Chris
About
Christopher “CJ” Allen is a retired U.S. military Master Sergeant, husband, father, grandfather, suicide prevention advocate, and professional speaker whose life has been shaped by service, resilience, family, faith, and connection. CJ’s military journey spans more than 26 years of combined service in the U.S. Navy and South Carolina Army National Guard. His experiences took him from serving aboard the USS Wainwright to deploying to Iraq and eventually becoming a leader in military suicide prevention, resilience, and primary prevention. After retiring from uniformed service in 2025, he continued a mission that had become deeply personal: helping people recognize that their lives matter. That mission led CJ to launch Find the Next 6,000, a grassroots campaign focused on connection, belonging, hope, and reducing Veteran suicide—one person and one conversation at a time. He is an experienced suicide prevention trainer and advocate who has worked with military members, Veterans, families, communities, and organizations across the country. Away from his professional work, CJ is most proud of his family. He and his wife, Lisa, have built a life together spanning more than three decades, raising four children and welcoming a grandson. Those relationships—and the lessons learned through marriage, parenting, military deployments, career changes, loss, failure, success, and starting new chapters—have shaped the person he is today. CJ brings something to casting that cannot be rehearsed: lived experience. He is comfortable speaking in front of hundreds of people, but equally values a meaningful conversation with one person. He can be serious when the moment calls for it, laugh at himself, tell a story, lead a team, and connect with people whose lives may look completely different from his own. At this stage of his life, CJ is not interested in pretending to be perfect. He is interested in showing up authentically, embracing new experiences, meeting people, and proving that some of life’s most interesting chapters begin when you think you already know how your story is going to end. His philosophy is simple: Connection matters. People matter. And every person has a story worth hearing.
Best suited for
Retired Master Sergeant with 26+ years military service and suicide prevention advocacy experience. Columbia, SC. Strong fit for military roles, corporate training content, and documentary casting.
