Todd Wetzelberger
Campus Speaker · Resilience & Student Mental Health
"Resilience isn't something you feel. It's something you build - and you can start today."
Built to Rise: Resilience You Can Actually Use
College is one of the hardest transitions of a young person's life - academic pressure, anxiety, comparison, homesickness, failure, and the fear of falling behind. Todd has been to the edge and back: he faced life-and-death challenges 350 feet underwater as a commercial diver, and later rebuilt from losing everything. He turns those experiences into something students can grab onto - the RISE framework, a simple, non-clinical system for bouncing back from a bad grade, a breakup, a rejection, or a season of feeling overwhelmed.
The RISE Framework
- R - Reframe: Turn "Why is this happening to me?" into "What do I do next?"
- I - Inventory: Name what you still have - people, strengths, support, options.
- S - Small Wins: One text, one class, one workout, one step at a time.
- E - Execute: Ask for help, take action, repeat. Confidence follows.
What Students Take Away
- A practical way to cope with stress, anxiety, and failure
- Why asking for help is a strength, not a weakness
- How to rebuild after a setback instead of spiraling
- A mindset that supports retention, wellbeing, and belonging
Program Formats
Campus Keynote (45-60 min)
For orientation, welcome week, wellness & mental-health events.
Student Workshop
Interactive RISE session for leadership, RAs, first-gen & athletics.
Team / Athletics Talk
Performance and resilience under pressure for student-athletes.
A note for wellness offices: Todd's message is motivational and non-clinical - it complements, and never replaces, campus counseling services.