Students & Young People
Conversations about vision, resilience, attitude, relationships, responsibility, empathy, and the everyday choices that shape who we become.
Live With Dr. Rod
Ideas Are Powerful. The Right Conversation Makes Them Stick.
Dr. Rod brings stories, humor, leadership lessons, and real conversation together to create experiences that connect with people long after the event is over.
From students and educators to parents, organizations, and community audiences, every experience begins with the people in the room and what they need most.
The best conversations don't end when the event does.
More Than a Speech
People Remember How an Idea Made Them See Something Differently.
Dr. Rod doesn't approach speaking as a one-way transfer of information. He uses stories, questions, humor, real-life situations, and memorable leadership ideas to invite audiences into the conversation.
The goal isn't simply to create an inspiring moment. It's to give people language and ideas they can recognize in their own lives, continue talking about with others, and put into practice when they leave the room.
- 1
Story
Make the idea memorable.
Stories and metaphors give people something they can picture, remember, and return to.
- 2
Connection
Make the idea personal.
The strongest leadership ideas become meaningful when people can recognize themselves in them.
- 3
Action
Give the idea somewhere to go.
Audiences leave with something worth thinking about, talking about, or doing differently.
Hear ItSee Yourself in ItUse It
Different Rooms. Human Conversations.
Leadership Matters Wherever People Are Growing.
The audience may change, but many of the questions don't. How do we respond when things get difficult? Who influences us? What do we do with our own influence? How do we become someone others can count on?
Educators
Leadership ideas that help educators think about influence, connection, resilience, culture, and the young people they guide every day.
Parents & Mentors
Meaningful conversations about helping young people develop confidence, character, resilience, responsibility, empathy, and a stronger sense of who they are.
Organizations & Community Audiences
Human-centered leadership conversations about influence, relationships, attitude, responsibility, empathy, and becoming someone others can count on.
Different audiences. Different experiences. The same belief that leadership begins with how we choose to show up.
What We Can Talk About
Leadership Shows Up in More Places Than We Realize.
Dr. Rod's work explores leadership through ideas people can recognize in everyday life. Speaking experiences can draw from these themes individually or bring several together around the needs of the audience.
Inspired by the leadership ideas explored throughout Dr. Rod's books, classrooms, mentoring, and programs.
- 01
Vision
Seeing beyond where you are and choosing a direction worth moving toward.
- 02
Resilience
Learning how to take the hit, learn from setbacks, and keep moving.
- 03
Energy
Recognizing what you bring into a room and how your energy affects the people around you.
- 04
Connection
Understanding the influence of the people around us and becoming the kind of person who helps others grow.
- 05
Attitude
Choosing how we meet circumstances even when we cannot control everything that happens.
- 06
Ownership
Taking responsibility for our choices, our word, our effort, our mistakes, and our influence.
- 07
Empathy
Learning to see beyond ourselves, understand before judging, and help others feel valued.
The Experience
The Audience Isn't Watching the Conversation. They're Part of It.
Dr. Rod's background as an educator shapes the way he communicates. He doesn't simply talk at a room. He reads it, asks questions, uses humor, tells stories, and creates moments that invite people to think along with him.
That might mean a room full of students recognizing themselves in an animal metaphor. It might mean educators reconsidering the influence of an everyday interaction. It might mean parents thinking differently about the conversations happening at home.
The format changes. The connection matters every time.
- Engaging, Not Performative
- Thoughtful, Not Preachy
- Practical, Not Abstract
Built for the Room
The Format Should Serve the Conversation.
Some ideas need a stage. Others need a smaller room and more time. Dr. Rod's live experiences can be shaped around the audience, setting, goals, and level of interaction that makes sense for the event.
Keynotes & Featured Talks
Story-driven leadership experiences for conferences, events, organizations, and larger audiences.
Student Assemblies
Engaging leadership conversations designed to make meaningful ideas understandable and memorable for young people.
Workshops & Smaller Groups
More interactive experiences with room for discussion, reflection, questions, and practical application.
Parent & Educator Experiences
Conversations for the adults who guide young people and want practical ways to continue leadership development beyond the event.
Not sure which format makes sense? Start with the audience and the goal. We'll figure out the format together.
A Different Kind of Leadership Conversation
The Message Comes From More Than a Stage.
Dr. Rod's perspective has been shaped by years spent helping people grow in very different settings. As an educator, mentor, author, and longtime chiropractor, he has spent his career listening to people, asking questions, helping them navigate challenges, and encouraging them to recognize what they are capable of.
His own experience earning a doctorate despite dyslexia also shaped his belief that the challenges we encounter don't have to define where we finish.
Today, those experiences come together in conversations about leadership that are practical, personal, and grounded in everyday life.
Built Around the People in the Room
Start With What Your Audience Needs.
You don't need to choose a speech from a menu before reaching out. Tell us who will be in the room, why they're gathering, and what you hope they will carry with them afterward.
- 01
Your Audience
Who will be in the room.
- 02
Your Goal
What you want them thinking about, talking about, or taking with them.
- 03
Your Setting
Conference, organization, community event, workshop, parent gathering, student event, or another setting.
- 04
The Right Experience
Together, we'll determine the conversation and format that make the most sense.
AudienceGoalSettingRight Experience
Let's Start a Conversation
Tell Dr. Rod About Your Event.
Share what you're planning, who will be there, and what you're hoping to create. You don't need to have every detail figured out yet.
A Great Talk Can Fill an Hour. A Great Idea Can Stay With Someone for Years.
Let's create a conversation worth carrying with them.