Brian Jost, founder, lead-singer, and primary songwriter of Forcing Smiles, began publicly sharing his mental health journey in 2009, four years after receiving the diagnosis of bipolar disorder, type one, in 2005. Brian has presented at mental health conferences as a keynote speaker and breakout session presenter. Since the formation of Forcing Smiles, Brian has offered a combination of sharing personal narratives and performing music related to his mental health recovery and healing journey.
When speaking publicly, Brian tends to share some of what gives him hope while struggling with suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and fears of future manic or psychotic episodes. He talks about meditation, mindfulness, positive self-talk, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), peer support experiences, and the importance of self-expression.
Brian’s early experiences with bipolar disorder have been shared in his memoir “Grounded by Bipolar Disorder; One Pilot’s Landing,” published in 2010 just before the first of his two children were born.
Presentations with music performances may be scheduled with a variety of formats and lengths typically between 45 and 90 minutes. It’s possible to end the performance section with the appearance of the full Forcing Smiles band.
Brian Jost is a former staff member of NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness), has completed Certified Peer Support Specialist training, and has been trained to present “QPR” (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide prevention presentations (created by QPR Institute).
If you would like to host a presentation/music performance, please email Brian Jost at BrianJost@inTheMic.com for more information.
Updated 11/01/2026