MENTAL HEALTH
ADVOCACY
Whether it's through magic, speaking, or something as simple as grabbing a coffee and being a listening ear, Steve is committed to leading a shift in how the world perceives the importance of mental health. Having dealt with his own mental health challenges, Steve uses magic to put words to thoughts that feelings that are difficult to express in ways that nudge others towards courage, vulnerability, and taking the next steps towards healing and improving mental health.
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His work in these areas has connected him with some of the top motivational speakers and business leaders in the world.
TRUSTED BY:
POOR MENTAL HEALTH CAN FEEL LIKE TRYING TO RUN A MARATHON IN A STRAITJACKET.
So, that's what Steve did. In 2019, Steve became the first person in the world to run a marathon in a straitjacket and escape it (after running 26 miles) just before crossing the finish line as a symbol of hope and perseverance.
SHIFTING THE PERCEPTION OF MENTAL HEALTH
Steve has been working hard to shift the perspective of mental health since 2017 when he first started performing his signature straitjacket escape routine at a college in Kansas. In the years following this performance, Steve found what connected most with audiences were the times he authentically shared about his own mental health struggles and encouraged others to take the next courageous step. With this in mind, Steve decided to bring this encouraging metaphor to life by running the 2019 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon in a straitjacket, then attempt to escape it after running 26 miles so as to speak to the fact that we all run the race of life and we will all encounter different obstacles and hardships along the way--some of which feel like trying to run a marathon while locked in a straitjacket--but what's most important is that we focus on taking the next courageous step.
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Today, Steve is focused normalizing talk around mental health struggles while emphasizing stories of recovery and progress, making mental health support services more accessible to those in need, and helping others become better communicators to increase social understanding, decrease judgement, and--ultimately--create more space for hope, wonder, and joy.
