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Steve Donahue

• Adventurer and Author: Shifting Sands: A Guidebook for Crossing the Deserts of Change


• Featured in CBC's "Nature of Things"

Programs

Follow a Compass, Not a Map

Unlike the mountains that populate our cultural metaphors - with clear routes and identifiable peaks - much of life feels like a journey over constantly shifting terrain. Success, in the Sahara and in life, requires a profound sense of personal direction and the ability to adapt to any conditions. Steve draws from his diverse experiences including his odyssey across the Sahara Desert - to impart vital yet counterintuitive lessons for both personal and professional success.

Rich in metaphors, humor, music, and photography, this one-of-a-kind keynote informs and inspires the journey of life and work.

• Unique metaphor opens minds to new possibilities


• Heartfelt message creates hope and inspires real change


• Entertaining style grabs the audience and holds their interest

The Oasis Effect

Every conference, like an oasis in the desert, is an essential meeting place for those who are on the same journey. This is an ideal opening keynote with a powerful analogy to maximize an event's impact or as a closing presentation to point energized participants in the right direction.

Destined to Succeed

Capitalize on the natural success programming that each individual is born with. This thought provoking blend of ancient wisdom and modern motivation awakens the inherent talents within each attendee. Steve guides and inspires the discovery and development of individual genius for personal and organizational success.

Crossing The Desert Without Getting Burned

This program addresses the challenges of personal and organizational renewal. While many companies know in which direction they are headed it's still not certain what things will look like when they arrive. But first the "desert" must be crossed. Clients are remarking that the desert metaphor perfectly suits the type of change they are grappling with. Learn from six powerful analogies between crossing the Sahara and making the necessary transformations to succeed in the 21st Century.

Building Teams on Shifting Sands

This program dovetails nicely with the messages in Crossing the Desert. It deals with team spirit, team morale and team cohesiveness. These issues are unavoidable now that job security has gone the way of buggy whips and typewriter ribbons. Once again the imagery is powerful. Comparisons are drawn between two types of desert teams; the French Foreign Legion and nomadic desert tribesman know as the Touarheg. Legionnaires are old style teams that no longer exist, they were driven out of the desert. The team that succeeds in the desert today is one who thrives on change and uncertainty - nomads.

The Way of the Comic Warrior

How we perceive change and stress determines their effect upon us. Humor is a tremendous tool for reframing perceptions. This presentation combines the ability of humor to create a positive outlook on stressful situations with the benefits of nature's original stress reduction technique-laughter.

Speaker Information

Sahara Desert adventurer, author, drummer, storyteller; Steve Donahue is a one person 'tour de force'. His presentations combine fast paced humour with heart-stopping tales from his desert odyssey. He's an expert at making people laugh while they learn. But he can move an audience with a touching story as well. Steve is a master at customization by crafting his message to reflect each client's uniqueness. A superb storyteller, he shares wisdom as old as humanity and never more relevant than today.

Steve's book, Shifting Sands: A Guidebook for Crossing the Deserts of Change, (Berrett-Koehler May 2004). Based on his harrowing journey across the Sahara. Shifting Sands outlines six "Rules of Desert Travel" to guide readers through deserts of life and change. Soulful yet practical, it presents the desert as a metaphorical place of change, often debunking the popular mountain-climbing metaphor that focuses on goal setting and achievement over the journey itself.

Steve has been a professional speaker since 1988. In 1994 Sharing Ideas Magazine named him a Consummate Speaker of the Year along with Margaret Thatcher and author Tom Wolfe. Steve has a good command of French and is comfortable in front of Francophone audiences.

Testimonials