Ruby Wax

Actress, Comedian, Writer, Mental Health Campaigner & Lecturer

Ruby Wax OBE is a comedian, writer, broadcaster, and one of the UK’s most influential voices on mental health and wellbeing in modern working life.

Originally trained as an actress, Ruby began her career with the Royal Shakespeare Company before becoming a household name through her long-running work with the BBC, where she built a distinctive career as a writer, interviewer, and performer. Alongside her work in entertainment, she has spent the past decade reshaping how organisations talk about stress, burnout, and the psychological cost of an always-on culture.

Ruby combines lived experience with academic rigour. She holds a Master’s degree in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy from the University of Oxford, as well as a postgraduate qualification in psychotherapy. Her work bridges neuroscience, psychology, and behaviour, translating complex ideas into practical tools people can actually use at work and in life.

She is the author of multiple best-selling books, including Sane New World, A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled, and How to Be Human, which explore resilience, attention, and mental overload in a hyperconnected world. Her talks are known for blending sharp humour with science-backed insight, making difficult topics accessible without trivialising them.

A sought-after speaker for global organisations, Ruby has worked with senior leaders and teams across technology, finance, public service, and education. She was awarded an OBE for Services to Mental Health and continues to campaign internationally to change how we think about wellbeing, performance, and what it really means to function well at work.