeply troubled individual marked by a lifetime of death, drugs and dysfunction. In his compelling and often hilarious self-portraiture, Samuel reveals the extraordinary measures he’s undertaken in an effort to understand his condition. His story, within the ‘LIFE-STUFF’ presentation, serves not merely as an ice-breaker, but as a fascinating case study that is relatable to all and a springboard for further discussion.

To make sense of Samuel’s personal history, and to help deal with the questions Samuel’s story raises more broadly, enter Aaron Williams, CEO of Mindstar, who calls on a rich tapestry of clinical experience, research and philosophy to provide further insight into the nature of stress, resilience, uncertainty and the perils of the human condition. And to teach practical wellbeing strategies on how to live a happy, healthy, more successful life.

The secret is, that our brains are constantly telling us stories. The problem is, they are not always positive stories. Stress and anxiety don’t discriminate and as many of us know, someone can have it all and still somehow feel nothing. But, as Aaron illustrates, we have incredible power over our thoughts and emotions and can train our minds and our bodies to be healthier and more productive for ourselves and others. Aaron offers tangible tools and tips that demonstrate just how simple it can be to improve our wellbeing and resilience and markedly improve the way we attend to our deeply intrinsic psychological needs to be heard, to be autonomous, to feel a sense of belonging and to live with a stronger sense of purpose and meaning.

To close, Aaron and Samuel join together on-stage for a final instalment. A free- for-all. No question too large. No no-go zones. No sweeping, no carpet. This is the point of ‘LIFE-STUFF’. To crush the stigma collectively and give every Australian the education, inspiration and tools in their toolbelt to stress-less, manage uncertainty and live a happy, healthy, more successful life.

LIFE-STUFF is available in three different formats:

• A two hour experience during which Samuel and Aaron both deliver 40 minute presentations followed by a Q&A.
• A half day experience, which includes 40 minute presentations from both Aaron and Samuel, followed by a Q&A panel discussion, a workshop and a book signing.
• A one hour keynote, which includes shorter presentations and a Q&A