Selected Speaking Topics:
- Business Resilience: What to do when everything you built falls apart—and how to build again with clarity and purpose.
- Life After Setback: The psychology and strategy of personal reinvention after financial loss, business failure, or divorce.
- Entrepreneurship (the Real Version): The unfiltered truth about buying franchises, running small businesses, and knowing when to walk away.
- Exit Planning for Owners: How to transition out of a business without losing yourself or your net worth.
- Money and Emotion: Why personal finance isn’t just about numbers, and how to handle money when you’re emotionally drained or starting over at 50+.
- What They Don’t Teach You in Business School: Real-world financial and personal lessons from someone who’s lived through both Wall Street and bankruptcy court.
David Yaw brings over 30 years of hard-won experience in business, finance, and personal reinvention. From the boardrooms of the oil and gas industry to rebuilding life after bankruptcy and divorce, David has walked the walk—and now he helps others do the same.
A former engineer and executive in the energy sector, David has navigated global markets, managed multimillion-dollar projects, and led teams through volatility. But his most powerful lessons didn’t come from corporate success—they came from the setbacks that followed. In 2019, he was laid off after decades of stability. What followed was a raw, transformative journey: opening and closing several businesses, navigating the financial aftermath, enduring a difficult divorce, and emerging with a renewed purpose to help others rebuild.
Today, David is a financial advisor, certified exit planner, and keynote speaker who connects with audiences through honesty, humility, and insight. He speaks from experience—on stage and one-on-one—about the realities of money, business, relationships, and starting over.
Why Audiences Connect with David
David doesn’t just bring credentials—he brings credibility born of lived experience. He holds two master’s degrees, is a licensed financial advisor and Series 7 holder, and has owned multiple businesses including a real estate brokerage, chiropractic franchises, and a mobile service company. He’s helped clients grow and exit companies, navigate financial complexity, and find meaning after loss.
But what makes David different is how he speaks: candidly, practically, and with deep empathy. Whether it’s a group of business owners, retirees, students, or fellow professionals, David delivers real talk that resonates. People leave his sessions not just informed—but moved and motivated to take action.
Ideal Audiences:
- Business and entrepreneur networking groups
- Financial planning workshops and client events
- Industry conferences (especially oil & gas, real estate, franchising)
- Church groups and men’s organizations
- Universities and adult education programs
- Mental health and life transition support events
Booking David Yaw
David is available for:
- Keynote speeches
- Breakout sessions and panels
- Financial and business resilience workshops
- One-on-one or group coaching sessions
- Virtual or in-person events
Let your audience hear from someone who has built and lost, planned and pivoted—and come back stronger, smarter, and more compassionate than before.