

Keynote Speaking
Mental Health, Suicide Prevention, and Lived/Living Experience
I deliver keynotes that explore mental health, suicide prevention, multicultural communities, and lived/living experience leadership. My work draws on over 15 years of professional experience across mental health, social care, and systems transformation, alongside lived/living experience of caregiving, migration, and suicide bereavement.
I speak at national conferences, government forums, peak body events, workplace gatherings, community forums, and academic settings across Australia. Each keynote is shaped to your audience, your context, and the conversation you are trying to open.
What I offer as a keynote speaker
Keynote addresses to open, close, or anchor your event
Panel contributions and chaired conversations
Workplace and community talks
Media and advocacy appearances
Custom presentations developed in partnership with your team
Keynote speaking topics
Topics I speak on regularly include:
CaLD men's mental health and suicide prevention
Lived/living experience leadership in mental health transformation
Caregiving, grief, and intergenerational experience
Masculinity, vulnerability, and culture
Culturally responsive practice and systemic gaps
Peer work and lived/living experience in practice
Ethical storytelling and safe language in suicide prevention
Recovery, hope, and what supports communities through hard seasons
If you have a specific topic, audience, or event purpose in mind, I will work with you to shape the right session.
How I work
Each engagement follows a clear sequence.
First, an initial enquiry. Share your event's purpose, audience, themes, dates, location, and budget. You can get in touch via the contact form or by email.
Second, a scoping conversation. We discuss what you need, the questions you want raised, and how the session fits within your event.
Third, co-creation. I develop a tailored presentation aligned to your audience and goals, with materials reviewed and refined with you in advance.
Fourth, delivery. Online via secure platform across Australia, or in person where geographically and logistically practical.
Fifth, follow-up. Where useful, I can provide post-event resources, reflections, or follow-on workshops.
What you can expect
Content grounded in clinical evidence, research, and lived/living experience
Cultural humility and trauma-informed practice as defaults, not extras
Material that respects audience emotional load while still naming hard things
Direct collaboration on framing, language, and content sensitivity
Recognition
My speaking and broader practice have been recognised through state and national awards, including the AASW Social Worker of the Year, the WA Mental Health Award (Lived Experience Impact and Inspiration), the Suicide Prevention Australia LiFE Awards (Outstanding Contribution; Priority Populations), and the WA Multicultural Awards (Outstanding Individual Achievement).
Get in touch
If you are planning an event and looking for a speaker who can hold complexity with care, get in touch. Share your event's purpose, audience, dates, location, and themes. I will respond with a proposed approach and fee.
🎙️ Meet Your Speaker
Michael Elwan

I'm Michael Elwan, Founder and Director of Lived Experience Solutions (LEXs), an Accredited Social Worker (AASW 681846), therapist, and PhD candidate researching lived/living experience leadership in mental health. I'm a state and national advisor on multiple forums covering suicide prevention, multicultural mental health, and workforce development.
Born in Alexandria, Egypt, and based in Perth, my career spans senior management, advisory, and direct practice across mental health, suicide prevention, disability, and community services. I bring over 15 years of professional experience, alongside lived/living experience of caregiving, migration, and suicide bereavement.
When I speak, I bring professional rigour and lived insight together without collapsing one into the other. My work has been recognised through the AASW National Excellence Awards (Social Worker of the Year), the WA Mental Health Award (Lived Experience Impact and Inspiration), the Suicide Prevention Australia LiFE Awards, and the WA Multicultural Awards (Outstanding Individual Achievement).