“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” - Steve Jobs

Mike Veny is America's leading mental health speaker and a high energy drum circle facilitator. He delivers educational, engaging, and entertaining presentations to meetings and conferences throughout the world.

Mike is fiercely committed to wellness, suicide prevention, and helping people work together more smoothly. If you are looking for a proven speaker who can address the stigma surrounding mental health and deliver a corporate drumming event, then you have come to the right place.

With 15 years of experience electrifying audiences and making meeting planners look good, his mission is to empower people to connect authentically.

MikeÂ’s path to becoming a public speaker became evident at an early age. He convinced the staff at psychiatric hospitals to discharge him three times during his childhood. In addition to being hospitalized as a child, he was expelled from 3 schools, attempted suicide, and was medicated in efforts to reduce his emotional instability and behavioral outbursts. By the fifth grade, Mike was put in a special education class. Aside from getting more individualized attention from the teacher, he learned that pencil erasers make a great sound when tapped on a desk. He had no idea that drumming would become his career or his path to recovery.

Event planners say remarkable things about the impact his work has their events.

"Mike Veny has an innate ability to connect with people, draw them out, and get them to participate. This is not an easy task when you are responsible for closing a two and a half day conference on a Friday.” - MaryBeth Schneider - Assistant Executive Director for Training and Self-Advocacy, NYSARC

"Mike's ability to connect with students is a talent that very few adults have. His ability to address a group of 200 students and have them engaged for well over an hour shows just how deep his talent runs.” - Jesicah Rolapp - Principal, Los Angeles Leadership Academy

"Mike Veny participated in our 2013 community mental health awareness conference and was nothing short of outstanding. I believe his candor, humor, and transparency are applicable in a variety of corporate and community settings.” - Sophie Clark - Executive Director, NAMI Washington, DC

Similar benefits await when you hire Mike to take your event to the next level. What sets Mike apart from other speakers is his authenticity and his straightforward, easy-to-understand tools that audience members can apply immediately. It's that simple!

You can feel confident having Mike as your keynote speaker or workshop facilitator.

MikeÂ’s perspectives have been featured on ABC, NBC, and CBS news. HeÂ’s a regular guest on The Fresh Outlook TV news show, a writer for Corporate Wellness Magazine and HealthCentral.com. Mental Illness is An Asset, his compelling TEDx talk, has been used in college classrooms and gotten sensational reviews.

Five things about him and his experience that might surprise and delight you – while serving your work together:

1. He does not use Powerpoint or speak with notes in his presentations.
2. HeÂ’s a member of Meeting Professionals International. He writes for his chapters magazine and is a supporter of Meetings Mean Business.
3. He's a member of the Rotary Club of Wall Street. Being a Rotarian has contributed to his happiness.
4. He loves to travel and is obsessed with luggage, packing techniques, and travel checklists.
5. He takes his morning routine very seriously.

Connect with Mike today and explore how he can add value to your upcoming and give your audience the memory of a lifetime.

Mike Veny is an accomplished professional drummer and first class drum teacher. He dedicates his life to leveraging his talents to effectively serve others. With over 19 years experience in drumming, he has been featured in Modern Drummer Magazine and Drum! Magazine. Mike Veny's expertise has allowed him to serve as a judge for the Guitar Center Drum Off competition.



Mike Veny has performed with the Nickelodeon's Dirty Sock Funtime Band, Jeannine Otis, the Hip Pickles, the Sunrisers Drum & Bugle Corps, pit orchestras for many musicals, various contemporary ensembles, and seven albums including Chicago, the Musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Bad Ideas, a New Musical by Joshua Z. Kant.



Mike Veny has been coached by Kim Monroe, Chet Doboe, Jerry Nobile, Dave Rataczjak, Tobias Ralph, and Drori Mondlak. Known for high energy grooves, a ferocious backbeat, a beautiful drum sound, and magnificent stage presence, he draws inspiration from Dennis Chambers, Ziggy Modeliste and Brian Blade.



Mike Veny is currently performing with Nhojj, on various projects with the Emmy Award Winning Kim Oleran composer for ABC’s All My Children, As the World Turns, The Tracey Ullman Show, and The Guiding Light. He also is the drummer for Sean 360x and Urban Spiritual, alongside Ramsey Jones (Wu Tang Clan). Sean 360x has been #1 on Reverb Nation Electronica/Dance charts for 16 weeks, as of July 14th 2009.



Since 2007, Mike Veny has been facilitating drum circles at Family and Children’s Association. He’s teaching young people with emotional and psychological challenges to channel their energy by banging a drum and at the same time learning how to listen, focus, create and succeed. The group was such a hit that he is now teaching a parents’ group.



In 2008, Mike Veny presented a workshop called the Benefits of Music and Drumming at the 14th Annual Moving Forward in Children’s Mental Health Conference on Long Island. The workshop explored the benefits of involving children in music, and drumming as a means of improving interpersonal skills and self-esteem.



Mike Veny is on faculty at the Long Island High School for the Arts. He also gives private drum lessons in New York City and Long Island.