Nika Maples

Nika Maples, a native Texan, never thought she would become a teacher. By her sophomore year in college everything changed …

In 1994, a lupus-induced stroke left Maples quadriplegic. She could not speak, swallow, or blink. In intensive care, she listened as physicians warned her family that she had as little as 48 hours to live. If she lived at all, they said, she could be expected to remain unresponsive. She had lost all functionality and had no hope of recovery, so doctors suggested an assisted living facility as the only option for Maples's future. Against all odds, she walked back onto her college campus on her own two feet. The lessons she learned from quadriplegia will always be a part of her heart.

A stark reality became clearer to her by the day: Life is brief and brilliant. Whatever we choose to do with our handful of moments on earth, it is critical that we make those moments significant by serving others. She could think of no better way to serve than to educate and encourage young people. After she had taught in a public high school for only four years, the Texas Education Agency honored Maples by naming her 2007 Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year. She became a motivational speaker, drawing on her experiences to inspire others at various events, including the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women Luncheon.

Currently, Maples shares her message of hope and endurance with education, business, and church groups. Audiences respond to her humorous and heartfelt stories with warmth and enthusiasm. Almost everyone walks away with a renewed sense of purpose. She emphasizes the power of resilience and faithfulness through personal crises in her speeches, encouraging her audiences to become "hope hunters" in their everyday challenges.

Maples holds a BS in mass communications from Texas Wesleyan University and an MA in English education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her teaching philosophy is simple. Teachers, as academic physicians, must not remove “educational life support” from any student, no matter how seemingly hopeless the situation. She has authored the book "Hunting Hope: Dig Through the Darkness to Find the Light" and delivered a TEDx talk titled "What Paralysis Taught Me About True Strength," further cementing her role as a key figure in motivational speaking. She helps Christian coaches, speakers, and influencers learn how to write books.