Suicide is now the second-leading cause of death among people 15 to 24 in the U.S., which sadly and heartbreakingly is at an all-time high. Bullying, social media, addiction, mental illness, alienation, and lack of deep connection contribute to this epidemic, making education, and the understanding of these topics, along with coping options, crucial. Alix has spent the past two decades closely examining the dark subjects most shy away from by shining a sensitive, thoughtful, and informative light. As a cultural and behavioral journalist, she is also the author of Death Becomes Them: Unearthing the Suicides of the Brilliant, the Famous, and the Notorious (Harper Collins), the eye-opening and intimate portrait of the suicides of 20 influential cultural icons, and her novel, The Joy of Funerals (St. Martin’s Press). With a degree in education, her training includes working at Columbia Presbyterian in the psychiatric ward, and teaching drama therapy to suicidal teens. She combines these focuses into her talks, offering a deeply moving talk about loss, our deep need for connection and belonging, and how we can move forward when someone we love, individually and as a community, has taken their own life. As a group, we will talk about loss, grief, internal pain, and how not to be afraid to ask for help.

For the past decade, Alix has been a frequent features contributor to the New York Times, including their extremely popular Sunday Routine found in the Metro section. Her 100-plus routines have covered an array of prominent New Yorkers, including a vaccination creator, a last rights provider, a Marvelous Mrs. Maisel tour giver, a meditative guru -- yes, we're talking about Deepak Chopra, a once homeless-alcoholic-turned-cookie-entrepreneur, the first Hispanic president of CUNY, a political satirist, and the first black CEO of a major publishing house, among others. From the famous to the infamous, the hopeful and the hero, Alix has interviewed them all. Using a unique skill set she's honed over the past decade, Alix tailors each talk to any and all audiences, asking whoever is in the beloved hot seat to share about their weekend. As universal as these 48 hours seems, it’s also incredibly specific and special to that person. The opportunity to get a more personalized and intimate look into someone’s life can be a priceless experience. Alix has the rare ability to have an instantly intimate and thoughtfully organic connection with whomever she is interviewing, putting the interviewee at immediate ease as she uncovers their most mundane details while helping to turn those into unexpected, humorous, and thought-provoking moments. Each lecture or workshop ends with a thoughtful Q & A and discussion about that person’s bigger picture life while also sharing her most favorite, fascinating, and memorable moments from her own professional career.

Today, more so than ever, many of us feel lonely and disconnected. Lost and left behind. Unembraced by our community at work and by our friends and family. Social media has created a fake connection which has only increased our feelings of alienation and disconnection. As an intimate investigator in human behavior, need, and connection, award-winning author and trend journalist Alix Strauss has spent the past 25 years encouraging people to share their personal stories to help them find their voice and relate more deeply with others. The deep need we have to bond with one another, to share an experience, to feel heard and be understood is something everyone longs for, needs, and is desperate to receive. “Where do I belong? How can I feel part of something bigger than myself?” These are the questions she is always guiding people to answer. We are all natural storytellers, and we all have the need to share a piece of ourselves. Often, we get lost in the process of how to do that. Fear of being too vulnerable, misunderstood, or overexposed sometimes prevents us from showing the most auspicious, passionate, and wonderful pieces of ourselves. During her talk, Alix speaks about how storytelling can bring us closer together, help us bond, and make us feel more connected. It’s through sharing a piece of ourselves people will better understand who we are.

Alix Strauss is an award-winning, four-time published author, professional speaker, and New York Times frequent features contributor, but the journey has not always been easy. Having been diagnosed with dyslexia as a child and having survived a traumatic brain injury at age 25 from a car accident, she was told countless times to go into any other vocation other than the one she has worked in for 25 years. As a successful author, and trend, lifestyle, and pop culture journalist, she has had to continuously prove that mind over matter, passion, desire, creativity, and a get-knocked-down-get-back-up-again personality paired with a never-accept-no mindset is worth everything. Alix shares how you can make your quirk a different way of experiencing the world, and what was once thought or seen as a weakness can work toward your advantage. She will talk about how perseverance, assertiveness, creativity, and tenacity have helped sharpen other mental muscles and made her a sought-after journalist, speaker, and TV personality. Alix's presentations are done with wit, warmth, and wisdom, not to mention humor. She will share her experiences and personal stories paired with advice, tips, tricks, and how-tos. She will show how finding your voice, without it being muffled, is everything.