I've been a public speaker almost as long as I've been a writer. I've spoken both virtually and in person. The venues have been as diverse as writing seminars, college alumni chapter gatherings, and life forums.

Public speaking is a combination of subject knowledge and confidence. It's also about exciting your audience with what you have to say. It's something that can be learned at any age. The longer you do it, the easier it will get and the more confident you will become.

Someone once asked me my philosophy of life. My answer was a simple one; to leave this place a little bit better off than I found it. I can't think of a better way to achieve that goal than to start every creative thought with a what if moment.

Every advancement of the human species has begun with those two words. For example, we looked up at the moon and asked, "What if we could send humans down to the surface and bring them back safely?" We were able to achieve that and so much more. Since then, advances in space related sciences have made life on planet Earth so much better for everyone.

From people asking questions beginning with those two words, came satellites that warn us of impending, devastating storms and help keep us from getting lost in unfamiliar territory. From the what if desire to bring people closer together to share their lives, experiences, and knowledge, came the Internet.

I started out as a reporter, became a magazine feature writer, then moved on to my present career as a nonfiction and fiction author. Each one of those stages was a what if moment. In the process, I embraced the technological world and became a podcaster, blogger, and streamer. Everything I've ever written tells a story. Some of the stories are factual, while some of them are fictional. My best stories are both.

What if moments can be powerful and life changing. I grew up in a wheelchair. Every expert said I would never leave it. I believed them until the day I had my what if moment. I accomplished what they said was impossible before my 21st birthday.

That's why I love writing. It unlocks the mind to the possibilities of the impossible. Everyone has impossible dreams that can become reality if they can unlock the creativity that asks the question that is their what if moment.

I would love to help you turn the key that unlocks your creative mind while we both make this place a little bit better off than we found it.