About Ben
As the co-founder of The Buried Life movement, Ben’s message of radical possibility has been featured on The Today Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, FOX, and NBC
News. President Obama called Ben and The Buried Life “inspiration for a new generation” and Oprah declared their mission “truly inspiring.” An acclaimed keynote speaker, Ben has headlined business conferences and Fortune 100 leadership teams around the world, garnering standing ovations from AIG, Anthem, Amazon, FedEx, Harvard, Microsoft, Verizon, and more. Ben is recognized as one of the World’s Top Organizational Culture Thought Leaders and was ranked 3rd Best Motivational Speaker in the world by Global Gurus in 2022.
In his first year of university, Ben was unexpectedly hit with a depression that forced him to In an attempt to feel more alive, he created the world’s greatest bucket list with his three best friends. They borrowed a rickety old RV and crisscrossed North America,
achieving the unthinkable. And most importantly, every time they accomplished a dream, they helped a complete stranger cross something off their bucket list.
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5 Steps to Make the Impossible Possible:
Ben weaves the captivating story of how The Buried Life evolved from a simple list of 100 impossible dreams into a global movement, seamlessly connecting these lessons to the fabric of our daily life. His remarkable achievements—from creating a hit MTV show to playing basketball with President Obama, from becoming a #1 New York Times bestselling author to sharing beers with Prince Harry—weren’t a matter of luck. They were the direct result of a
repeatable system, a proven blueprint for remarkable success that anyone can master.
This isn't just another inspirational talk—it's a practical guide to achieving the extraordinary. Ben shares the exact, field-tested framework that empowered his team to defy impossible odds, demonstrating how these principles can transform your biggest challenges into your greatest triumphs. He reveals how small, consistent actions compound like interest over time, generating unstoppable momentum that turns seemingly impossible goals into inevitable
successes.
Ben establishes an undeniable truth: personal growth fuels professional growth, which drives organizational success. Through his journey of completing seemingly impossible dreams, he demonstrates that purpose is the fuel that ignites the impossible and giving back is the catalyst
that multiplies your impact exponentially.
PROGRAM TAKEAWAYS
- Master the Impossible: Learn Ben’s proven ‘5 Steps to Impossible’ framework and turn ambition into reality.
- Fuel Your Momentum: Discover how purpose-driven action creates unstoppable momentum.
- Build a Resilient Team: Forge a high-performing team by connecting individual fulfillment with organizational success, creating a culture where everyone thrives.
- Accelerate Your Growth Through Giving: Experience the transformative power of helping others and discover how it fuels your own personal and professional growth.
- Unlock Radical Possibility: Embrace a growth mindset and break free from the limitations of “impossible”.
- Amplify Your Impact: Unite your team around a shared purpose and create a ripple effect of positive change that extends far beyond your immediate goals.
POWERED BY PURPOSE
Ben reveals the game-changing truth: purpose isn’t just a buzzword – it’s the secret weapon that fueled his own extraordinary journey, lifting him from the depths of depression to ignite a global movement and achieve the seemingly impossible.
Through compelling scientific evidence and unforgettable stories, Ben demonstrates how embracing your professional and personal purpose unleashes untapped potential, creates true work-life harmony, and empowers you to become the best version of yourself.
In this revolutionary keynote, discover why purpose-driven individuals and teams are 7x more likely to overcome challenges, focusing on the “why” that ignites passion and resilience. Ben masterfully blends cutting-edge science with captivating storytelling to reveal how purpose transforms organizational culture from the inside out.
Leaders will gain actionable strategies to build trust, authentically demonstrate care for their teams’ well-being, and foster innovation, retention, and breakthrough performance. This isn't merely theoretical—it’s a strategic blueprint for translating purpose into tangible outcomes and cultivating a workplace that inspires genuine passion.
PROGRAM TAKEAWAYS
- Unleash Your Potential: Discover how aligning your personal and professional purpose fuels sustainable growth and empowers you to become your best self.
- Create Purpose-Driven Retention: Learn how to champion whole-person growth and cultivate a culture of trust, fueling engagement and retention.
- Build Resilience in Uncertainty: Master practical strategies for maintaining well-being and navigating challenges with purpose and unwavering resilience.
- Fuel Success Through Service: Discover the power of purpose-driven leadership to create a culture of service, where helping others becomes a catalyst for individual and collective success.
- Magnify Your Impact: Reconnect to the profound ripple effect of your work and discover how purpose amplifies your impact, even when results are unseen.
- Forge Deeper Connections: Cultivate authentic connections with your team and leadership, fostering a culture that attracts the best talent.
From Burnout to Balance
Ben Nemtin has lived this reality firsthand. From the depths of crippling depression to extraordinary achievements—including becoming a #1 New York Times bestselling author, playing basketball at the White House, and inspiring millions—he discovered that true success doesn’t come from pushing harder, but from restoring balance and prioritizing what matters most.
In this transformative keynote, Ben shares a proven system to help individuals and organizations break the cycle of burnout, reignite purpose, and create a positive ripple effect that fuels both personal well-being and professional growth.
With a mix of powerful storytelling, practical strategies, and science-backed tools, Ben equips leaders and teams to recharge their energy, strengthen resilience, and build cultures where people thrive—not just survive.
PROGRAM TAKEAWAYS
- Master Your Well-being: Access Ben’s ‘Mental Health Toolkit’ with 10 practices to transform stress into strength and resilience.
- Fuel Your Performance: Unlock the link between work-life harmony and sustainable peak performance.
- Navigate Life’s Challenges: Build resilience to adapt, recover, and rise stronger after adversity.
- Build a Resilient Team: Apply actionable strategies to foster support, well-being, and collective growth.
- Lead with Vulnerability: Break the stigma around mental health by turning vulnerability into authentic leadership.
- Unleash Your Full Potential: Reconnect to passion and purpose to amplify both personal and professional success.
Awards & Publications
Awards
More About Ben
We called our mission The Buried Life. The Buried Life was named after a 150 year-old poem by Matthew Arnold which articulated our frustrations perfectly our dreams felt buried. We borrowed an RV, bought a second-hand camera and hit the road for a two-week road trip to tackle our list of impossible dreams and help others. What happened next was completely unexpected. Total strangers reached out to help us with our bucket list, and also sent us their dreams asking for help. We had no idea the ripple effect our mission would have, ultimately inspiring millions to write their list and pursue their buried dreams.
That two-week road trip has lasted over a decade. And the list items that I was once convinced were impossible, have somehow been checked off the list.
As a result, I now truly believe that anyone can do anything and I have seen how this belief changes how you make decisions and, ultimately, how you live your life. My goal is to instill this belief in you and prove that you are capable of the impossible.
Reviews
absolute hit!
- Kacy Ashley
Ben's session was an absolute hit! Hands down my favorite session. The way he worked in so much of our messaging and benefits was truly amazing and so impactful.
extremely engaging
- Greg Higgins
Ben’s virtual keynote was extremely engaging and hit the perfect tone. He combined humor and storytelling to deliver an inspirational message that truly resonated with our staff! In a virtual setting, it can be hard to maintain people’s attention, but the reviews from our staff were unanimous – Ben’s virtual keynote was excellent!
unlocks the power of purpose
- Ames McArdle
Ben unlocks the power of purpose! He aligned our personal goals with our organizational purpose and lifted our team's energy. He left our team with a roadmap to thrive personally and professionally. Since Ben’s session, we’ve been sharing our life goals regularly and supporting each other in achieving them. Without Ben’s motivation, there would be less transparency in our organization about where we want to go as individuals.
inspiring
- Lina Brouneu
Ben’s keynote & Bucket List Journal inspired, reenergized and motivated the team in an outstanding way. His personal story combined with actionable resources was the perfect combination.
Buzzing with energy
- Katie Potgiesser
Ben lit a fire in our team! The room was buzzing with energy. There was a lasting impact on our team and our leaders left ready to tackle our biggest goals yet. He made our team feel unstoppable.
exceed expectations
- Karen Robertson
The feedback was overwhelming! I had messages about how moving Ben's presentation was and how meaningful it was to ‘all’ employees that the company cares about them as a ‘whole’ person. It was completely different from anything we’ve done or heard thus far and it beyond exceeded expectations.
truly emotional
- Eric Stein
Ben personally brought me to my knees with emotion when he spoke about the journey of life and going for what we all feel is truly important.
noticed, appreciated and rembered
- John Myers
Ben's keynote truly resonated with our audience, as it connects to both our personal and professional lives. Thank you Ben for getting to know us and being genuine - it was noticed, appreciated and will be remembered!
great speaker
- Tim Ferriss
If you want a lesson in boldness and to cross things off of your bucket list, there is no better teacher than Ben.
amazing speaker
- Tracey-Ann Daley
I laughed, and I cried. I think it was important for Harvard students especially to experience this because for most of the students here there is pressure to embrace the material things in life and sacrifice any in your way to make it to the top. This is a message that we could all embrace and learn from!
PHENOMENAL
- cityCURRENT
I can tell you Ben was one of the top talks of the day. He was incredible! 153 countries tuned in live to watch and I’m certain once his talk goes online in the coming week his will go super viral through our community.
WOW!
- Lululemon
Ben truly demonstrates what it means to never take 'no' for an answer when it comes to living out your dreams and helping others do the same. It’s more than an inspirational talk – it’s a call to action to live the life you’ve always wanted and help others do the same.
Inspiring
- Tim Ferriss
If you want a lesson in boldness and to cross things off of your bucket list, there is no better teacher than Ben.
Speaks from the heart
- Lincoln Financial Group
Ben's message continues to be a part of our culture here at Lincoln. In short, Ben spoke and our people listened. Our associates left his keynote inspired and took action towards their goals. We reported and promoted individual bucket list achievements and this inspired others to take action. Before long, our associates were helping each other achieve their dreams and this naturally created a ‘peer encouragement’ sub-culture. Ben's presentation is more than a keynote, it is a culture shifting experience.
Inspirational
- Deloitte
Ben inspired a culture of service where we support each other, both inside and outside the office. This was a catalyst moment for our newly promoted senior managers.
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