Ruby Wax has been acting on stage, on television, and on film for many years, but that isn’t her sole passion. She turned her attention to the study of psychotherapy and neuroscience, graduating in 2013 with a Master’s degree in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy.

She is an alumna and honorary senior fellow of Regent’s University London, a Visiting Professor in the School of Mental Health Nursing at he University of Surrey, an ambassador for the British Neuroscience Association, SANE, and MIND, and is a president of Relate.

IN THE MEDIA

American born, Ruby moved to the UK to study at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. She started her career on the stage, acting in plays such as The Tempest, The Taming of the Shrew, Measure For Measure, and Love’s Labour’s Lost at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, and in The Days of the Commune, The Alchemist, The Way of the World, The Taming of the Shrew, and Love’s Labour’s Lost at the Aldwych Theatre.

She then moved into film and television, making acting appearances in The Professionals (1980), Chariots of Fire (1981), Omen III (1981), Happy Families (1985), Girls On Top (1985-86), Red Dwarf (1989), Absolutely Fabulous (1995; 2001), The Borrowers (1997), and French and Saunders (2004).

Ruby has hosted a range of programmes, including in Don’t Miss Wax (1987-88), The Full Wax (1991-94), Wax Cracks Hollywood (1993), Ruby’s American Pie (1999-2000), The Waiting Game (2001-02), and Ruby Wax: How To Be Human (2018).

She has appeared in a range of charity special shows, including Comic Relief Does Fame Academy (2003), Comic Relief Does the Apprentice (2009), Comic Relief Does Masterchef (2011), Celebrity Great British Bake Off For Stand Up To Cancer (2022), and Celebrity Gogglebox For Stand Up To Cancer (2022).

Ruby has fronted a number of documentaries, including Ruby Wax’s Miami Memoirs (1989), Ruby Takes a Trip (1991), and Ruby Wax Gets Streetwise (2000).

Over her career, she has interviewed names such as Madonna, Imelda Marcos, Pamela Anderson, I.J Simpson, and Sarah, Duchess of York.

AUTHOR

Ruby is the bestselling author of seven non-fiction books, including:

– Sane New World (2014): Ruby shows us why and how our minds can send us mad and how to rewire out thinking to calm ourselves in a busy world.

– A Mindfulness Guide For the Frazzled (2016): Ruby shows ordinary people how and why to change for good using mindfulness techniques.

– How to be Human (2018): filled with witty anecdotes from her own life, and backed up by smart science and mindfulness exercises.

– How Do You Want Me (2020) is a honest tale about fame and celebrity, ego and myth, through insights into her own life.

– And Now For the Good News (2020): Ruby has spent may years speaking to inspiring people who are spearheading the latest innovation and creating a brighter future, from eradicating loneliness to putting employee happiness first.

– A Mindfulness Guide For Survival (2021): a workbook that helps readers deal with difficult emotions, uncertainty, change, loneliness, dissatisfaction, and death.

– I’m Not As Well As I Thought I Was (2023) combines neuroscience, comedy, and mindfulness.

MENTAL HEALTH

Ruby Wax is a very prominent and passionate mental health advocate and campaigner. She has been very open and honest abut her own mental health experiences, particularly with bipolar disorder and depression, and her time in a psychiatric clinic.

In 2012, Ruby presented her TED talk titled ‘What’s So Funny About Mental Illness’, and she has since spoken at Parliament and Downing Street to raise money for neuroscience research. She is an ambassador for MIND and SANE charities, and works tirelessly to break the stigma of mental illness.

In 2017, she launched the Frazzled Café charity in partnership with Marks and Spencer’s. The café’s provide a ‘talk-in’ place where people who feel “frazzled” can meet to share stories in a safe environment.

CORPORATE

Ruby is a highly sought-after speaker to businesses and corporate leaders on how to communicate on an effective level with colleagues and clients, and how to enjoy good mental health.

She also provides retreats, workshops, and courses, providing delegates with exercises on how to identify when they are near their tipping point and close to burnout.

Over one hundred billion pounds is lost per year due to staff absenteeism, which includes a large number of mental illness related days off. Ruby helps individuals and teams navigate and reduce this to help personal situations as well as corporate production.

SPEAKING TOPICS

– Communication and Engagement

– Dealing With Stress in a Work Environment

– Surviving the 21st Century

– Leadership

– How to Support Co-Workers and Teams

– Showing Compassion in the Workplace

– Mindfulness

– Mental Health and Wellbeing

– Neurology and Psychology

– Ending Mental Health Stima

– Human Behavior

CLIENTS

Bae, Barclays, Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Deutsche Bank, eBay, Facebook. GMT Communication Partners, Goldman Sachs, Google, the Home Office, HSBC, Johnson and Johnson Pharmaceuticals, KPMG, London Business School, the Marketing Society, Merrill Lynch, MI5, Microsoft, Orange, Roffey Park, Senior Women in Policing, Skype, the Welsh Assembly, Women in Retail

Call +44 1753 439 289 or email Great British Speakers now to book Ruby Wax to speak at or host your next live event worldwide.

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