Choose the theme
Start with the people in the room
Organizers can choose a prepared program or begin with the audience—general readers, veterans, leaders, caregivers, book clubs, or LGBTQ+ communities.
Here We Go
À la carte: choose what serves the room.
A book-reading breakout class pairs selected passages from Here We Go with reflection, audience questions, conversation, and—when the event calls for it—a live signing experience.
The readings are shaped around the audience and the emotional appetite of the gathering. They share meaningful stories without giving away the book’s most important later turns.
A breakout class, not a lecture
Reading opens the door. Conversation carries it forward.
I begin with a specific human moment and let the audience discover its meaning before we talk about it together. The goal is not to prescribe a lesson or ask anyone to become fearless. It is to make room for better questions.
Hear the work
Stories before explanations
Humor, tension, tenderness, and lived experience carry the ideas. Short transitions connect the passages without turning the reading into a second keynote.
Stay with the question
Reflection, discussion, and signing
The session can open into audience questions and a live signing, giving people time to engage with both the book and the conversation around it.
Prepared programs
Five ways into the book.
Each program has a distinct emotional center and can be adjusted to fit the room. The descriptions below are intentionally spoiler-conscious.
The Fear That Needed EvidenceGeneral audiences · Leadership · Veterans · 13–16 minutes, plus optional conversationMoreLess
A convenience-store encounter and a practiced delay in reacting explore what can happen when we question fear before obeying it.
Questions this program can open
- What has fear predicted that later proved untrue?
- What evidence could change the next decision?
- When could ten seconds make a difference?
A Little Help Goes a Long WayVeterans · Leaders · Libraries · 12–15 minutes, plus optional conversationMoreLess
From a ceremonial rifle to ordinary moments of welcome, these readings show that help does not need to be dramatic to matter.
Questions this program can open
- Who helped carry something difficult?
- When has a small action changed the weight of a moment?
- How can leaders make help easier to accept?
The Girl Who Crossed the StreetLGBTQ+ gatherings · Bookstores · General audiences · 19–22 minutes, plus optional conversationMoreLess
Humor, weather, imperfect preparation, and an unfamiliar room frame the practical difficulty—and unexpected possibility—of letting oneself be seen.
Questions this program can open
- Which preparations help, and which become obstacles?
- What does welcome feel like in an unfamiliar room?
- What changes when an imagined outcome meets reality?
The Many Meanings of Being SeenLGBTQ+ communities · Book clubs · Wellness gatherings · 18–21 minutes, plus optional conversationMoreLess
Three quiet encounters explore validation, recognition, and what an uncomplicated welcome can change.
Questions this program can open
- What does being seen mean beyond being noticed?
- When has recognition changed an experience?
- How can we welcome someone without imposing a standard?
Unexpected Gifts, Lasting RipplesLibraries · Caregivers · Community audiences · 13–16 minutes, plus optional conversationMoreLess
A family inheritance and two practical images of help ask what small gifts can mean far beyond their price or the moment in which they are given.
Questions this program can open
- What unexpected gift changed a relationship?
- Which acts of kindness remain memorable?
- What could be offered without knowing the eventual outcome?
Flexible timing
Built around the program you have.
Spoken time expands naturally with introductions, silence, audience response, and discussion. These shapes make room for that instead of rushing through the language.
5 minutes
One focused passage with a brief introduction and a final image allowed to settle.
10 minutes
One complete story, with room for context and one or two questions for the audience.
15 minutes
Two connected readings with a short bridge and time for a host-led exchange.
20–30 minutes
Three or four related passages, light transitions, audience reflection, and optional Q&A.
The most useful reading is not always the longest or most dramatic. It is the one that meets the audience where they are.
A few good starting points
Choose by audience and emotional appetite.
General audiences, bookstores, and librariesMoreLess
I can lead with an immediately recognizable human situation—misreading a stranger, preparing imperfectly for an unfamiliar room, or receiving an unexpected gift. Gentle humor and a clear narrative turn make these readings accessible even to people who know nothing about the book beforehand.
Veterans and leadership groupsMoreLess
Military experience becomes a doorway into conversations about standards, strain, support, and the decisions people make under pressure. These readings ask what useful help looks like, how leaders create direction, and why even a very small intervention can change the weight someone carries.
LGBTQ+ and transgender communitiesMoreLess
Stories of visibility, validation, welcome, and belonging can speak directly to transgender experience without treating that experience as a lesson reserved for one audience. The discussion can explore how people recognize one another, who defines the standard, and what it means to be seen without first having to qualify.
Wellness and personal-growth gatheringsMoreLess
The focus is not on becoming fearless. It is on noticing what fear predicts, comparing that prediction with evidence, and creating enough space to choose the next action. The readings remain grounded in lived experience rather than presenting one person’s choices as a universal prescription.
Book clubs and community groupsMoreLess
These gatherings can make room for quieter material about family, identity, kindness, inheritance, and the meaning people carry away from ordinary encounters. The selection can stay spoiler-conscious for new readers or move deeper when the group has already read the book.
For a dedicated chapter-reading event, a live signing can follow the discussion. At a keynote, gala, or fuller conference program, the queue-free book option lets the conversation continue while signed-book fulfillment happens afterward.