Whenever I’m asked where I grew up, I must pause and take a deep breath. You see, growing up in the 1980s, where I came from, you were either a steel worker, a farmer, or a truck driver. There was no fourth category. My childhood fit somewhere between the fifth and sixth category, I guess. The only problem with that was there were not too many options.
 
I was born in the town of Winamac. Unfortunately, Kewanna, Indiana didn’t have a hospital. In fact, in 1973, in Kewanna, Indiana we had only a bar, a small store on the corner, and one stop light that blinked 24 hours a day on Logan Street. My grandpa used to say, the time it takes to wipe your own ass you could be through the town of Kewanna. Little league baseball was the most exciting spot going on in our town for 412.
 
When I spoke at the University of Notre Dame, I became captivated by speaking on a large stage. In fact, I failed in school four different times, and didn’t have a college degree. However, I was asked to share my life story to one of the best Universities in the whole country.
 
In 2004, many of you seen the pictures of the horrible car wreak I was involved in. I was able to walk away without a broken fingernail. Six months later that year I was honored as One of The Ten Outstanding Young Americans (TOYA) in the whole country.
 
 
People ask me almost daily, “Chad how did you do it?” “Without the Grace of God, I would have died at our home in Kewanna, Indiana and I almost did, I reply.” Five times! In 2001, my mother would kill my stepdad. She was never charged with a crime. She took it with her to the grave. She lived for another 16 years free. She died in 2017.
 
2025 ~
 
I just landed a TEDx talk to share my life story with millions of people.
I just landed an interview with the 700 Club to share my story.
I just landed a Distribution agreement for the movie based on my life, “Pocket of Hope”
 
Check back for more….