'Think Outside the Crayon Box’ is the theme that sculpts Amanda’s talks. During college, she spent three months in a psychiatric hospital after experiencing a crisis. While in the hospital, a thoughtful nurse handed Amanda a box of crayons. This simple and kind gesture changed everything in Amanda’s healing and ultimately led her journey in becoming a speaker, social entrepreneur, and award-winning documentary filmmaker. Amanda learned from the inside-out how the systems works. This empathy drives Amanda’s passion for creative storytelling and systems-change. The goal is simple: for audiences to think more deeply about mental health for themselves and the communities they live and work in. Since age 18, Amanda has given over 150 keynotes and produced over 100 short films with clients around the globe. She is partnered with major speaker bureaus and is passionate about giving back to the community. Amanda isn't your typical mental health advocate and speaker - she has dedicated her entire career to working on mental health projects, research, policy-change, and leadership. Amanda formerly served as the youngest board member for the largest grassroots mental health nonprofit in the U.S., the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). She graduated from UC Davis with a B.S. in Human Development. Outside of work, her hobbies include rock climbing and mountain biking, and she holds a black belt in Kung Fu and Kenpo. Amanda embraces an adventurous lifestyle; she DIY built her own van in 2023, embracing the #vanlife as she travels around the country promoting awareness and hope.
Read Amanda's extended bio.
Meet Amanda (3 min.)
"I believe mental health and illness is an 'everyone' and 'every industry' topic. It's not 1 out of 4 people ... it's all of us. The difference is what we're dealing with, how we cope, and what/who can help us along the way."
- Amanda Lipp
Amanda has spoken at
Keynotes & Workshops
Topic: Think Outside the [Crayon] Box: Symptoms to Superpowers
In this story-driven and creative presentation, Amanda takes your audience through a series of insights and stories that inspire us to think differently about mental health – for ourselves and the systems we work in. She shares her journey spending three months in a psychiatric hospital hearing patients’ stories of struggle and triumph. Amanda learned from the inside-out how the systems works – and most importantly – witnessed the power of vulnerability and the ‘superpowers’ behind people’s pain and trauma. While in the hospital, a thoughtful nurse handed Amanda a box of crayons. This small gesture became a pivotal moment in Amanda’s healing, and has become a larger metaphor in her talks for audiences to "Think Outside the [Crayon] Box" about mental health and identity. As a filmmaker and multimedia artist, she weaves in short film she's produced of other people’s journeys to illustrate the diversity of adversity and resilience. She challenges audiences to embrace mental health and illness as an ‘everybody and every industry’ issue that impacts us all differently.
Learning points:
- Discover the power of vulnerability and storytelling for personal empowerment, workplace culture, and systems-change.
- Learn Amanda's method of exploring your "crayon box" and uncovering the "layers" that are holding you back.
- Learn how to translate shame and stigma – invisible superpowers that can be leveraged to build connection and culture.
- Learn about "Think Big, Act Small" – a powerful combination of empathy and paying-it-forward that can make all the difference.
Topic: Think Outside the [Crayon] Box of Filmmaking for Mental Health
Amanda’s journey to becoming an award-winning documentary filmmaker and multimedia artist began in the psychiatric hospital. She was a patient herself, and found healing and empathy in the creative process of storyboarding the stories of patients around her. This kickstarted Amanda's filmmaking and comic book career working with clients around the U.S creating products that raise awareness and education about mental health topics. Having now interviewed over 300 people producing 100 short films and comic books, Amanda has witnessed a range of powerfully vulnerable and diverse stories. In this presentation, Amanda shares short films and behind-the-scenes of her filmmaking and multimedia practices. Plus, the bigger picture of how films and comics can be used to improve systems of care, reduce stigma, and get people into care sooner. And perhaps, most importantly, how filmmaking practices translate to everyday values in life: the power of listening, empathy, and storytelling.
Learning points:
- Learn techniques and best-practices for creating trauma-informed and person-centered films.
- Discover how organizations can create films and multimedia products to optimize their programs and outreach.
- Learn strategies for how films can be used in research studies and digital campaigns to have larger impact.
Topic: Think Outside the [Crayon] Box of Youth Leadership & Advocacy
Pulling up a seat at the table is one thing, but when does the table need to be re-constructed? Amanda shares her full circle journey from being a patient in the psychiatric hospital to becoming an active leader and entrepreneur in mental health care. As a leader from a young age, Amanda is aware that she stands on the shoulders of giants, and is a big believer in the power of mentorship and investing in the next generation. At the age of 19, Amanda was appointed to the largest grassroots mental health nonprofit in the U.S., the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), making her the first and youngest board member in the organization's history. She also served on Google's Mental Health Advisory Panel. These roles catapulted her into navigating the politics and pressures of organizational leadership - while also exploring school, her LGBTQ identity, and work-life balance. Amanda challenges people to lean into their passion, get uncomfortable, and find their people.
Learning points:
- Learn strategies for how to lead with your passion first.
- Learn Amanda's Top 3 Tips for translating insecurities into confidence so you can access leadership and career opportunities.
- Explore the often unspoken"whispers of leadership": when to step up, step down, and being aware of our biases and agenda.
Topic: Think Outside the [Crayon] Box of Work-Life Balance
In this high-energy and fascinating talk, Amanda challenges people to think outside the box of how we live and work. In 2023, Amanda designed and built her own custom van that she lives in full time while she travels the country promoting mental health awareness. Now more than ever, traditional workplaces and lifestyles are being disrupted and challenged. The line between 'personal and business' is blurred, and the playbook is being written in real-time. Amanda challenges audiences to think differently about their own work-life balances - while also acknowledging how access, privilege, and equity play into this. Amanda reflects on working remotely for over 10 years, to now living an "off-the-grid" lifestyle. From navigating loneliness and isolation, to figuring out home/mobile setups - everyone's path and journey is unique.
Learning points:
- Work Life Balance - invest in yourself as much as your career
- Taking Calculated Risks - not being afraid to do things differently and build your own lifestyle
- Navigating Remote Work - finding community and dealing with loneliness
Amanda in action at...
Blogs
When We Listen and Engage, We Begin to See Change
We all sat around the table, having met each other only moments before. There were 14 of us from states[...]
America’s Fractured Mental Healthcare System Amidst the New Norm
About one in five US adults cannot afford the mental healthcare they need, a grim reality exacerbated by COVID-19 and[...]
How it started: Rebuilding Butte Short Documentary
When I first heard about the tiny home building project to help California fire survivors, I signed up to volunteer[...]
Drew’s Story With Schizophrenia
Drew was studying media and film at Bronx Community College when he first experienced the symptoms. He was hearing things[...]