Nic Newling

Nic Newling is an outspoken advocate for mental health, suicide prevention, and sharing personal stories. Having lived through the experience of suffering with a mood disorder throughout high school and losing his brother to suicide, he has since dedicated himself to changing the way mental illness is addressed in schools, workplaces, and communities. Nic has reached millions of people through television, live talks, radio, print, online, documentaries, and eHealth programs. He strives to make a continuing positive impact utilizing sharing and listening to encourage helpful, unscripted conversations around mental health, suicide prevention, and getting the most out of life. He has been featured on Australian Story, has shared his message through major radio stations and newspapers, features in the men’s mental health documentary series Man Up and the upcoming documentary Suicide: The Ripple Effect, and was one of the subjects of his mother’s memoir Missing Christopher which won an Australian Human Rights Commission Award. He also regularly features in awareness campaigns, most recently for an international suicide prevention campaign with Movember, and has contributed to major newspapers and online journals. Nic counts himself fortunate, lucky, and grateful to have received familial, peer, and professional support allowing him to recover and heal through his turbulent teen years. It has since enabled him to focus his attention on sharing directly to young people, families, workplaces, and professionals, and the broader public. He has spoken at industry events nationally and internationally such as the International Association of Suicide Prevention conference in Montreal, training events for AstraZeneca, the Mental Health in Schools conferences in Sydney and Melbourne, the School Counselors and Psychologists conferences in Sydney and Melbourne, and for corporations across Australia and America. Nic has spoken at Google, at cultural events such as Vivid Ideas, Ignite Sydney, and TEDxSYDNEY. He has toured twice with The Sunday Telegraph for their Can We Talk forums designed to connect communities with experts and encourage mental health conversations. Nic has recently formed The Champions, an initiative championing sharing to help improve mental health. After recently moving from his hometown of Sydney, he is now based in New York where he continues his mission with The Champions across USA, Australia, and other parts of the world. Nic is proud to be involved in suicide prevention initiatives as a community ambassador for R U OK?, and as an ambassador for Australia Day. He cites his favorite presenting moment as when he recently walked back down memory lane into the adolescent psychiatric ward where he was treated for almost a year as a teenager and, along with other fellow former patients, spoke to the teen audience there to remind them that dark times don’t last forever. Together we can all move forward when we talk, listen, share, and grow.