Speaking & Presenting
Ben Aldridge is a bestselling author and international keynote speaker known for blending ancient philosophy, modern psychology, and personal storytelling. His talks are thought-provoking, practical, and often entertaining—designed to inspire audiences to embrace discomfort, build resilience, and live with more confidence and curiosity.
Ben speaks globally at festivals, schools, universities, and corporate events, adapting his style to audiences ranging from intimate workshops to packed theatres of 2,000+. Whether addressing leaders, students, or general audiences, his goal is the same: to make philosophy come alive in ways that transform everyday life.
Ben’s Story
Ben’s journey into philosophy and resilience began with a personal crisis: severe and debilitating anxiety that once made even leaving the house a challenge. In search of solutions, he turned to the ancient practice of askesis—deliberate exercises in discomfort used by Stoics, Cynics, and other philosophers to build resilience.
Embracing this approach, Ben began setting himself challenges both serious and playful: from ice baths, marathons, and climbing mountains to deliberately awkward public experiments—like telling bad jokes to strangers or walking pet bananas in the spirit of Diogenes the Cynic.
Through these practices, he transformed his relationship with anxiety and rebuilt his confidence. This personal experiment evolved into his bestselling books and an international speaking career. Today, Ben shares how askesis, ancient wisdom, and modern psychology can help anyone develop resilience and thrive in uncertainty.
Signature Talks
How to Be Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable
Based on his bestselling book, this talk introduces comfort-zone challenges as a powerful tool for growth. Through entertaining stories and practical exercises, Ben shows how discomfort can become a path to confidence and resilience.
The Philosophy of Resilience
From ancient Stoic practices to modern CBT techniques, Ben offers a toolkit for managing adversity, anxiety, and change. This talk equips audiences with immediately usable tools for building inner strength.
Seriously Happy: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Joy
What does it mean to live a good life? Drawing on Stoicism, Zen, Taoism and modern psychology, Ben explores practical strategies for cultivating joy, resilience, and meaning in an unpredictable world.
Why Book Ben?
✔️ Bestselling author of Seriously Happy, How to Be Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable, How to Control the Uncontrollable and the Get Out of Your Comfort Zone Cards
✔️ Engaging, story-driven talks blending philosophy, psychology, and humour
✔️ Expertise in ancient practices like askesis and their modern application
✔️ Proven track record with audiences from 20 to 2,000+ worldwide
✔️ Inspires audiences with both practical tools and memorable challenges
Testimonials
“We hired Ben to come and speak at a large event with clients and it was a wonderful experience. He was absolutely fantastic! The audience were highly engaged and the challenges he set for us were so interesting. We can’t recommend him enough!”
“A great talk - we’ve had some lovely feedback and it really seems to have resonated with people.”
“Great presentation, really engaging. I see Ben leading this street philosophy movement to exciting places!”
“Ben Aldridge came to speak at our School Speech Day and did an outstanding job in inspiring our students. He spoke powerfully about his own story and encouraged our students to build their own resilience. He does this in an entertaining manner and kept the whole audience engaged throughout. Many of our students went on to buy his books! His message that you can build your own resilience using Stoic principles is a strong one but his engaging delivery makes it all the more so. ”
“Really appreciated the session. Would love to collaborate again!”
“We really enjoyed your talk. Thank you for sharing your experiences of anxiety and Stoic philosophy with the students - it was inspiring! ”
“Thank you for being so easy to work with!”
“The questions from students demonstrated how engaged the audience were. We very much enjoyed Ben’s talk.”
“We had so many lovely comments and wonderful feedback come through, people loved Ben’s presentation!”
“Thank you once again for speaking at our New Members Ceremony! It was a great success, and we’ve had many positive comments about the speech from the attendees.”
“Ben spoke at our Psychology Fall Conference as our Keynote Speaker to talk about his life story and work. He presented to a mix of psychotherapists, psychologists, counsellors, social workers and psychiatric professionals and we received outstanding feedback. Many of our clinicians went on to order his Challenge Cards for their clients and have reported how much the clients LOVE THEM.”
Speaking Enquiries Form
If you would like to work with Ben, please get in contact to discuss how he can create a keynote for your event.