Speaking
Keynotes, breakouts, and half-day workshops built for educators, counselors, leaders, youth-serving organizations, and the conferences that bring them together.
Signature Topics
Every talk can be adapted to a 45-minute keynote, a 90-minute breakout, or a half-day workshop.
Educators · Counselors · Helping Professionals
The signature keynote. A reminder, backed by Melvin's lived story, that the smallest act of belief — a door held open, a question asked twice, a name remembered — is the work that saves lives.
Leadership · DEI · Corporate · Nonprofit
Belief is a leadership skill. This talk turns Melvin's journey into a playbook for managers and executives building cultures where people grow, stay, and bring their second-chance stories with them.
Youth · Community · Faith · Reentry
An unflinching story of trauma, prison, redemption, and the people who refused to give up. Equal parts witness and call-to-action — calibrated for youth audiences, families, and the adults who serve them.
PD Days · Staff Retreats · Half-day intensives
A facilitated session built on the seventeen practices from the expanded edition of the book. Teams leave with shared language, a personal mentor commitment, and a plan they actually use.
Ideal for: school-district PD days · education & counseling conferences · mentorship and youth-serving organizations · juvenile-justice & reentry events · nonprofit galas · faith & community gatherings · corporate leadership and DEI programs.
“Melvin didn't just speak to our staff — he reminded them why they walked into this building in the first place. People were crying. Then they got back to work the next morning with new fire.
“I have been to a hundred conference keynotes. This was the one our team is still quoting to each other a year later.
“Melvin gave our young people something I couldn't: a mirror. He showed them what's on the other side of the choices they're making right now.
Tell Melvin about your event, your team, and what your audience needs to hear right now.
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