The Story of The Stuck Dog
This is The Story of The Stuck Dog. I was out for a walk last night and had a most extraordinary experience. Feeling sorry for myself amid the current situation of losing work, the panic and fear of the virus pandemic, an earthquake near our home last week… I walked and talked in a therapeutic […]
The Last Performance
Between today and yesterday I have been on the phone all day, learning that nearly every conference I was to speak for is either canceled or postponed, leaving me with no stages for a great while. Having made my career on stage for 20 years, this has never happened. I welled up with tears […]
How Tough Can It Be? The Aspiring Speaker Checklist
This past week I received 19 – yes, NINETEEN – messages from friends, business associates, peers, and random strangers asking the same thing: “Can I take you to lunch and ask a few questions about the speaking business? I’d like to try my hand at making a career of it and thought you’d be […]
Brings a Tear to My Eye
This past week I was in Budapest speaking for the first time in my life. What an incredible adventure! The torture of sitting in the coach section of a plane when flying that long to save some money is only replaced by the torture a speaker puts themself through in order to be […]
What’s Your Arena?
Stepping into The Arena I knew I was about to fail – not just a little, but big time. I had worked on material about being a Dad very casually for 2 years, in between focusing on becoming “The Speaker”, and only performed my new comedy routine a handful of times mixed in with […]
New Year’s Promise
In a few days we ring in the new year and yes, even the new decade of 2020! Millions will set goals this week. Thousands will achieve something of them. Hundreds will stick with those goals all year long and alter their lives for good. Tens will change the world because of what they’ve […]
Another Kid’s School Concert
By December 10th our family had already been to 7 holiday concerts between school, community events, and church. This past week we faithfully trudged to yet another one…I’m just assuming you’re experiencing the same thing at this time of year! After my daughter’s dance number was over (hers was the first one) we had […]
The Parable of the Car Jump
“Sir!” she shouted as she tapped my closed car window, “Can you help me? My car needs a jump!” Her words were muffled between the phone call I had just answered and the snow storm outside. I opened the door and shouted through the storm, a bit tersely, “What do you need?” “I left the […]
The Promise to The Family
I’ll never forget the moment I realized I was the ultimate hypocrite. On a Daddy-Son Day with my then 3-year old boy, Romney, as I posted a photo on Facebook of us having a great time on our first outing just he and I, it occurred to me the very thought: This is what […]
The Promise of Change
“I’m looking to buy a Subaru Outback“, I told the salesman, “and I have a trade-in.” He looked me up and down, “What kind of trade-in you got?” “It’s an Escalade EXT, 26″ rims, black, I’ve washed it with a diaper daily for the past few years, it’s essentially brand new, beautiful, and will […]