D.J. Vanas was born to teenage parents in poverty and slept in a dresser drawer for the first three months of his life. When finally moved to a crib, he mumbled for hours at a time to the baby on the Pamper's box that his mom placed near to keep him company, showing a passion to share his message right from the beginning... Now, he is an internationally-acclaimed motivational speaker, author and a leadership and personal development expert that shows organizations how to practically apply the power of the warrior spirit to perform at their best, stay resilient and thrive in tough, changing environments. For two decades, he has delivered his dynamic programs in 49 states and overseas to over 5,000 audiences including Walt Disney, NASA, Wells Fargo, Boston Children's Hospital, United States Secret Service, Subaru, Costco and hundreds of tribal governments, communities and schools. He's also been invited to the White House to speak - twice - and was featured in the PBS film The Warrior Tradition, which aired nationwide on Veterans Day, 2019. D.J. is also the author of the celebrated book The Tiny Warrior: A Path to Personal Discovery & Achievement which is now printed is six countries. D.J. is a tribally-enrolled member of the Odawa Nation and a former military officer. He is a veteran Sun Dancer and his given name in traditional ceremony is Mato Wambli (Eagle Bear). He holds a B.S. from the U.S. Air Force Academy and an M.S. from the University of Southern California, has been a member of the National Speaker's Association since 1997 and currently serves as a board member on the National Board of Certified Counselors. He is also the founder and president of Native Discovery Inc. Visit www.djvanas.com to learn more about D.J. Vanas and his programs.
