Kay Warren

Kay Warren is an international speaker, best-selling author, and Bible teacher who has a passion for inspiring and motivating others to make a difference with their lives. She is best known for more than 10 years as a tireless advocate for those living with mental illness, HIV & AIDS, and the orphaned and vulnerable children left behind. As an advocate, she has traveled to 19 countries, calling the faith community as well as the public and private sectors to respond with prevention, care, treatment, and support. Kay is also a board member of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. When her youngest son, Matthew, took his life in April 2013, her life was dramatically altered by the catastrophic loss. As she and her family continue to grieve the loss of Matthew, she has determined to be a voice for those living with mental illness. Her message to the faith community is to eliminate stigma, shame, and fear and to create warm and accepting places of refuge for those who suffer. Kay is the author of several books including CHOOSE JOY: Because Happiness Isn’t Enough, in which she describes how painful experiences – two bouts of cancer, watching as life-threatening illnesses attacked her children and grandchildren, and living with mild depression most of her life – have shaped her conviction that joy is a choice and within the reach of every person, no matter how desperate or dark circumstances may be.