Delivering coaching, workshops and keynote talks, Andrew Pain is a CPD-accredited, TEDx and Mental Health speaker and ICF-accredited coach. He is an energetic speaker, on a mission to create decisive and resilient communities, where psychological safety is the norm, the tragic number of suicide victims is reduced to zero, and where diverse communities of people work cohesively as allies. He leads in his work on men’s mental health, burnout, prevention, and overcoming adversity.
Andrew is a hugely relatable speaker, delivering in his own down-to-earth style, exploring tough topics such as men’s mental health, suicide, domestic abuse, toxic masculinity, and gender division, with a frank yet upbeat and optimistic approach.
He is passionate about sharing fresh insights and practical strategies for progress, which people won’t have heard many times before. Whether he is talking about men’s mental health, decision making, burnout, imposter syndrome, or domestic abuse, Andrew delivers ‘refreshingly different’, and it is something which makes him stand out as a speaker.
Born in the UK and raised as a Brummie, Andrew Pain has lived and worked in France, El Salvador and Mexico. From working with street kids, to building homes and teaching English to ex-guerilla fighters, to operating a successful recruitment company from a garden shed in the South of France, Andrew has had his share of ups and downs, not to mention a 10-year abusive and violent marriage.
Andrew Pain graduated with a BA (Hons 2:1) in 1997 from University of Warwick and gained over 20 years HR experience, covering recruitment, coaching and development and organisational development. He is now a professional speaker and member of the International Coaching Federation, The International Stress Management Association and Professional Speaking Association.
Andrew Pain is now settled back in Birmingham UK and happily remarried. As part of his speaking niche, he talks about his lived-experience of domestic abuse, gaslighting, parental alienation, how people fall into abuse, why they stay and how to spot the signs, sharing his story with corporate groups, The Crown Prosecution Service and particularly colleges and schools.
Andrew’s keynote talks start conversations and inspire change: from the UK council who set up a thriving men’s network in response to his men’s mental health talk, to the executive team who referred to his decision-making talk as life changing.
Serving diverse clients (from Amazon to Specsavers, Public Health Wales to leading Universities, local colleges and secondary schools) Andrew Pain is also a father to 5, including 3 boys under 11, which means he’s a triage nurse, war zone reporter, peace negotiator, tutor, cook, cleaner and bribery expert. It also means his daily Fitbit step count is NEVER less than 15K.
Andrew is a TEDx speaker whose talk on men and domestic abuse has secured over 120K views on YouTube and a podcaster whose new podcast, ‘Men on Show’, celebrates the stories of men doing amazing things, whilst also exploring their views on modern masculinity, the challenge of Andrew Tate, why men and boys are struggling and how to help men and boys be the best version of themselves.
Andrew Pain is a regular contributor to blogs, podcasts and radio shows such as the Good Men Project, Happiful, BBC West Midlands, BBC Coventry and Warwickshire, UCB Broadcaster and the Sikh Channel TV. His TEDx talk ‘Domestic Abuse – not a gender issue’ is a must watch as it explores the stigma surrounding male victims of domestic abuse and the challenge they have in speaking up.
The annual cost of domestic abuse for the economies of England and Wales is an estimated £66 billion, split between the emotional harm experienced, and the amount of time off work and reduced productivity.
Domestic abuse has a massive impact on UK society with an estimated 2.4 million adults experiencing violence in 2019 alone, but Andrew is determined to help friends, relatives, employers and colleagues spot the signs, and explains how domestic violence can influence the way a company works.
Andrew delivers thought-provoking and insightful keynote sessions for busy leaders who want to be more effective in their roles and more efficient with their time:
– Over 80% of homeless people in the UK are men
– 95% of people in prison in the UK are men
– 60% of victims of violence in the UK are men or boys, and yet there’s no official government strategy to tackle violence against men and boys. The issue is simply swept up into the official government strategy to tackle violence against women and girls.
– 3/4 of people who complete suicide each year in the UK are men
If we’re serious about addressing men’s mental health, we need to move beyond well-trodden assumptions that ‘Men don’t naturally talk’ or that ‘Men are the architects of their own problems.’ If we’re serious about addressing men’s mental health, we need to ask better questions so that truly, we can safeguard the mental wellbeing of our sons, brothers, dads, uncles, male friends, husbands and partners. We need to ask questions like:
How do we actively support men who are struggling?
What are the barriers/prejudices/stigmas within our society which might hold men back from opening up?
How do we help men to be the best version of themselves?
In this talk, we will explore:
– Why men and boys are struggling, what the data says, and what it means for the next decade?
– The stigmas which hold men back from admitting they’re a victim in any scenario (finance, work, relationships).
– The importance of psychological safety in helping men to talk, and how to create psychological safety.
– Gender bias: what is it and why it’s bad news for both men and women.
– Modern buzzwords: allyship, intersectionality, beta bias, gamma bias. What do they mean? Why do they matter? And how do they affect men?
– How to tackle toxic masculinity, and is toxic masculinity really the most helpful phrase in engaging our men?
– Fatherhood: what are the biggest challenges facing dads today and how do we support fathers? (Including new dads, those who no longer live with their children, those caught in family court warfare, and possibly the victims of Parental Alienation).
– Testosterone: why it is misunderstood and how it impacts male physical and mental health.
– How do we redefine a masculinity which is fit for the 21st century?
Regarded by the World Health Organisation as a key driver of workplace absence, and a major challenge for professionals who are striving and copying in our complex 21st century world, there’s little doubt that burnout is a real and present danger, which poses grave consequences for people and organisations who ignore it.
But what is burnout?
What are the triggers?
Is burnout preventable, and if so, how do you stop it?
In this session, we will explore:
– The most common workplace triggers of burnout and how to deal with them.
– The ‘easy-win’ and ‘wider-scale’ strategies to tackle burnout.
– Why tackling burnout requires a wider focus than simply the work environment.
– How elite performers process and respond to setbacks, using T.E.S.T.
– How to manage long-term worries using The Worry Scale, so you remain proactive about tackling your worries, but without getting consumed by them.
– How to create rhythms and routines which energise in the toughest of times.
– Why boundaries are at the heart of self-mastery, how to create them, and how to adhere to them.
– How to organise your day so you remain focussed on the important things when it’s all kicking off, and make the most of the quieter days when they occasionally arrive.
– GRIT: the forgotten ingredient for developing grit and how to become grittier by nature.
Imposter Syndrome: it’s where you doubt your ability, you feel like a fraud about to be exposed, and you believe your accomplishments are not worthy of attention or respect.
According to global research, 70% of us have experienced Imposter Syndrome and according to my own research of over 3,000 working UK professionals, 85% of people have experienced it (and within NHS settings, it’s 100%).
Imposter Syndrome holds people back from achieving their potential, leading to long term anxiety, self-loathing and depression.
In this keynote, we will explore:
– The two types of Imposter Syndrome which no-one is talking about: a) why they matter, b) what causes them, and c) how to beat them.
– Three critical assumptions to adopt as your mantras if you want to send Imposter Syndrome packing.
– Three powerful self-management techniques to draw on when you’re feeling inadequate and your confidence is shot to pieces.
– Three everyday habits which most people are unaware they do, but which undermine our self-worth.
– Four common thinking errors which skew our judgement of ourselves and others.
– The four emotional stages most people experience when they receive negative feedback.
– How to process negative feedback, so you’re not consumed by it and can separate the helpful from the unhelpful.
– How to deal effectively with setbacks when your actions were partially to blame.
As part of our ‘Chat with…’ podcast series at Great British Speakers, our director Jane Farnham sat down with burnout speaker Andrew Pain to talk about his personal experience of domestic violence, safeguarding, stereotypes of abuse, and why it’s important to promote awareness of domestic violence. Read more HERE.
Andrew Pain’s clients include Lloyds Bank, Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick, IOD, CIMA, Pinsent Masons, APM, NHS, TEDx, The Good Men Project, ROSPA, BBC, FSB, Project Management Institute and Optimus Education.
Andrew Pain has experience in business workshops, keynote speaking, conference speaking, corporate events, leadership talks, private events, motivational speaking, public speaking and virtual events.
He is more than happy to tailor his presentation to the client.
Thank you so much for your burnout talk on Tuesday, it was brilliant and really set the tone for the rest of the conference with loads of engagement and discussion from the attendees.
Laura Daubney: Events Organiser for Women’s Network Conference – Magnox Ltd
I recently watched Andrew’s webinar on procrastination through CIMA last week and having watched quite a few webinars through 2020/21, I have to say, it’s one of the best I’ve seen. He is an incredibly skilled presenter and has a presenting style which draws the viewer/listener in effortlessly.
Spotlight Sports Group
The session received rave reviews, both in terms of the original content, take-aways and delivery style and I recommend Andrew, both as a compelling and engaging public speaker, and as a workshop facilitator.
Future Perfect Company
Excellent presentation on the subtle art of successful delegation. Really helpful tools and tips, conveyed in an easy to understand and down to earth way, with plenty of great real life examples.
Scottish Government
A true masterclass in my opinion… thank you for such an engaging presentation and great techniques
Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick
Our short session with Andrew was informative and uplifting. Our team found it refreshing and reassuring that Andrew was able to share some of his own struggles. From conversations with colleagues since, I know that this has given more people the courage to ask for help. We would love to hear more from Andrew and will be inviting him to speak at our next Trust INSET day.
Sophie Murfin, CEO/Executive Principle at Wise Owl Trust
By miles the most useful training sessions I have ever attended. Thanks again Andrew for facilitating. BRILLIANT.
Robert Gallfent, Project Manager, STFC