I believe that the most profound shifts happen when we move past the polished highlight reels and start sharing the messy, authentic truth. I don’t just stand behind a podium and read bullet points; I use real-life narratives to dismantle the barriers between the stage and the seats. By sharing the honest highs and the difficult lows of my own journey, I aim to give the audience permission to embrace their own paths, leaving them not just entertained, but genuinely equipped to tackle their next challenge.
This commitment to honest storytelling has taken me to incredible stages including (but not limited to) Creative Mornings, Creative South (2x!), Weapons of Mass Creation (2x!), Crop Cons, Reimagine, High Five (2x!), Fusion Conf, AdFed, TopCon and numerous AIGA chapters across the country. However, my passion for speaking isn't limited to industry professionals. I find equal joy and purpose in connecting with the next generation, frequently speaking to high school and college classrooms.
Why is the title of the talk "At Least No One Shit On My Sidewalk Today?" Well, that's one of the most outrageous stories that happened during the studios tenure and believe it or not it was only one of many "what is happening today?!" events that unfolded on a single day.
From 1999 through 2021 I ran Hey! Monkey Design & Print–a multidisciplinary design studio specializing in branding, illustration, screen printing and creative community building. Big wins, big losses, divorce, bankruptcy, flooding, riots, lifelong relationships built, watching a city transform around me and looking back and seeing how it all transformed me. Packed with stories, takeaways, heed this warning moments and how I have come to define what I thought was a failed chapter in my life as one of the most successful.
