Actions speak louder than words but words can be powerful too. Talking to people is a bit like breathing for me. I just can’t help it. I love the connection with other people that can only come through direct face to face contact.

Running and adventure allows me to connect and communicate with people in a very different way. But more importantly, it has given me the balance of experience that I need to keep things in perspective. The challenges that I have faced in my life are a mix of unavoidable circumstances and self imposed suffering. As with all of us, the accumulated combination of all of my experiences has created the person that I am today.

When I speak to a group of people, whether it’s a dozen or a couple of thousand, my goal is to share some of my experiences in a way that causes them to think and to be inspired. But my true hope is that my stories allow them to inspire themselves.

Here is a sample of the kind of speaking I do:

Here are just a few of the themes that I focus on when I am asked to speak. I stick to very universal messages but I have the life experience to make it real for people. I have been there. I have done it. And I can help you find your own path. Here are a few of the topics I like to cover:

-Trust the Process – Formulate a plan, study those that have been successful before you and don’t lose your nerve when things get tough. Trust the process.

-Never Coast Downhill – You have worked hard to reach the top of a big hill and the temptation is to coast down the other side. Instead of coasting, keep the pressure on. This is the time to cash in on your hard work.

-Embrace Hardship – When life is good and things are easy, success is not too hard to come by. But the fact is that hard times are the times that define us. Anyone can be successful when things are good, but the real standouts succeed when circumstances are tough and challenging.

-Optimism is True Courage – Optimism seems to come naturally to some people but for most of us, it is an acquired skill. It has to be practiced and nurtured. It is not hard to be optimistic when things are going well but can you be the optimist when all around you are negative? This is the mark of a real winner.

-Enter the Race and Show Up!! – We all have the desire to know the outcome before the event. We want certainty and security. But that is just not possible sometimes. Nor is it really good for us. Living with uncertainty is a fact of life, relationships and business. As long as you get in the race and show up every day, things will work out.

-Put Something Scary on Your Schedule – Is there something in your life that you want to do but you just aren’t sure you can? Congratulations! Go do it. Don’t wait for the stars to align or for all of the puzzle pieces to be in place because that will never happen. Get busy. Time is being wasted.

These are just a few of the themes that I focus on when I am asked to speak. I stick to very universal messages but I have the life experience to make it real for people. I have been there. I have done it. And I can help you find your own path.

Finally I should say that humor plays an enormous role in my presentations. I know that if I can make people relax enough to laugh, then my job is mostly done.

If you have a worthy cause I may come to you for no charge. But most often, I speak to companies and organizations that are looking for someone like me to fill a role at a sales meeting or conference. In those cases, my agent will most likely handle the details. She will gladly talk to you about my fees. You should be sitting down when she tells you the cost. But I can promise you great lessons, motivation, and solid entertainment. And all at a great price. You may even qualify for a bonus set of steak knives. I will have to get them out of my storage unit though.