Resilience, Leadership, and Mental Fitness — Forged in Real-World Experience
Build Resilient Teams, Better Mental Health & Growth Through Adversity
Former undercover operative, tactical police officer, bestselling author, and keynote speaker on mental resilience, leadership and recovery.
About Keith
Keith Banks is one of Queensland’s most decorated police officers. He is a recipient of the Bravery Medal and a two-time recipient of the prestigious Queensland Police Valour Award, among many other honours. He is a passionate advocate for changing the way mental health is regarded, discussed and supported. Keith is the bestselling author of two autobiographical books that document his career in the Queensland Police — first as an undercover operative and later as a tactical special weapons officer.
Keith joined the Police Force in 1975 at just seventeen years of age and resigned in 1995. His career spanned twenty years and included deep undercover operations, criminal investigation, special weapons, bomb disposal, counter-terrorism and criminal intelligence. When he resigned, he was emotionally broken and suffering severe Post Traumatic Stress. The job he loved had almost destroyed him.
His is a powerful story of survival, recovery and Post Traumatic Growth.
Keynotes and training
Keynote Speaking - Mental Health & Resilience
Drawing on his lived experience, Keith inspires new thinking around mental health and adversity, helping people build a resilient mindset and respond more positively to life’s challenges.
Authentic Leadership & Communication
Keith talks about his lived experience with PTSD, and the need to be honest and authentic with ourselves and othersl…
Overcoming Adversity & Embracing Post-Traumatic Growth
We all have some degree of trauma, that’s
the result of living. Sometimes this trauma becomes too painful…
Mental Fitness for High Performing Teams
Just as we invest financially, we must also invest in our mental fitness daily so we can truly enjoy life…
Keith Banks is a best selling author, public speaker and coach. He believes that people can thrive through connection and encourages the destigmatisation of the conversation around mental health.
Each of us is touched by trauma at some level. Once we understand how to accept and deal with that, we can create happy and enriched lives for ourselves and become better people, partners, employers, employees and contribute positively to the world around us.
Store
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Banksy Gun To The Head T shirt
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Gun to the Head. Personally inscribed copy
$33.95 Read Sample Add to cart -
Drugs, Guns & Lies. Personally inscribed copy
$23.95 Read Sample Add to cart
These two are the best first person true crime books of that era in Queensland that I have read.” – Matthew Condon, Author of Three Crooked Kings; Jacks and Jokers and All Fall Down.
BEST SELLING BOOKS BY KEITH BANKS
True stories of policing, resilience and survival
I had a police career that was far from the norm. I never wanted to sit behind a desk or spend my days in a suburban station carrying out the routine duties that come with the job. I have the utmost respect for those who do that work—it just was never for me.
As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for. During my service I was exposed to years of violence and death, and it changed me. The idealistic young man I once was disappeared. I lived with the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for more than thirty years, but thankfully the dark days have lessened. A major part of my recovery has been writing my stories and sharing them with thousands of people through Allen & Unwin Publishing.
My books are not heroic. They are raw and authentic. They are written in the hope that readers gain a clearer understanding of the world of law enforcement—and recognise that police are human beings who can be deeply affected by what they see and endure. I also hope I have honoured the memory of the many officers who served for all the right reasons and paid the ultimate price.
Without the thin blue line, we are at the mercy of those who would prey upon us. For that reason, I will always bleed blue.
what audiences are saying
trusted by leading organisations
Keith’s clients include the Australian Defence Force; QBuild; Edge Consulting; Association Executive Services; Queensland Police Service; United Firefighters Union; Civil Construction companies; retail organisations; security companies; financial institutions; and mental health and disability services providers and charities.
