Damon West, M.S. Criminal Justice, is a college professor, internationally known keynote speaker, and three-time Wall Street Journal bestselling author of “The Coffee Bean: A Simple Lesson to Create Positive Change.”
At 20 years old, he was a Division 1 starting quarterback at the University of North Texas, when he suffered a career-ending injury. He turned to hardcore drugs to cope with the disappointments of life. After graduation, he worked in the United States Congress, was a national fundraiser on a U.S. Presidential campaign and eventually trained to be a stockbroker for United Bank of Switzerland (UBS). One day at UBS, he was introduced to methamphetamines; he became instantly hooked – and the lives of so many innocent people would forever be changed by the choices he made to feed his insatiable meth habit.
After a fateful discussion during his incarceration with a seasoned convict, Damon had a spiritual awakening. He learned that, like a coffee bean changing with the application of heat and pressure, he was capable of changing the environment around him. Armed with a program of recovery, a renewed faith, and a miraculous second chance at life, Damon emerged from over seven years of prison as a changed man. His story of redemption, grit, and determination continues to inspire audiences today.