Greg Langford · Keynote speaker on resilience & adversity The formula for getting through anything.

He lost two brothers to suicide, beat addiction, survived a heart attack and spent 43 years in banking. Then, at 57, he walked onto a stage for the first time. Greg Langford gives your people what a pep talk can't: proof that the worst seasons can be survived, and a way to do it.

Check Greg's availability See the keynotes
  • Clean & HR-safe
  • Tailored to your audience
  • In person or virtual
Keynote speaker Greg Langford in a navy suit, smiling
He's held the room at
  • The Apollo Theater
  • The Laugh Factory
  • MGM Grand
  • Caroline's on Broadway
  • The Hollywood Improv
  • Kevin Hart Studios
  • 27 states
Why Greg, why now

Your people are carrying more than they show.

Layoffs. Loss. Burnout. A diagnosis nobody mentions at work. The quiet struggles that never come up in a meeting but show up everywhere else.

  • i.Most motivational talks are a sugar rush, gone by the parking lot.
  • ii.Most mental health talks feel like a compliance module.
  • iii.Greg's are neither. Audiences laugh, lean in and remember.

He doesn't tell people hard times will pass. He shows them how to get through them, from someone who already has.

Greg Langford seated on a wooden stool, leaning forward to tell a story
The man behind the message

He didn't study resilience. He survived it.

Seven deaths in five years. Only one from natural causes.

Greg grew up the fourth of five kids in Winder, Georgia, in a family where mental illness and addiction were never spoken about. By the late 1990s he had lost two brothers, a cousin and his best friend to suicide, and he was drinking hard while holding down a banking career.

On February 3, 1999, he got sober. He has stayed that way ever since.

Then, in his late fifties and with zero experience, he signed up for an open mic so he could learn to tell his story without anyone looking away. That decision took him to the Apollo, to Caroline's on Broadway and the Hollywood Improv, and to stages in 27 states.

How he got from that family to that stage is the talk. We won't spoil it here.

  1. Winder, GAFourth of five kids in a family that didn't talk about it
  2. 43 yearsA career in banking, real estate and business
  3. 1999Sober since February 3, after losing seven people in five years
  4. At 57His first open mic, with no experience at all
  5. The ApolloHis name on the marquee at Harlem's legendary theater
  6. 2016Publishes Heroically Well Adjusted
  7. TodayKeynote speaker, author and Certified Peer Specialist
The signature framework

Einstein had his formula. Greg has his.

Your misery doesn't shrink on command. But how much of it you can carry changes dramatically when you can still find the light in it. Greg's framework isn't about making jokes about pain. It's about refusing to let pain have the last word, and helping your people do the same.

In the keynote, he works through each variable with stories your audience will be retelling at dinner. That part you'll have to hear in person.

Keynotes

Four talks. One hour your people won't forget.

Every program is built around Greg's real story and tailored to your audience after a planning call. Here's what your people walk away with. How he gets them there stays in the room.

  1. Signature keynote · Resilience

    E=MC²: The Formula for Enduring Anything

    For all-hands meetings, kickoffs, conferences and any team coming through change, loss or a brutal year.

    Greg's flagship talk. Through stories that are equal parts devastating and laugh-out-loud funny, he shows how ordinary people endure extraordinary misery and come out the other side with their humor, purpose and people intact.

    They walk away with

    • A practical way to keep going when circumstances are at their worst
    • Permission to laugh again, and why it matters more than they think
    • A shared language for talking about hard days at work
  2. Reinvention · Second acts

    Repurposed, Not Retired: It's Never Too Late to Start

    For leadership retreats, career-transition programs, associations and anyone who thinks their best chapter is behind them.

    Forty-three years in banking. A first open mic at 57. His name on the Apollo marquee. Greg's second act is living proof that experience isn't baggage. It's an edge, if you're willing to start before you feel ready.

    They walk away with

    • Why "too late" is almost always a story we tell ourselves
    • How to turn decades of experience into a competitive advantage
    • The written-plan habit behind every comeback, because hope is not a strategy
  3. Workplace mental health

    Breaking the Silence: Mental Health & Suicide Prevention at Work

    For HR and wellness teams, EAP and benefits events, Mental Health Awareness Month, healthcare, first responders and high-pressure industries.

    Greg speaks about suicide loss with rare honesty, and with enough humor that audiences finally exhale. People leave ready to notice, ask and act.

    They walk away with

    • How to spot the quiet, high-functioning kind of struggle
    • What to say to someone who's hurting, and what never to say
    • Resources, helplines and next steps every attendee takes home

    More on the workplace program

  4. Stress · Performance

    From Burnout to Breakthrough: Thriving Under Pressure

    For sales, finance, healthcare and high-performance teams running hot.

    Four decades in banking taught Greg what pressure does to people when nobody's watching. This talk helps teams catch burnout early, protect their energy and use humor as the release valve it was meant to be.

    They walk away with

    • The early warning signs of burnout, in themselves and their team
    • Small daily habits that protect energy under pressure
    • How humor relieves stress without minimizing it
Keynote, 30–90 minWorkshop or breakoutFireside chat & Q&AEmcee or hostKeynote + clean comedy setVirtual or hybrid
Picture him in your room

From the main stage to the break room.

Two thousand people in a ballroom or twenty around a conference table: the message lands the same way. Greg reads a room like the comedian he is and connects like the survivor he is.

The keynote stageOpening and closing keynotes that set the tone
The national conferenceBallrooms, associations, sales kickoffs
Your team, up closeOffices, leadership offsites, lunch-and-learns

Illustrative scenes.

Who books Greg

Built for the rooms that need it most.

Corporations & HR teams

All-hands meetings, leadership offsites and wellness programs that need to change something, not just check a box.

Conferences & associations

Opening and closing keynotes that set the tone and get people talking in the hallways afterward.

Schools & universities

Assemblies, athletics and staff days. A track coach and a scoutmaster once saved his life.

Healthcare & first responders

For the people who carry everyone else's worst day and rarely get to put it down.

Banking, finance & high-pressure industries

He spent 43 years in banking. He knows your quarter-ends and your Monday mornings.

Faith, recovery & community groups

Churches, civic clubs and recovery communities, the rooms where his own comeback began.

For meeting planners

The easiest booking you'll make all year.

Your reputation is on the line when you pick a speaker. Greg makes it safe to choose the talk people will actually remember.

Clean and HR-safe

Real stories handled with care. Honest without being graphic, funny without being crude.

Tailored, never canned

Every engagement starts with a planning call, so the talk fits your people, your theme and your sensitivities.

He speaks your language

Forty-three years in banking means he understands budgets, boards, deadlines and the pressure your people are under.

Funny on purpose

A working stand-up who has played the Apollo and Caroline's on Broadway. The room laughs where it should and listens when it matters.

Everyone leaves with a lifeline

Action items and resources for every attendee, including the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Books for your attendees

Add copies of Greg's book, Heroically Well Adjusted, so the message keeps working long after the applause.

What people say

The talk they're still talking about.

Greg recently spoke at one of our events, and his presentation made a lasting impression on everyone there.

Tyler Wood, singer

I would highly recommend Greg to any group wishing to start an open dialogue on these difficult subjects.

Tyler Wood, singer

Once you can joke about a situation, you move from victim to survivor.

Greg's message, as described by Kiana Dancie, founder, Laugh Therapy
Greg Langford mid-keynote wearing a headset microphone, gesturing to the audience
Cover of Heroically Well Adjusted by Greg Langford
The book

Read the story behind the stage.

4.7 out of 5 on Amazon

Heroically Well Adjusted: Confronting the Evolution of Insanity is Greg's brutally honest, poignant, sarcastic and humorous account of growing up in his "normal" dysfunctional family, and of breaking a cycle of addiction, mental illness and suicide that ran for generations.

It's not how we get knocked down in life that counts, but it's how we laugh at the ones or things that knocked us down as we're getting back up.

Greg Langford, Heroically Well Adjusted
Get it on Amazon About the book
How it works

Three steps to a talk they'll quote next quarter.

  1. Check the date

    Send a few details below or book a free 30-minute planning call. Greg or his team follows up personally.

  2. Make it yours

    Greg learns your audience, your goals and any sensitivities, then tailors the talk to fit your event.

  3. Watch the room change

    He arrives prepared, holds the room, and leaves your people with tools they'll use long after the applause.

Questions

Asked & answered.

Who is Greg Langford?

Greg Langford is an Atlanta-based keynote speaker, author and stand-up comedian who speaks on resilience, overcoming adversity, reinvention and workplace mental health. He spent 43 years in banking, lost two brothers, a cousin and his best friend to suicide, and has been sober since February 3, 1999. He started stand-up at 57, has performed at the Apollo and Caroline's on Broadway, and wrote Heroically Well Adjusted (2016).

What does Greg speak about?

Resilience and getting through hard times (his signature E=MC² keynote: Endurance = Misery × Comedy²), reinvention and second acts, workplace mental health and suicide prevention, and burnout under pressure. Every talk is tailored to your audience.

Is it appropriate for a corporate or HR audience?

Yes. Greg's keynotes are clean and HR-safe. He handles heavy subjects with care and uses humor to make them approachable, never crude. He'll tailor the content to your audience and any guidelines your team has.

Does he speak at schools and universities?

Yes: high school assemblies, colleges, athletic programs, staff development days and parent nights. See the school program.

Can Greg speak virtually?

Yes. He speaks in person nationwide and virtually or in hybrid formats, with the same tailoring and Q&A.

How long are the keynotes?

30 to 90 minutes, with optional Q&A. He also offers workshops, fireside chats, emcee and host roles, and keynotes paired with a short clean comedy set.

What does it cost to book Greg?

Fees depend on the format, date and location. Share your event details and budget in the form below or book a free 30-minute call, and you'll get a straight answer.

Check availability

Your people deserve a speaker who's been there.

Share a few details and we'll follow up about dates, format and fit. No obligation.