Keynote speeches by Dr. Thomas Reinbacher on depression and mental health

Psychische Krise @ Job Patientenkongres 📍 Alte Oper Frankfurt, 01.06.2024

Pädagogische Hochschule📍 Salzburg, 06.03.2024

Dr. Thomas Reinbacher »Nach Grau kommt Himmelblau« Vortrag im Kuppelsaal der Technischen Universität Wien

Technische Universität Wien - Alumni Verein 📍 Wien, 10.11.2023

Dr. Thomas Reinbacher »Nach Grau kommt Himmelblau« Vortrag im Gymnasium Hollabrunn

Erzbischöfliches Gymnasium 📍 Hollabrunn, 7.11.2023

Dr. Thomas Reinbacher »Nach Grau kommt Himmelblau« Vortrag vor Schülern an der HTL Hollabrunn

Höhere Technische Lehranstalt (HTL) 📍 Hollabrunn, 09.11.2023

I give these talks because I never heard anything about mental health during my long education. This has to change!

Participants rate with

4.9 out of 5 stars

each presentation contains a QR code that participants can use to provide anonymous feedback.

Popular formats

50 min Keynote

15 min Impulse

Panel & discussion rounds

Testimonials from company representatives

How cool was our DnA knowledge day in Berlin!! More than 400 colleagues braved the snow and the rail strikes to join from across Germany (...) The presentation that most stood out for me though was by Thomas Reinbacher on mental health. He could have said many things about his glittering career with NASA, McKinsey, Amazon and Google but instead talked about his struggles with severe depression. He wanted to talk about what was important rather than the »life he portrayed on LinkedIn«. This was eye opening and enormously welcome.

Rodney W. Zemmel, Global leader of McKinsey Digital, McKinsey & Company

As much as he has achieved in the IT industry, Thomas has perhaps made his biggest impact on the world by speaking about mental health and depression. He speaks about a very sensitive topic with a rare combination of authenticity, emotion and humor. (translated from German)

Katrin Giza - Manager, Benelux & DACH Member Communities

As part of the management development program at the Steyr site, Mr. Reinbacher gave a presentation on the topic of mental health, and his impressive story and authentic presentation led to very valuable discussions and insights that are not only relevant for future managers. (translated from German)

Manuel Schachl, Senior Manager HR Management bei BMW Group

logo firmlogologo
comptia logo
logo
Dr. Thomas Reinbacher was part of our Mental Health Day 2024 and spoke about his personal experiences with depression. His talk was not only a testament to strength and courage, but also made a clear message: it can affect anyone, even someone with a CV like Thomas! His ability to tell his story so openly and authentically encouraged many and showed that there are ways out of crises. He managed to make a topic that often seems intangible tangible. (translated from German)

Lea Schuller, Health & Benefits Advisor, Microsoft Germany 

Dr. Reinbacher’s story of transitioning from a distinguished software engineer to a mental health advocate is incredibly compelling. His openness about his battle with depression and his journey to recovery deeply resonated with our team. One attendee said, "Thank you for bringing in Dr. Reinbacher. His story really resonated with me. I plan to use the strategies he talked about to help me navigate my own challenges. This was exactly what I needed to hear." I highly recommend Dr. Reinbacher!

Mary Jo Ogren, Head of Talent at Graham Allen Partners

Mental health concerns us all. Every day, whether in our private or professional lives. The presentation and discussion with Mr. Reinbacher helps to break a taboo and initiate concrete changes. Thank you, Thomas! (translated from German)

Dr. Elisabeth Moser, Director Customer Engagement & Omnichannel Capability ·  GSK

A lecture that clearly shows us what we are fighting for every day! Improving the health of depressed patients! Because it can affect anyone. Thomas, as someone with a “high-flyer career”, gives an unembellished insight into his experiences with his depression and shows what it meant for his everyday life and his environment. Although our team members are experts in the field of depression, Thomas managed to give us new food for thought and convey hope, and we thank Thomas for the visit and are delighted that he can see sky blue again! (translated from German)

Viktoria Posdziech, Marketing Lead Neuroscience, Janssen-Cilag GmbH

Testimonials from school & university representatives

Thomas Reinbacher addresses the taboo subject of depression. His presentation was authentic, honest and - unbelievable but true - spiced up with a pinch of humor. Never before have I heard an affected person speak so openly about their depression. The most important thing: Thomas shows solutions and encourages those affected and their relatives to break their silence (translated from German)

Mariella Müller, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Leader

At the end of the day, many annoyances are not even worth a footnote in a fictional biography, some may be a chapter heading.” I think that assessing the significance of decisions and situations with mindfulness, emotion and heart is a particularly valuable tip that Thomas gave his audience in the Kuppelsaal. The straightforward way in which he spoke about his illness and the road back is impressive. The feedback from our community was and is extremely positive! A big thank you for your openness at your alma mater (translated from German)

Mag. Silke Cubert, Managing Director, TU Wien Alumni Club

The entertaining presentation, the impressive passages from the book and the openness and honesty with which Thomas Reinbacher answered questions were very moving for our students. His stories encourage them to talk openly about mental health problems and give them confidence. An enormously important and valuable contribution for our students and the entire school, because mental health matters! (translated from German)

Mag. Marion Hofmann, Direktorin HLW Hollabrunn

As part of our lecture series on mental illness and suicide prevention, Thomas Reinbacher shared his perspective as a patient. His openness, honesty and courage to talk about even the darkest days of his illness made a deep impression on the participants and gave them food for thought. The fact that humor was not neglected despite the seriousness of the topic made the experiences more tangible and the lecture a valuable contribution for all those present to actively combat depression, burnout or even suicide (translated from German).

Jacqueline Zeilinger MA, Geschäftsführung Fachhochschule St. Pölten

Thomas made a strong impression on me and my students in two ways: (i) He is mercilessly honest in laying his cards on the table and shows how he fared during his most difficult time with depression and how difficult the long road out of depression can be. (ii) At the same time, you can sense his enthusiasm for reaching young people with his story and raising awareness of depression and mental health. He provides valuable food for thought based on his personal experiences (translated from German)

Mag. Dr. Doris Zieher, Gymnasium Braunau

I found the lessons with Thomas very valuable for my students. An important topic that often receives little attention in everyday life is given space in a positive, encouraging way based on your personal experiences - thank you for that! (translated from German)

MMag.a Monika Aichberger-Lechner

Logo der Technischen Uni WienLogo e-fellows-netLogo der Fachhochschule Technikum Wienlogo max perutz labs wienlogo der fh sankt pölten, niederösterreichlogo der Schule HTL Hollabrunn, NiederösterreichLogo des erzbischöflichen Gymnasium HollabrunnLogo der HLW Schule in Hollabrunn, ÖsterreichLogo der BHAK Schule in Hollabrunn

What participants say

logo tele

Engineer

Most interesting & accessible information

The most interesting, helpful and accessible information on mental health I have ever found, thank you for being so open and honest. Also, excellent slide design, you should teach people how to not make crap ppt talks :)

logo max perutz labs wien

PhD student / scientist

You depicted the »whole« story

I want to say thank you. I immensely appreciated that you shared your story with us. Sometimes people will tell you „yeah I had a depression some time ago“ but they never depict the whole story like you did. I wish you and your family all the best

logo tele

Engineer

touching!

Thank you for this touching talk!

Manager, Strategy Consulting Firm

Great!!!

Great!!! Starting with a more emotional part raising the interest & intensity while closing with very helpful & tangible insights. Also targeted nicely to the (nerdy) audience ;-)

Manager, Strategy Consulting Firm

Eye-opening!

Very authentic!! It was genuinely the best talk I’ve heard on this topic!! Eye-opening. Thank you Thomas for sharing!!

Dr. Thomas Reinbacher »Nach Grau kommt Himmelblau« Vortrag im Gymnasium Hollabrunn

My presentations are available in German or English, on site or via Zoom

Abstracts

🇩🇪🇦🇹🇨🇭Von einer Raketenkarriere in die Psychiatrie und zurück in ein (besseres) Leben 2.0 PDF

🇺🇸🇬🇧 From a rocket career to psychiatry and back into a (better) life 2.0 PDF

Follow-up reports from keynotes & events with Thomas


Tagung Inklusion PH Salzburg - 06.03.24

Sehr eindrucksvoll wurden die Perspektiven und Sorgen von Eltern um ihre Kinder, die prägenden Erfahrungen eines Kindes aus heutiger Erwachsenensicht sowie die Dringlichkeit der Unterstützung von Kindern und Jugendlichen durch „Lichtquellen“ in solch dunklen Krisenzeiten diskutiert.

CompTIA, München - 14.04.24

Breakdown to Breakthrough: How a Tech Leader Dealt with Depression and How to Spot Warning Signs

Weinviertel Region - Nov 23

In seinen Vorträgen teilt er ganz offen seine Erfahrungen mit Depressionen. Auf charismatische, witzige und informative Weise hilft er den Lesern und Zuhörenden, diese Krankheit besser zu verstehen. Die Jugendlichen nahmen diese Informationen dankbar an und diskutierten intensiv darüber. 

TU Wien - 10.11.23

Mitreißend und persönlich gab Thomas Reinbacher Mithilfe seines Buches „Nach Grau kommt Himmelblau“ nicht nur  Einblicke in seine eigene Erfahrung mit Depression, sondern...

FH Technikum - 25.10.23

Hochschulen beschäftigen sich gern mit den Erfolgsgeschichten ihrer Absolvent*innen. Mit Thomas Reinbacher war für den Alumni Talk am 25. September an der FH Technikum Wien jemand geladen, der viel von Erfolgen hätte erzählen können...

HTL Hollabrunn - 09.11.23

Dr. Thomas Reinbacher möchte mit seinen Lesungen und Vorträgen vor allem den Fokus der Jugendlichen auf dieses Thema lenken. Er selbst habe in seiner Schulzeit nie davon gehört. Die Resonanz unter den Zuhörer/inne/n zeigte, dass ihm dies gelungen ist...

HLW Hollabrunn - 14.11.23

Der kurzweilige Vortrag, die eindrucksvollen Passagen aus dem Buch sowie die Offenheit und Ehrlichkeit, mit der Thomas Reinbacher Fragen beantwortet, haben die Schüler:innen sehr bewegt.  

Arrange an introductory meeting with Thomas now!