Damon West
M.S. in Criminal Justice with a Life-Sentence on Parole, Keynote Speaker & Addiction, Recovery and Behavioral Health Advocate
Damon West
M.S. in Criminal Justice with a Life-Sentence on Parole, Keynote Speaker & Addiction, Recovery and Behavioral Health Advocate
Biography
Damon West, M.S. Criminal Justice, is a college professor, internationally known keynote speaker, 3 x Wall Street Journal bestselling author and former crime boss in Dallas, who was sentenced to Life in prison for Organized Crime.
USA Today calls him the “modern day Shawshank Redemption and the most in-demand speaker in America.”
At 20 years old, he was a Division 1 starting quarterback at the University of North Texas, when he suffered a career ending injury and turned to hardcore drugs to cope with disappointments of life.
After graduation, he worked in the United States Congress and trained to be a stockbroker for United Bank of Switzerland (UBS).
One day at UBS, he was introduced to methamphetamines; he became instantly hooked—and the lives of so many innocent people would forever be changed by the choices he made in order to feed his insatiable meth habit.
After a fateful discussion during his incarceration with a seasoned convict, Damon had a spiritual awakening. He learned that, like a coffee bean changing with the application of heat and pressure, he was capable of changing the environment around him. Armed with a program of recovery, a renewed faith, and a miraculous second chance at life, Damon emerged from over seven years of prison a changed man.
On parole in Texas until 2073, his story is one of hope, redemption, grit and the resilience of the Human spirit.
Position Determines Perspective
Servant Leadership: The Secret To Life
Designed for school assemblies, community groups and athletes, this program is focused and personalized for school-aged audiences everywhere. Before coming in to speak to your group, Damon will learn what the most serious issues are in your community and address them as part of his presentation. This event begins with a two-minute video introducing Damon and a PowerPoint presentation plays behind him as speaks to his audience, bringing awareness to addiction and recovery and encouraging the audience to be a positive force for change. Additionally, Damon will end with a Call To Action, to be like the coffeebean from his story. At the conclusion of the event, Damon will field questions from the audience on any and all topics he discussed.
Overcoming Adversity: The Damon West Story
In this intimate and personal presentation, Damon shares his cautionary tale and message of hope in a brutally honest presentation with a microphone and PowerPoint playing behind him. This event begins with a two-minute video introducing Damon. The PowerPoint is controlled remotely by Damon, highlighting and narrating, with pictures and videos, the life-lessons (good and bad) he learned along the way. Damon takes his audience on an emotional journey from childhood sexual abuse, adolescent addiction and living with ADHD, playing Division 1 football, working in the United States Congress and ultimately working for one of the biggest Wall Street banks, UBS, before being introduced to meth. His nightmare life of meth-addicted crime and receiving the maximum punishment (Life) is vividly described. The survival stories on the life-sentence building inside a Texas maximum security prison and the lessons he learned while incarcerated, which ultimately delivered him into recovery, are spell-binding and riveting. Additionally, Damon will end with a Call To Action, to be like the coffeebean from his story. At the conclusion of the event, Damon will field questions from the audience on any and all topics he discussed.
Core Values of Your Team: Inspire to Your Full Potential
This presentation is designed for businesses and corporations to realize their full potential and stay ahead of the competition. For maximum effectiveness, Damon will personalize his story with the core values and goals of your business or organization, splicing valuable lessons and life-changing realizations he learned along the way (both in maximum security prison and after he was paroled) with your organization’s story and mission statement. Damon will build a PowerPoint (subject to your approval) to deliver one of the most powerful stories of overcoming adversity against the most extreme odds. The themes of character, grit, goals, determination and winning the day are paramount in this presentation. Additionally, Damon will end with a Call To Action, to be like the coffeebean from his story. At the conclusion of the event, Damon will field questions from the audience on any and all topics he discussed.
Position Determines Perspective: The Healthy Student
Through his position in life, Damon offers the students a unique perspective on life-balance, discipline, choices, and the consequences of decisions. Using his collegiate experience as both a student-athlete and a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, Damon expands on misguided priorities, drug and alcohol abuse, and the forks-in-the-road he faced. This event begins with a two-minute video introducing Damon and a PowerPoint presentation plays behind him as speaks to his audience. At the conclusion of the event, Damon will field questions from the audience on any and all topics he discussed.
Convocations: Inspirational Keynote for Educators
Hear the message that school districts all over the country are implementing as their motto: Be A Coffee Bean! This presentation is designed for school districts and academic institutions wanting to both motivate their teachers and staff, as well as implement the vitally important message of the coffee bean - that the power to change any situation is within you, not in the outside forces around you. In this presentation, Damon will not only tell his personal story of the coffee bean, he will also talk about the five ways of becoming a coffee bean. Additionally, Damon will end with a Call To Action, to be like the coffeebean from his story. At the conclusion of the event, Damon will field questions from the audience on any and all topics he discussed and do book signings where requested.
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