Patrick is a unique speaker who offers a different perspective to the eating disorder cause. Being a former high school and college athlete, he incorporates his athletic prowess into every situation he faces in life. Patrick has an inspirational story and goes into grave detail on the horrors of being a male with a disorder that is only seen as an illness woman suffer from. He is also a creative writer and uses poetry, and humor to illustrate and inspire his audience. Patrick is an up and coming speaker with an important message to everyone. He chose to live again! Each speech is artistically tailored for every venue and gets very personal with his everyday struggles of overcoming a 4-year battle with anorexia nervosa. He touches on athletics, friendships, essence of team, spiritually, and speaks straight from the heart. His story and passion to give back will with both inspire and educate all who listen. He will speak at any venue, including; schools, universities, conferences, churches and at treatment centers. To book Patrick, please send an email to patrickb@ichosetolive.com.
Speaking Highlights 2009
- University of Maryland - Spoke to an intimate group of students and faculty on the affects of eating disorders on males and college students.
- Georgia State University - Spoke during NEDAW to a group of 50 students to spread eating disorder awareness on the GSU campus.
- University of Georgia Tech - Spoke to 80 GA Tech freshmen student athletes on the demands/factors of being college athletes and the risks of disordered eating and ED. (Total Body Program)
- Walker High School (Georgia) - Spoke to 300 students on the risks of eating disorders among high school students.
- Lubbock Christian University - Spoke to 600 students for NEDAW. Shared personal story, “A Fallen Athlete,” and talked about ED prevention and recovery.
- Sailing into the Sunset – International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (IAEDP) - Spoke on an athletic panel to 200 Eating Disorder Professionals.
- University of Miami Ohio - Spoke to a diverse group of 150 students on the prevalence of eating disorders on college campuses on behalf of IDEA.
- Eating Disorder Information Network (EDIN) - Featured speaker on athletic panel and spoke at two universities in the Atlanta, Georgia area.
Speaking Objectives -
- Eating Disorders are a disease – Patrick addresses the truth behind his illness allowing the audience to understand what exactly an eating disorder is.
- A Fallen Athlete – Patrick shares his personal journey and battle with anorexia. This allows listeners to gain insight to how his illness developed and how he fought to recover.
- Statistics, Awareness and Prevention – Patrick shares knowledge of eating disorders and what the warning signs are and how eating disorders can be prevented and detected.
- Recovery – Patrick shares his personal experience in treatment and speaks on the process of recovery.
- Eating Disorders are not about Food – Patrick talks about what his anorexia consisted of and how an athlete can develop disordered eating.
- Substance Abuse – Eating Disorders most often consist of other issues such as depression, anxiety, self harm, and the abuse of drugs or alcohol. Patrick shares his battle with binge drinking to hide the shame of suffering from anorexia. Speaks on the new popular college trend called “drunkarexia.”
- I Chose To Live – Patrick speaks on his outreach program and what he has personally done to help others struggling with eating disorders. Here he addresses prevention tactics and talks about setting up local support groups.
- Competition, Athletics, and Perfectionism – These characteristics played a major role in his illness, as well as in his recovery approach. Patrick gives detailed insight to what helped and hurt his recovery.
- Eating Disorders Can Be Prevented – Patrick speaks on what people can do to help a friend or another person suffering from an Eating Disorder.
Campus Open Presentation – Patrick shares his personal story and battle with anorexia and substance abuse through the eyes of a college male athlete. Briefly touches upon the above topics and tailors his story to the audience. Objective is to explain eating disorders and the affects, rather than providing definitions and statistics. Duration is just over an hour with unlimited time for questions and answers. (Opens with slide show)
Class Discussions – Patrick briefly shares his personal story focusing on the cause and affects of his decisions which eventually led to a painful 4 year battle with anorexia and alcohol. Provides statistics, definitions, and then brings this information to life through his personal struggles and recovery. Talks about being completely controlled by his ED, and goes into detail on how to detect, help a friend and treat eating disorders. (Great for dietetics and psychology classes) This is a very open presentation with class participation.
Topics:
- Body Image
- Helping a friend
- Statistics
- Causes
- Mind of an Eating Disorder
- Treatment
- Prevention and detection on college campus
Athletes Presentation – Tailors his story focusing on being a superior athlete in high school and in college.
Topics Covered:
- Binge Drinking with athletes
- Disordered eating with athletes
- Becoming more than the sport you play
- Over-exercise
- Body Image in athletes