International Speaker & Coach

Mental Health | Mindset | Performance

Hey, I'm Neil

I know what it’s like to feel like you don’t belong here. Like you missed the part where everyone else figured life out.

For 21 years, I smiled on the outside and broke apart inside; thinking I’d never be good enough, never make it, never matter. I wore the mask well. But under it, I was exhausted, anxious, depressed and convinced I was the only one who felt this way.

I grew up in Killarney,

Co. Kerry,

surrounded by beauty

but feeling completely disconnected.

I didn’t know what I wanted, so I tried everything; a degree in Sports, Health & Nutrition, followed by Law at UCC. I was ticking the boxes, keeping up appearances. From the outside, I looked fine. Inside, I was drowning. I pushed through assignments, training sessions, and work — all while quietly falling apart.

Monday, 14 April 2014

was the day

I nearly ended my life;

and also the day

everything began to change.

Depression and anxiety had convinced me there was nothing worth living for. I felt like an outsider in my own life, numb and invisible; disconnected from the world — surrounded by people, but completely alone.

That day, for the first time in 21 years, something changed. I spoke about my pain.
Not to fix it. Just to stop hiding. And somehow, that was the beginning.

That moment didn’t fix everything, but it opened something up in me.

I realised the only way out was through; and that waiting to be rescued wasn’t going to cut it. Even with people around me, the shift had to come from me.

So I started doing the work. Not perfectly, not all at once but consistently. And that decision along with the right people supporting, is what changed my life.

I began sharing my story

Starting first in small spaces, then bigger ones. People started asking me to speak.

I trained in Mental Health First Aid, became an ambassador for See Change and First Fortnight, and eventually spoke at events across Europe, including the World Health Organisation.

At the same time, I built my coaching practice from the ground up. Everything I created came from the tools I needed myself — real, honest, practical support to help people take back control of their lives.

Life looks different now.

I split my time between Cyprus, Ireland and the UK, building a life around clarity, purpose and the freedom I once thought I would never have.

I travel often, not just to move but to learn from new cultures, different perspectives and the people I meet. Whether it is acting, horse riding, mountain running or delivering talks to rooms that once terrified me, I live with intention. I am not chasing perfect.

I am living proof that change is possible. And the tools that got me here are the same ones I now share — practical, honest and grounded in real life.

I do this work because I’ve lived both sides.

I know what it’s like to feel stuck and lost. I also know what it takes to move forward, to rebuild, and to live on your own terms.

Whether I’m coaching a teenager or adult through anxiety or lows, guiding a parent who feels helpless, or helping a company reconnect with its people, my focus is the same. Real support. No fluff. No masks. Just the tools, space and perspective people need to get back on track and build something better.

One last thing.

I will never tell you that I can help you overcome your problems. Nobody should. To overcome something suggests you’ve defeated it forever — but life doesn’t work like that. What happens when something hits you out of nowhere? When the anxiety creeps back in or a moment of darkness returns?

What I will do is help you take back control. I will help you manage those struggles in a way that means when they show up again, you won’t be afraid of them. You’ll be ready. You’ll have what you need to face whatever life throws at you.

I am living proof that change is possible. And the tools that got me here are the same ones I now share — practical, honest and grounded in real life.

If any of this hit home, maybe it’s time to talk.

If you change nothing, then nothing changes.

So do something.

- Neil Kelders

Neil Kelders

International Speaker & Coach

Mental Health | Performance | Mindset