Headliner

Resilience & Mindset keynote speakers

Damon West

"The Coffee Bean" — Author & Transformation Speaker

Speaking feeTypically $10k–$30kIndicative only, confirmed on request
  • Keynote · Virtual
  • English
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Headliner can arrange a booking with Damon West or their representative. This profile is compiled from public sources; availability and fees are confirmed on request. A listing here does not imply endorsement, affiliation, partnership, or exclusivity.

Signature keynotes

What your audience walks away with

  • Outcome

    The Coffee Bean — Creating Positive Change Under Pressure

    Built on his worldwide bestseller. Using the carrot/egg/coffee-bean allegory and his own redemption story, Damon shows how every person has the power to change the environment around them rather than be changed by it. The single most-requested, most-repeated takeaway he delivers — customizable to any audience.

  • Servant Leadership: The Secret to Life

    A culture-change keynote. How to lead by serving — in teams, schools, communities, organizations, and families — and why the strongest cultures are built by people who give before they take. Ends with a coffee-bean call to action your audience acts on immediately.

  • Overcoming Adversity — The Change Agent Story

    The full arc, unfiltered: Division I quarterback, addiction, the "Uptown Burglar," a 65-year sentence, and the prison conversation that changed everything. A resilience and second-chance keynote about transforming the worst circumstances into fuel — drawn from his autobiography The Change Agent.

  • Team Culture & The Locker Room — Healing Hurt, Building Unity

    Based on his Wall Street Journal bestseller The Locker Room. How great teams handle hard conversations, recover from conflict, and build genuine unity. Tailored for sports organizations and any team navigating culture, communication, and trust.

  • Convocations & Education

    Tailored for schools, universities, and athletic programs — Damon has delivered the coffee-bean message to Clemson, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma State, and dozens of Division I programs, plus high schools and student bodies nationwide. A high-impact message on choices, accountability, and resilience for young audiences.

The story

Who Damon actually is

Damon West was a Port Arthur, Texas native and, at 20, a Division I starting quarterback at the University of North Texas — until a career-ending injury took the game away. To cope, he turned to drugs. After college he worked in U.S. Congress and trained as a stockbroker at UBS, where he was introduced to methamphetamine. Addiction took over. Known in Dallas as the "Uptown Burglar," he was eventually arrested and sentenced to 65 years in a Texas maximum-security prison for organized crime.

Inside, a conversation with a seasoned fellow inmate changed his life. The lesson: like a coffee bean dropped into boiling water — which doesn't soften like a carrot or harden like an egg, but instead transforms the water into coffee — Damon could change the environment around him instead of letting it change him. He got into recovery, found faith, and rebuilt himself from the inside out.

Paroled in 2015 after more than seven years, Damon earned a master's degree in criminal justice and became a Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Houston–Downtown. He turned his story into a writing career, becoming a multiple Wall Street Journal bestselling author: The Coffee Bean (co-authored with Jon Gordon, a Forbes "Top 20 books to read in 2020" and a 350,000+-copy seller), his autobiography The Change Agent, the WSJ-bestselling team-culture fable The Locker Room (optioned for film), The Coffee Bean for Kids, How to Be a Coffee Bean, and his 2025 release Six Dimes and a Nickel.

Today, USA Today calls him a "modern day Shawshank Redemption and the most in-demand speaker in America." His clients span Fortune 100 companies — Walmart, State Farm, Stryker, Chick-fil-A, Prudential — and championship sports programs from the Dallas Cowboys to the Kansas City Chiefs to Clemson, Alabama, and Georgia. In 2026 the Federal Bureau of Prisons launched the "Damon West BOP Tour," in which he speaks — at no cost — to staff and inmates across the federal system, giving back to the profession he credits with his own transformation.

The receipts

Books & publications

  • The Coffee Bean

    2019

    the illustrated fable of Abe and the carrot/egg/coffee-bean lesson; how to change your environment under pressure. 350,000+ copies; Forbes Top 20 for 2020.

  • The Change Agent

    2019

    his autobiography: college QB to a Texas maximum-security prison to transformation.

  • The Coffee Bean for Kids

    2020

    the coffee-bean lesson for younger readers.

  • The Locker Room

    2022

    WSJ-bestselling fable on how great teams heal hurt, overcome adversity, and build unity. Optioned for film.

  • How to Be a Coffee Bean

    2023

    111 practical, life-changing ways to live the coffee-bean mindset.

  • Six Dimes and a Nickel

    2025

    life lessons behind his prison-to-purpose turnaround; his newest release.

Gravity

Career highlights & recognition

  • Recognition

    Multiple Wall Street Journal bestselling author

    The Coffee Bean, The Locker Room, and more

  • Milestone2020

    *The Coffee Bean

    * (w/ Jon Gordon) — 350,000+ copies sold; Forbes "Top Twenty Books to Read to Crush 2020"

  • Recognition

    *The Locker Room

    * — Wall Street Journal bestseller, optioned for film

  • Credential

    Professor of Criminal Justice, University of Houston–Downtown

    · M.S. Criminal Justice

  • Milestone

    Division I starting quarterback

    University of North Texas

  • Milestone

    Federal Bureau of Prisons "Damon West BOP Tour"

    official BOP speaking initiative

  • Award

    Service to Mankind Award

  • Credential

    Co-founder, "Be A Coffee Bean" Foundation

  • Milestone

    Walmart, State Farm, Stryker, Chick-fil-A, Prudential, AIG, SHRM

    the U.S. Army, the Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Clemson, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma State

Booking with confidence

What to expect when you book Damon

  • 01

    Compiled from public sources

    This profile is built from public, verifiable material and stamped with the date it was last reviewed. Nothing here is a claim we cannot trace to a source.

  • 02

    Availability and fees, confirmed

    Tell us your date and brief, and we confirm Damon's availability and current fee on request. We never publish a fabricated figure or imply an exclusivity we do not hold.

  • 03

    Managed end to end

    From first inquiry to the day itself, Headliner handles briefing, contracting, and logistics, so your team can focus on the event.

Answers

Booking questions, answered

What is Damon West's speaking fee?

Typically $10k–$30k (indicative; confirmed on request). Damon's fee varies by event, date, format, and location, so we confirm the exact figure for your booking. Share your brief for current pricing and live availability.

Is Damon West available for my event date?

Availability changes with Damon's schedule and the season. Tell us your date and we'll confirm whether Damon is open, and hold the slot while you decide.

How do I book Damon West for my event?

Damon West is booked through Headliner. Tell us your event date, audience, and goals, and we'll confirm availability and the next steps — typically within four business hours.

How much does Damon West charge to speak?

Typically $10k–$30k (indicative; confirmed on request). It depends on event, date, format, location, and whether the session is in person or virtual. Share your brief and we'll confirm the exact figure and availability.

Can I hire Damon West for a corporate event?

Yes. Damon is represented for speaking engagements through Headliner on a non-exclusive basis and regularly takes corporate keynotes, conferences, and leadership events. Share your brief to check availability.

Can I book Damon West for a virtual keynote?

Yes. Damon presents virtual keynotes as well as in-person sessions. Virtual fees are typically quoted below a live keynote, so tell us your format for a precise quote.

What formats does Damon offer?

Damon is available for Keynote and Virtual engagements. We'll match the format to your audience and run-of-show.

What does Damon speak about?

Damon's keynote themes include Transformation and Mindset. Each talk is tailored to your audience and outcomes.

What languages does Damon present in?

Damon presents in English.

Where does Damon travel from?

Damon is based in Houston, TX and travels internationally for engagements; virtual sessions are also available.

Profile updated . Compiled from public sources — confirm current fees and availability with Headliner.

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