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A mother's inspiring story of overcoming adversity with love and hope.

Vikie Shanks

travels from UK

Vikie Shanks is a single mother of seven children with special needs and author of "Unravelled". She campaigns for autism, mental health, and suicide awareness.

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5 out of 5 stars

I just wanted to drop you a quick note to say a huge thank you for yesterday’s session – your story is honest, inspiring, and most importantly helps educate people on neurodiversity and mental health issues which is fantastic!

Bank of America See all references

Why you should book Vikie Shanks for your next event

  • Expertise & Engaging Delivery: Vikie delivers dynamic presentations with a wealth of knowledge and experience.
  • Tailored to Your Needs: Customizable presentations to fit the specific needs and goals of your event.
  • Proven Success: Vikie’s track record of successful events make her a reliable choice for your next event.
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About Vikie

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References

Request fees and availability
Vikie Shanks is a mother, author, and advocate. She raised seven children with special needs on her own after the loss of her husband. Her book "Unravelled" details her inspiring journey, and her family is also featured in the Netflix film "Kingdom of Us". Shanks is dedicated to raising awareness and understanding of autism, mental health, and suicide.

Why you should book Vikie Shanks for your next event

  • Expertise & Engaging Delivery: Vikie delivers dynamic presentations with a wealth of knowledge and experience.
  • Tailored to Your Needs: Customizable presentations to fit the specific needs and goals of your event.
  • Proven Success: Vikie’s track record of successful events make her a reliable choice for your next event.

Vikie Shanks was born in Aden (South Yemen). Her father was an overbearing, strict military man and Vikie’s early life was far from easy, especially when her mother died when Vikie was only 15. She left home at 17 to move to London after a heated argument with her father which nearly resulted in Vikie’s death after he tried to strangle her. She had no parental support or anything to fall back on, but she continued.

After working as a model for several years, Vikie met her future husband and her life changed forever. He was a controlling Narcissist and Vikie found herself trapped in a relationship from which there was no escape. He dramatically took his own life in 2007 leaving her with their seven children to raise alone, with no help from any family or friends.

Six of Vikie’s seven children are on the autism spectrum. The seventh is severely Dyslexic, and the youngest two also have Cerebral Palsy. Vikie’s mother and two brothers were also autistic, so Vikie has lived with autism and mental health struggles her entire life. She speaks about her battles with depression openly. Vikie’s youngest daughter spent many of her adolescent years in a psychiatric hospital being treated for Anorexia. Her life hung in the balance on many occasions but she finally came home to live in September 2018.

See keynotes with Vikie Shanks
Keynote by Vikie Shanks

Keynote Topics

Topics:

  • Mental Health
  • Wellness
  • Surviving Against all Odds
  • Resilience
  • Effective Communication
  • Engagement
  • Autism
  • Anorexia
Watch Vikie Shanks in action

Why my autistic children don't need a "cure" | Vikie Shanks | TEDxLeamingtonSpa

See keynotes with Vikie Shanks

References

Could you please pass on our thanks to Vikie for such a great session. The group were really engaged and asked some great questions, which is testament to how Vikie came across today. We could not have asked for anyone better to join us during Mental Health Awareness week.

Cabinet Office

I was blown away by the presentation that Vikie Shanks presented on the topic of invisible illness, including menopause. On top of everything she had to deal with, menopause challenged her too and she still carried on... She is one ammmazing lady!

Bristol Myers Squibb

The final speaker of the event was Vikie Shanks, who delivered an inspiring keynote speech about the mental health struggles her and her family have faced. Shanks has seven children, six of whom are autistic, and her husband Paul committed suicide when her youngest daughter was just six years old. The family was the subject of BAFTA-nominated Netflix documentary ‘Kingdom Of Us’, and in the wake of its release, Shanks has taken to speaking on the subject of mental health and autism around the country. She delivered a TED talk called ‘Why my autistic children don’t need a cure’ in April 2016.

HBAA
Non-binding request for Vikie Shanks

Send a simple request. You’ll get a quick reply with fees and availability

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Vikie Shanks
Vikie Shanks

5 out of 5 stars

I just wanted to drop you a quick note to say a huge thank you for yesterday’s session – your story is honest, inspiring, and most importantly helps educate people on neurodiversity and mental health issues which is fantastic!

Bank of America See all references

Keynote topics with Vikie Shanks