I keynote conferences and special events from coast to coast with messages of heart, humor and hope. In short, I remind audience members that they matter far more than they may know — to their workplaces in particular and to the world in general. I have been National Speakers Association-approved. I have spoken at the Massachusetts Statehouse, been featured on ABC's "Good Morning America" and delivered commencement addresses for the likes of the University of Oregon Department of History. But I believe my words resonate most deeply with frontline people — nurses, teachers, volunteers, nonprofit workers, police officers, firefighters, 911 dispatchers, military personnel, and others who contribute so much to our society but usually from the shadows. My presentations are based mainly on stories I've gleaned from six recent books I wrote: "Cascade Summer: My Adventure on Oregon's Pacific Crest Trial" (AO Creative); "Resolve: From the Jungles of WWII Bataan, the Epic Story of a Soldier, a Flag, and a Promise Kept" (Penguin's Berkley Caliber); "52 Little Lessons form It's a Wonderful Life" (Thomas Nelson); the Oregon Book Award-finalist "American Nightingale" (Atria Books), "Pebble in the Water" (AO Creative) and "Easy Company Soldier" (St. Martin's Press). By day, I write a three-times-a-week column for Oregon's second-largest newspaper, "The Register-Guard." Beyond my 15 books, I've had stories chosen for six "Chicken Soup for the Soul" inspirational books and been published in Sports Illustrated, Reader's Digest, Runner's World and Los Angeles Times magazines.The Beachside Writers Workshop I founded is now in its seventh year in the Oregon coast town of Yachats, so small that our 50-person gatherings actually swell the population each year!Specialties: Speaking, writing, teaching.
Listed skills include Storytelling, Publishing, Journalism, Public Speaking, and 29 others.