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The Promise Blog
Announcements

The ETA on CEP from NSA is ASAP

  There are so many acronyms nowadays its tough to know which ones not to use. IYKYK Thankfully, an organization I have belonged to for over 20 years, the National Speakers Association, has put together a new designation that is yet another acronym worth knowing: CEP – Certified Emcee Professional     I am pleased to be recognized in the CEP Charter Group along with some of my outstanding Emcee peers: Quinn Conyers Tom Pesce Rob Ferre Dr. Genie Snyder     To earn this designation I documented: • 100+ events over five years, with client names, dates and fees • 10 client evaluations, scored by the people who hired me • Video from real stages, not a sizzle reel • Verified income from emcee work across multiple years Emceeing and hosting events is a discipline, and shouldn’t ever really be left to someone on your team (unless they’re incredible at it, which is ridiculously rare). Executives need to have their moment to shine, and not be seen so much handling hosting duties that it becomes a “no longer special moment” to the audience every time the Executive takes the stage. The more you give them their spots, as an

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September 23, 2026 No Comments
Announcements

25 Episodes on the Podcast, this week: Young Washington and Alaska

If you asked me a year ago how many podcasts I’d host in 2026 I would have hemmed and hawed, “Probably 10, or maybe about one a month”. And that is the answer I had given for nearly a decade since everyone told me I should have a podcast. Well, this week we crossed over into rare territory, having just done our 25th episode. Link HERE if you’d like to WATCH on YouTube, or link HERE if you prefer to listen as a podcast.     Why celebrate 25? Lots of reasons – that’s more than I have ever personally hosted cumulatively in my career, and we have kept at it weekly with few exceptions! My wife and I celebrated 25 years of marriage this year, and that’s a big milestone, so 25 fits in this context. Also, we are celebrating 250 years of America, and as July wraps up, it has been a wonderful month of looking back at our incredible, divine, and important history as a country. So, 25 episodes in, I’m talking about a movie I saw recently, by Angel Studios, titled “Young Washington”. Don’t wait to see it later on TV. Go to the theaters. It’s

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July 24, 2026 No Comments
Family

Last Day at 47

  My 48th birthday was Wednesday, June 24. On Tuesday, as I considered the final day of my year at 47, I sat at the car dealership where we bought our Toyota Sienna minivan 15 years ago, nearing 200,000 miles, and all the memories in the world as the only car that has remained with us so long. The technician came in, after 2 hours of my wondering, and gave me the diagnosis: he could fix $1,978 worth of issues. I found that number particularly ironic, as that was the year of my birth. As I declined most of what he suggested, since it was more “you should do this eventually” than an emergency issue just yet, he agreed that what is being recommended is actually quite far from being broken. I often feel like this car. I have some miles on me at this point. 40’s are interesting. I’ve heard 50’s are really interesting! As I cross the threshold to 48 there are some people reading this thinking, “Oh man, you just wait!” or “My goodness, to be 48 again!” Those reading this who are younger may think, “It can’t be that dramatic”. Yes, it actually is. I spend

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June 25, 2026 4 Comments
Engagement

The Mother’s Day Promise

  Happy Mother’s Day to the special women reading this and the ones we celebrate at this wonderful time of year. I tend to also prefer to include the most important girls, young ladies, and all women in my life on this day, as some may not have reached the age to be a Mother yet, or have found a different path in fulfilling their life’s purpose, and I am hopeful all feel welcomed and loved on this day. My Mother, Marsha, had a birthday a few months ago. She is in terrific health, it is astounding to watch her play with the grandkids and being so mobile, as if she’s never slowed at all even in her 70th decade of life. A few weeks ago I felt it important to celebrate my Mom’s birthday, and the upcoming Mother’s Day, with a special trip including my wife, Tami, my daughter Ella, and my sister, Haylee. Ella left for Juneau, Alaska for the summer on May 1, so we had only a limited amount of time to be together in April. I had seen that a classic movie is playing at The Sphere in Las Vegas, one that has been a

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May 4, 2026 6 Comments
Uncategorized

Best Wisdom Teeth Removal Experience: What to Expect from a Top Oral Surgeon

It’s one of those moments every parent knows is coming—but still hopes goes perfectly. Your child needs their wisdom teeth removed. For us, it came just before a major life moment—our son preparing to leave on a two-year church mission to Antigua, Guatemala, a beautiful place… but not exactly where you want to deal with complications from oral surgery. So yes—we were nervous. You’ve heard the stories:The swelling. The pain. The uncertainty.And of course… whatever comes out of your kid’s mouth on the way back from anesthesia. Suddenly, you’re not just a parent—you’re the decision-maker.Choosing the right person matters. That’s exactly where we found ourselves. And what we experienced was far more than a routine procedure. It completely changed the way we think about oral surgery. Enter: Dr. Dayne Jensen at Legacy Heights We were referred by a trusted friend—the kind who does her homework and only recommends the best. She led us exactly where we needed to go. From the first interaction, Dr. Jensen stood out. Kind. Patient. A great sense of humor.But more than that—he genuinely cared.   Our son Romney (18), trying to be brave, had two main concerns: “I don’t want it to hurt like my

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April 2, 2026 No Comments
Uncategorized

The TSA Line Changed Me

Let me be honest with you—I have not been a fan of TSA. If you travel, you already know what I mean. Every agent seems to tell you something different. Shoes on, shoes off. Laptop out, laptop stays in. One person asks for your ID, the next one wonders why you even have it out. It feels like chaos, and I’ve stood in those lines plenty of times thinking, this is the worst. But something changed for me recently, and I didn’t expect it to come from TSA of all places. Here’s the situation: TSA agents in many places right now are still showing up to work… without getting paid. That stopped me. Because suddenly, I’m standing there mildly annoyed about my bag getting flagged, and the person helping me through the line hasn’t received a paycheck. It forced me to pause and ask a question I hadn’t considered before: Do I still get to be frustrated right now? And more importantly—what am I actually looking at here? Because it’s not just a job being done. It’s a promise being kept. No paycheck. No guarantee. No applause. And yet, they show up. That’s when this became less about TSA and

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March 28, 2026 10 Comments
Announcements

When The Promise Changes

  This blog has been written, without a miss, for a decade, delivered every Sunday without fail. Truthfully, I am stunned I’ve done anything this long, and it’s now time for a new promise. Last week, between BLACK FRIDAY CYBER MONDAY GIVING TUESDAY WHATEVER WEDNESDAY …I received more emails of annoyance from companies, peers, and causes than I could keep up with. I was hitting the UNSUBSCRIBE button so fast, being sent to the outer reaches of “Manage my Profile to End your Subscription” and other daunting tasks placed upon me (“do you want to report this as SPAM?”) to release the grip of consumerism, that I nearly gave up! But I didn’t – and I rid myself of many needless distractions, sales I don’t want to be sold on, charities I’d never heard of but didn’t have any money left to give to (already supporting many others), and probably hurt the feelings of my friends whose email lists they stuck me on because we once emailed each other…and they probably check who drops more than I do. It’s too much information, and if I’m interested I’ll come knocking. What I can say to you, Dear Reader, is that I

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December 6, 2024 34 Comments
Leadership

When to Shut Up

  There is wisdom in silence. The tour guides who took us through some of history’s greatest monuments and artistic masterpieces, had so much knowledge and information, it was as if they couldn’t slow the train of thought down enough for us to compute what we had just learned. Multiple times I had to take my earpiece out, as the tour guide with microphone continued to jabber their PhD worth of genius, in order to have a moment of quiet alone with the surroundings and my own thought. It was the final tour guide, Ennio, who understood the assignment and power of being silent. We were briefed for nearly 3 hours about what we were to witness as we sauntered through hallways of artwork: the sacred and complex Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, next to Rome, Italy, where no photos and little talking was allowed. This is, after all, where each pope is decided upon by cardinals in debate and spiritual election, holding the historic papal conclave, as the world watches and waits for black or white smoke to emerge. As we craned our necks to view the ceiling that changed the world, we enjoyed perfect silence, having our

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November 28, 2024 2 Comments
Uncategorized

The Parking Promise

  I am consistently promised a good parking spot for the events I speak and perform for – to make for easier load in, convenience, and to feel extra special. Truthfully, I am consistently disappointed by the broken promises of event planners who forget to follow through with The Parking Promise. However, once in a while, a miracle happens, and the parking spot comes through! It’s so rare, in fact, you get a post about it.   Saturday night, September 7, 2024, I had the opportunity to perform at the Delta Center in my town, SLC, Utah – home of the Utah Jazz. I truly thought this is where I would make a living someday doing a different profession…watch the video below to find out!   The last time I was promised a loading dock spot, I brought my entire family and was shamefully turned away by the security guard because “Jason Hewlett” was not on the manifest. We parked 1/4 mile away from the arena, on a snowy, freezing day.   So this time I decided not to bring my family just in case I was turned away…and lo and behold! I was let in!     My wife

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September 8, 2024 No Comments

The Final Retreat

For years, I had what was known in our home as Mentor Mondays. This was due to so many texts, emails, and phone calls from executives, hopeful speakers, and struggling entertainers to “pick my brain” over lunch. Eventually my brain had been picked, pecked, and prodded over enough soggy salads at lunches around Utah that we shifted things to say: Can you come to me and let’s talk? We funneled everyone to Mondays, into 2 hour time slots and a revolving door of mentoring that sometimes saw people from 8AM-8PM learning the craft of running a business, following their dreams, and keeping The Promise to their hopes in life. It was my best way of giving back, after I had the same experience to begin my career, where Chris Poulos had welcomed me into his home, free of charge, to sit on his couch and learn from the greatest philosopher and spiritual mentor I could have asked for outside of my own wonderful parents growing up.     For years, day and night, I came and went to the Poulos household in Orem, UT, with his lovely spouse Gail in the background doing genealogy work at the living room table,

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August 23, 2024 4 Comments

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