Dave Gold Speaking Topics

• If You're Not Happy, They Won't Be Either: The Impact of Parental Happiness on Child Well-Being

  What if the old adage “A parent can only be as happy as their unhappiest child” actually has it all backwards. What if a child can only be as happy as their unhappiest parent?

  When Dave Gold became a father shortly before his 50th birthday, he was confident that the wisdom and life experiences he had gleaned from decades of spiritual pursuits (studying with two “enlightened” masters) and in his career calling (as an attorney, entrepreneur, author and mentor) had sufficiently prepared him for the challenges of fatherhood.

  Not so much...

  His seemingly well-adjusted daughter began exhibiting problematic behavior in kindergarten. Tutors and therapists gave way to Wilderness Camp, residential treatment centers, life skills training, more therapy • and more heartaches. Fifteen years (and hundreds of thousands dollars later) Dave radically reevaluated how he could best love and support his daughter, since no "outside resources" had yet touched the underlying insecurities and confusion that led her to make such unhealthy, self-sabotaging choices.

  Instead. Dave turned his attention to the unmistakable correlation between the increase in his own ease, self love, and trust in life and immediate improvements in his daughter's moods and behavior. And he came to realize that he could not ask his daughter to love and respect herself if he did not in turn love and respect himself.

  Dave is now able to maintain enduring equanimity and provide his daughter with what she most needs and desires • his presence, attention, acceptance, and the unshakeable conviction that Life Is good, and that she is good. He enlightens and empowers other parents to “know” the same through his “Exceptional Parents/Extraordinary Challenges” Podcast and coaching and speaking to parents so they in turn can experience this same perfection and rightness in themselves and their children, which is the greatest gift they can give to all those they love.

• The Three Secrets to Enlightened Decision Making: How To Make Critical Life Choices Based on Peace & Preference Instead of Fear & Compulsion

  Whether it’s a world leader contemplating a declaration of war or a parent choosing the right response to a child’s misbehavior, we are invariably faced with decisions that demand that we “guess right” in what feels like every moment. And no matter how many factors we take into account or how deeply we contemplate our options, the decision-making process generally brings with it an unhealthy amount of tension, uncertainty and second guessing. And when you consider that our days consist of an endless stream of choices, whether as significant as ending a marriage or as mundane as which shoes to wear, the result is that we live our lives with a “low grade fever of angst” about the choices we’ve made or will be making.

  Ridding ourselves of this chronic anxiety doesn’t require better data or more caffeine. What’s needed is reliable access to that calm, clear, intuitive and empathetic space within, and the wisdom, discernment and trust in ourselves that is always available there.

  Dave Gold’s unique odyssey as both a 40 year spiritual seeker and mentor and a successful lawyer, entrepreneur and consultant has opened up that space within himself and for countless others whom he has coached, mentored and befriended over the years. He has distilled his lifetime of wisdom and experience into three simple yet profound questions we can ask ourselves that connect us to the wisest and best parts of ourselves, even in the midst of our most challenging decisions. Discover how to make choices from peace and preference rather than fear and compulsion. You and all those who are affected by your decisions will be better and happier for it.

Declaring a Truce in Your Lifelong War with Yourself: How to Pull the Plug on Your Perfection Project

Most of us buy into “the prevailing wisdom” that we must strive to become better versions of ourselves, to fix the things that are wrong with us and change those characteristics that others may find objectionable or unappealing.

And yet very few of us find happiness • let alone ever declare victory • as a result of our perpetual perfection project.

Dave Gold devoted over 40 years to a relentless and at times radical quest to become some idealized version of himself, spending 3 decades with demanding “enlightened” teachers while simultaneously seeking success and validation in the workplace as an attorney, entrepreneur, author, spiritual and business mentor. He experienced great success, deep spiritual insights and some great stories but never the peace, fulfillment and “comfort within his own skin” that he hoped spirituality and success would bring him.

Dave might still be chasing after that perfect version of himself • and making himself miserable in the process • had a Love Beyond His Dreams not parachuted into his life in 2014, shattering his self-image of being imperfect, undeserving and “not ready for primetime.” Dave draws upon the wisdom and stories from his remarkable 72 year life odyssey, including the incredible love story that made sense of it all to help others stop improving and start living. His authenticity and accessibility are “proofs of concept” of the truth and the power of self-acceptance, which he directly transmits with warmth and humor so that others can finally accept and perhaps even come to love themselves, • and to learn to love and trust Life along the way.

Is There Life & Love After Divorce? Finding Enduring Love After Divorce is Always an Accident - Here's How to Become "Accident Prone”

Dave Gold never imagined his life would turn into a love story.

A spiritual hero’s journey? Perhaps. After spending more than 3 decades with two unrelentingly demanding “enlightened” teachers, he expected some sort of spiritual payday, and was not disappointed.

A “rag to riches” success story? That might work. He grew a storefront law office in a backwater West Virginia town into a thriving practice that is going strong 47 years later, then co-founded and eventually sold a software company right before the tech market crashed.

But a love story? While it might have been his deepest dream since childhood, it seemed like a long shot for a divorcee who didn’t have a single date since separating from his first wife.

Then, faster than thought. Juli parachuted into his life, bringing the love that he KNEW he most hungered for, and which no amount of money or meditation could ever provide.

As Dave and Juli stepped into that love and allowed it to restructure and redefine their lives, they realized that the only thing that could have kept them apart were the limiting beliefs about love that so many of their friends who yearned for a love like theirs refused to question, let alone abandon.

In addition to recounting this beautiful love story, Dave reveals these deep-seated limiting beliefs—including the need to become a more lovable version of yourself, how love is supposed to look, and the need to somehow be “deserving" of a great love—that may be standing between you and a love beyond your deepest dreams.

Beyond Divorce: One Couple's Guide to Finding A Love Unimaginable The Second Time Around

Juli Reeves and Dave Gold, born 14 years and a thousand miles apart, both harbored a childhood dream of finding a great love, perhaps even the ultimate love. By 2014, this dream seemed far-fetched. Both had diligently honored their marital commitments, which eventually ended, leaving no prospects—and in Juli’s case, no immediate desire—for new love. When they first met, there was no spark, and they settled comfortably into a platonic friendship.

And then, faster than thought, to quote Juli “The scales fell from out eyes” and an eternal love, already fully formed, infused their lives and they knew they had found Their Forever Loves. Their connection was so profound that strangers would approach them in coffee shops and airports, curious about the unmistakable bond they shared.

As Juli and Dave embraced this extraordinary love, they allowed it to reshape their lives. They discovered that only their limiting beliefs about love could have kept them apart—beliefs held by many who yearned for a similar connection but were afraid to challenge their doubts and demands.

In addition to recounting and directly transmitting this beautiful love story, Juli and Dave expose these deep seated limiting beliefs • including the need to become a more lovable version of yourself, how love is supposed to look, and the need to somehow be “deserving’ of such a great love.

Their love is contagious, and their wisdom, transformational. Experience it for yourself.