Sam Wilkes
The Forge Within – A New Way to Talk
About Suicide Prevention
9:30 – 10:10
Summary
The Forge Within is a lived-experience keynote that reframes suicide prevention by shifting the focus from crisis response to self-understanding before crisis begins. Drawing from my journey through depression, anxiety, and a suicide attempt in 2018, I share how I created The Forge Within Method — a proactive framework helping individuals confront emotional pain, understand their triggers, process ACEs and trauma, and rebuild identity, resilience, and self-worth through denial, acknowledgment, accountability, acceptance, and empowerment.
About the Speaker
Sam Wilkes is a mental health advocate, speaker, and author of The Forge Within. After surviving a major breakdown in 2018, he now uses his story to help others talk openly about struggle, identity, and hope. Through real talk, storytelling, and grounded honesty, Sam creates spaces where people feel safe, understood, and supported.