Steve Donahue

Biography

At the age of 22 Steve Donahue had his life all mapped out. He was living his dream as a professional disco dance teacher. Steve had it all; money, fame and plenty of dance partners. Then disco died. But Steve learned a valuable lesson; never bet your life on shiny shirts and tight pants. He also remembered not to trust maps.

Just two years previous Steve crossed the Sahara Desert. Battered by relentless sandstorms, tormented by searing heat and freezing nights, never knowing if the speck on the horizon would be a friend or foe, Steve found his way in the world`s largest desert. He discovered that only a compass could guide you across shifting sands.

With the timing honed as a standup comedian Steve keeps audiences laughing. But his message is as serious as a sandstorm bearing down on your caravan: you must keep moving in the right direction even when the terrain is shifting. For twenty years Steve Donahue has inspired people to find and follow their compass in a changing world.

A consummate storyteller, clients have described his presentations as "spellbinding", "magical" and "flawless". One of Steve`s gifts is the ability to engage and captivate international audiences. He recently addressed 8,000 financial planners from 85 countries at the Million Dollar Round Table. Steve is also a professional coach, documentary filmmaker and an international bestselling author. His first book, Shifting Sands; A Guidebook for Crossing the Deserts of Change, has sold over 75,000 copies. It is available in English, Korean, Russian, Turkish and Greek.

Publications

Shifting Sands:
A Guidebook for Crossing the Deserts of Change

The gripping story of Steve Donahue`s odyssey across the Sahara Desert is a metaphor for transitional times in our lives. Donahue shows that, unlike the mountains that populate our cultural metaphors -- with clear routes and identifiable peaks -- much of life more closely resembles a desert. We get lost, we get stuck, we chase mirages and the journey seems endless.

Marriage. Divorce. Career change. Corporate reorganization. Raising a child. Living with a chronic illness. You may not know exactly where you are going, how to get there, or how to tell when you`ve arrived. Donahue skillfully intersperses the true tale of his harrowing adventure with `Six Rules of Desert Travel` that will help you to gracefully cross all your personal deserts. These rules, which include `Follow a Compass, Not a Map,` `Travel Alone Together` and `Don`t Stop at False Borders` -- will guide you in discovering your direction, finding your personal oases, and embracing each step of your desert journeys.

Shifting Sands is a thoroughly engaging and enjoyable read that is certain to shift your outlook on life. Steve Donahue`s stories and lessons capture the human condition in a deeply profound way and will captivate and enrich anyone who picks this book up.`

Titles

FOLLOW A COMPASS, NOT A MAP
The most important journeys cannot be mapped out because you have to cross uncharted territory. The challenge is to keep heading in the right direction under constantly changing conditions and ever increasing uncertainty. This electrifying keynote will help you find direction and seize opportunities by following your compass across the shifting sands of work and life.

PLAY TO YOUR STRENGTHS IF YOU WANT TO PERFORM
The secret of success is to identify your inherent giftedness and turn that specific talent into performance. Based on a lifetime of leveraging his uniqueness, Steve Donahue shares his own 15 years of strength-based research and coaching to help you discover, develop and deliver your genius in the situations where you can have the greatest impact.

THE MORE YOU STOP THE FARTHER YOU GO
The only way to cross the Sahara Desert is to stop at every oasis. This is where you replenish your water supplies, refuel your vehicle and renew relationships with fellow travelers. Skipping an oasis means almost certain death. This presentation shows how to identify and protect your essential oases so that you always have gas in your tank, a clear direction and travel as a team.

OASIS - an Interactive Board Game
OASIS is a fun and interactive training that builds employee engagement, improves work/life balance and clarifies personal and corporate direction. Table groups compete in teams to outperform each other in the desert challenge. Lessons learned transfer immediately to work and life. This is a great follow-up training to a Steve Donahue keynote or as an interactive conference session.