Joel Goldstein

Acclaimed author, speaker, educator and businessman, Joel Goldstein’s presentation is all about resilience and optimism. His son’s severe traumatic brain injury and epic comeback serve as a platform from which he explores how each of us can learn to face life’s toughest challenges with humor, resilience, creativity and grace.

Joel focuses on outside-the box, life-enhancing practices and critical thinking skills –delivering a message of hope that better outcomes to life's harshest challenges may be possible by taking an active, creative, enlightened approach. No guarantees - but better than a fighting chance against even apparently intractable problems.

His warmth, humor, wisdom and humanity inform and inspire audiences, who report time and again putting his helpful ideas to immediate practical use.

He believes that resilience and even optimism can be learned, and he engages his audience by drawing on insights of philosophers, psychologists, ministers, military commanders, adventurers and humorists.

His critically acclaimed book "No Stone Unturned: A Father’s Memoir of His Son’s Encounter with Traumatic Brain Injury," has been embraced by health and rehabilitation professionals, universities, and civilian and military caregivers. His innovative techniques and uplifting insights help participants take meaningful steps towards a less stressful and more satisfying life – even when faced with grave medical conditions or other unpredictable crises of life.

One of his more popular presentations tackles methods for evaluating which complementary and emerging therapies are safe and likely to work, then delivers practical advice for keeping on track toward improved health - while preserving one’s balance, optimism and sense of humor. Persons struggling with traumatic brain injury, stroke, PTSD, Autism, mental illness, addiction, cancer and other grave conditions as well as caregivers and health professionals have found his advice useful and inspiring.

Joel’s passion is working with young people: he did some adjunct teaching at a couple of local colleges, was Director of Camp Mujigae, the largest Korean Heritage Camp for Adopted Children in the country (still sits on its board), and served on a couple of YMCA boards including a stint as president of one.

He has written for Exceptional Parent Magazine, Adoption Today, Brainline.org, and Military Special Needs Network and been a guest speaker on NPR, radio and television. His interest in using critical thinking skills to help solve problems goes back to his teaching days, when he co-wrote the film series for young adults, "Thinking Things Through: Solving Problems/Making Decisions."

Joel’s dynamic, often hilarious keynotes have delighted and motivated audiences from Wall Street to medical societies. A master story teller, he is guaranteed to touch hearts, minds and funny-bones , delivering powerful messages to both consumer and health professional audiences. Care-giving audiences especially appreciate the manner in which he deals with the grim reality of chronic illness, proving that creativity, humor, faith and informed perseverance can transcend tragedy. Everyone in the audience leaves with something useful in terms of their own struggles, more likely to proceed with hope, rather than cave to fear and doubt.

Joel is based in the Hudson River Valley, within driving distance of NYC, Boston and Philadelphia.