Internationally bestselling author, coach, and keynote speaker, Richard has pioneered the way we answer that question. Widely viewed as a pioneer of the global purpose movement, his work is featured regularly in many media sources including PBS public television and NPR public radio. His PBS Special – The Power of Purpose – was viewed by millions of people across the U.S. He has taken his purpose message to all 50 states, Canada, and on four continents.
Richard is the founder of Inventure – The Purpose Company, a firm created to guide individuals to live, work, and lead on purpose. He is ranked by Forbes as one of the “Top 5” most respected coaches and is a contributing author to many coaching books. He is one of a select few coaches who have been invited to work with over 100,000 leaders from over 100 organizations such as AARP, Ameriprise, Ericsson, Habitat for Humanity, Mayo Clinic, Jackson Financial, National Football League, United Health Group, Sharecare, and the U.S. Dept of State.
Along the way, Richard has written eleven books, including three best sellers, which have sold over one million copies and have been translated into 20 languages. Repacking Your Bags and The Power of Purpose are considered classics in the personal growth field. His latest book, Who Do You Want to Be When You Grow Old makes the case for a new kind of elderhood and the value of purposeful aging.
Richard holds a master’s degree in Counseling and is a National Certified Counselor, and a National Certified Master Career Counselor. His work has been recognized with many awards including a Bush Fellowship from the Bush Foundation, and the Outstanding Scholar for Creative Longevity and Wisdom award from the Fielding Institute. Richard is a Senior Fellow at the University of Minnesota’s acclaimed Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing and is a Public Fellow at the Notre Dame Institute of Advanced Study where he also partners with their Inspired Leadership Initiative and the Office of the Provost.
For over 30 years, he has led Inventure Expedition walking safaris in Tanzania, where he is on the board of the Dorobo Fund for Tanzania.
During his career, Richard has addressed more than two million people worldwide in his speeches to corporate, association, and social service groups. He and his wife, Sally, live in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area.
