Helping organizations build spaces where mental health, belonging, and disability inclusion are championed.
Aly’s keynote at our Scholars Conference was one of the most impactful sessions of the entire event. Her stage presence is commanding yet warm, and the audience was completely locked in from start to finish.
Conference Director — Scholars Conference
Aly Vredenburgh is an international keynote speaker, published author, and organizational consultant with 10+ years on stage and 50+ engagements across corporate, educational, healthcare, and nonprofit settings.
She is the founder of WeBelong Institute, author of Out of Focus: Why Gen Z’s Mental Health Crisis Is More Complex Than You Think, and one of the most sought-after voices on mental health, belonging, and disability accommodation in the workplace.
Aly doesn’t traffic in platitudes. She brings rigorous research, lived experience, and a rare ability to hold a room — making the complex feel urgent, the difficult feel possible, and the audience feel seen.
Aly speaks on the topics organizations need most right now — and delivers them with the depth, research, and humanity that actually creates change.
A practical, legally-informed session on building genuinely inclusive workplaces — from ADA-compliant accommodation processes to the culture shifts that make them actually work.
View Full Program Details →Drawn directly from her published book, this keynote replaces surface-level narratives about Gen Z with a rigorous, systems-level analysis of what’s actually driving the crisis — and what leaders can do about it.
View Full Program Details →A research-backed framework for leaders who want to reduce isolation, build psychological safety, and create the kind of belonging that shows up in retention, performance, and wellbeing data.
View Full Program Details →Most organizations mean well when it comes to mental health and disability inclusion. But good intentions without systems don’t protect employees — or organizations.
Aly works directly with HR teams, legal departments, and leadership to build the processes, training, and culture that make accommodation and mental health support the norm, not the exception.
“She helped our team understand ADA obligations not as a legal checkbox but as a leadership opportunity. It changed how we approach HR entirely.”
— Chief People Officer, Technology Company, 500+ Employees
Required reading for anyone who leads, educates, or employs young people.
Out of Focus offers a rare systemic lens on the Gen Z mental health crisis — tracing the cultural, economic, institutional, and political forces shaping an entire generation. Part research synthesis, part call to action.
Featured in scientific journals and presented at global adolescent mental health conferences.
What sets Aly apart is that she doesn’t traffic in platitudes. Her research is rigorous, her frameworks are actionable, and she holds the room in a way that makes hard conversations feel possible.
Chief People Officer — Technology Company, 500+ Employees
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Every purchase supports WeBelong Institute — Aly’s nonprofit dedicated to building cultures of belonging.
Cozy hoodies and crewnecks that wear the mission and spark real conversation.
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Statement tees that champion mental health awareness and cultures of belonging.
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Carry the message everywhere with tote bags that support inclusion and connection.
Shop Now →Whether you’re booking a keynote, exploring a consulting engagement, or ordering books for your team — Aly would love to hear from you. She responds to all inquiries within 48 hours.
alyvredenburgh@gmail.com (442) 427-1375Based in Carlsbad, CA · Available nationwide and internationally
Each program is available as a keynote, half-day workshop, or full-day intensive. Aly tailors every engagement to your audience and goals.
Mental health is no longer a personal issue employees leave at the door — it’s a workplace reality leaders can no longer afford to misunderstand. This keynote gives organizations a clear, honest, and actionable framework for understanding what’s driving the mental health crisis and exactly what their role is in responding to it.
This isn’t a session about being sensitive. It’s a session about being effective. Aly combines research, real-world case studies, and lived experience to help organizations move from confusion and avoidance to clarity and confident action — building workplaces where mental health is understood, supported, and no longer stigmatized.
Audience members will…
Mental health conditions are the most common — and most misunderstood — category of workplace disability. This session helps organizations move beyond checkbox compliance into genuine inclusion for employees with mental health conditions and disabilities.
This talk changes how organizations think about accommodation — from a liability to a leadership opportunity. Aly gives HR teams, managers, and legal departments the language, frameworks, and cultural tools they need to actually support employees rather than just document them.
Audience members will…
Loneliness is now a public health crisis — and it’s showing up at work. Aly gives leaders a research-backed, human-centered framework for creating psychological safety and genuine connection that reduces isolation, improves performance, and makes people actually want to stay.
This isn’t a team-building talk. It’s a culture architecture talk — built for leaders who understand that connection doesn’t happen by accident. Aly draws on belonging science, organizational psychology, and a decade of community-building to show what genuinely connected workplaces look like.
Audience members will…
“Aly’s keynote at our Scholars Conference was one of the most impactful sessions of the entire event. Her stage presence is commanding yet warm, and the audience was completely locked in from start to finish.”
Conference Director — Scholars Conference
Hear Aly unpack the forces shaping Gen Z mental health, the cost of cancel culture, and the role storytelling can play in helping people feel less alone.
Aly brings research expertise, lived experience, and systems-thinking to help organizations move from good intentions to meaningful, measurable change.
Comprehensive assessment and roadmap for organizations ready to take mental health support seriously — not just surface-level.
Helping organizations build accommodation processes that go beyond legal compliance to genuine inclusion.
A data-informed, human-centered look at where your organization’s belonging culture is falling short — and a clear plan to fix it.
Bridging the gap between what Gen Z needs to thrive and what most workplaces currently offer.
Aly’s core consulting specialty is helping organizations navigate the intersection of mental health, disability law, and workplace culture — building environments where accommodation is the norm, not the exception.
A 30-minute conversation to understand your organization’s specific needs, goals, and current challenges. No obligation.
Aly designs a tailored scope of work — a single workshop, multi-month engagement, or ongoing retainer.
Every engagement includes clear deliverables, defined outcomes, and a framework for measuring real impact.
Project-based and retainer options available. Aly works with a select number of consulting clients each year.
Aly Vredenburgh is an international keynote speaker, mental health researcher, published author, and nonprofit founder with over a decade on stage and 50+ engagements across corporate, educational, healthcare, and nonprofit settings. Her work sits at the intersection of belonging, systemic change, and community wellbeing — and she brings all of it into every room she enters.
She holds a Master’s in Social Innovation from the University of San Diego (Magna Cum Laude), where she developed a framework for understanding the mental health crisis not as an individual failing but as a systemic one. That lens — rigorous, compassionate, and action-oriented — defines everything she does.
“I made it my life’s mission to address the belonging and mental health epidemic — because I know firsthand what it costs when organizations and communities get it wrong.”
As founder and director of WeBelong Institute, she leads peer-led programs, community research, and mental-health-first spaces that have touched thousands of lives.
University of San Diego — Magna Cum Laude. Systemic approaches to mental health and community wellbeing.
University of San Diego — Magna Cum Laude. Social systems, inequality, and community dynamics.
Nonprofit centered on belonging, mental health advocacy, peer-led programming, and community research.
Published book on the systemic root causes of the mental health crisis. Featured in scientific journals and global conferences.
International keynote speaker across corporate, healthcare, education, and nonprofit sectors.
Over a decade as a professional artist. Developer of a therapeutic art curriculum for high school students.
Whether planning a conference, leadership retreat, or organizational initiative — Aly would love to hear from you.
Required reading for anyone who leads, educates, or employs young people. A rare systemic lens on the mental health crisis shaping an entire generation.
Featured in scientific journals. Presented at global adolescent mental health conferences.
Out of Focus offers a rare systemic lens on the mental health crisis — one that resists the urge to blame social media or individual resilience, and instead traces the cultural, economic, political, and institutional forces shaping an entire generation.
Part research synthesis, part call to action — this is the book that leaders, educators, HR professionals, and policymakers need to understand the landscape they’re operating in and the changes they must make.
This isn’t a book about what’s wrong with young people. It’s a book about what’s wrong with the systems surrounding them — and what we can do about it.
Grounded in peer-reviewed research and featured in scientific journals
Presented at international adolescent mental health conferences
Every chapter ends with systemic recommendations, not just observations
Out of Focus makes an ideal pre-reading companion for leadership retreats, HR trainings, and conference keynotes. Bulk pricing available for orders of 10 or more. Aly is also available to facilitate a book discussion session for your organization.
Building cultures of belonging through research, education, and community — because everyone deserves a space where they are seen, valued, and included.
Visit webelonginstitute.org →Founded by Aly Vredenburgh, WeBelong Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing mental health, disability inclusion, and cultures of connection in workplaces and communities. The Institute provides evidence-based resources, workshops, and programming that help organizations move from awareness to action.
WeBelong Institute produces original research, toolkits, and educational materials that help leaders understand the systemic barriers to belonging and take concrete steps to dismantle them.
From workshops to fellowships, the Institute runs programs that bring people together around a shared commitment to inclusion, equity, and mental wellness.
Partnering with organizations of all sizes, the Institute helps design cultures where disability accommodation, mental health support, and belonging are built into the fabric of daily operations.
Every purchase from the WeBelong merch shop directly funds the Institute’s programs and research. You can also support by donating, volunteering, or partnering with the Institute.
Whether you want to partner, volunteer, or simply learn more — the WeBelong Institute welcomes you.
Documentary storytelling and public advocacy built to move mental health out of the margins and into the center of the conversation.
Crisis Generation captures the raw, real stories of young people battling a mental health crisis far deeper than anyone imagined — from toxic diets to digital isolation, from grief to the loneliness epidemic.
Watch the Preview →
An advocacy campaign demanding a licensed mental health provider in every California public school.
See the Campaign →A state law. A licensed provider in every public school. No exceptions.
California has 10,000+ public schools. Most have no licensed mental health provider on staff. That’s not a resource problem — it’s a policy failure. The recommended ratio is 1 licensed mental health provider per 250 students. The actual statewide ratio is 1:500 — and in many schools there’s no licensed provider at all. 77% of youth with mental illness receive no treatment, and half of lifetime mental illness begins by age 14.
California Can’t Wait is an advocacy campaign demanding a state law requiring at least one licensed mental health provider in every California public school, no exceptions. The campaign is built around a petition (goal: 100,000 signatures), direct legislator outreach, and a growing ambassador network.
I founded California Can’t Wait. I didn’t come to this from the outside — I struggled with my mental health in high school, enough that I couldn’t survive the traditional classroom, and finished through independent study. I run the campaign’s organizing: the petition, the ambassador program, and direct outreach to state legislators to keep the pressure on Sacramento while this funding window is open. This campaign is dedicated to my best friend Rory (1996–2021), who died from a lack of support the school system never gave her. It’s personal, and it’s structural — both at once.
Add your name and help demand a licensed mental health provider in every California public school.
Sign the Petition →Whether you’re booking a keynote, exploring a consulting engagement, or ordering books — Aly responds to all inquiries within 48 hours.
Aly works with a select number of speaking and consulting clients each year. She’d love to hear about your event, organization, and goals.
Tell Aly about your event or project and she’ll be in touch within 48 hours.