Neil's Story

I didn’t set out to be an expert on happiness. I just set out to be happy.

When I was in my late 20s my life looked perfect — steady job, strong marriage, close friends— until it all fell apart. I found myself at a rock bottom no amount of external success had prepped me for.

Out of that period came something small: a blog. Every night I wrote an essay about one simple pleasure. I called it 1000 Awesome Things. It won best blog in the world—twice. Then became a book — then a series — which spent years on bestseller lists and sold millions of copies.

The books got so popular I was asked to go on the Today Show. I was asked how to find happiness—in front of millions of people. And I realized I didn’t actually know. 

So I spent the next decade finding out. While working as Director of Leadership at Walmart I was able to review and test what the science actually said against the reality of hundreds of thousands of employees under real pressure.

I went deep into positive psychology, behavioral science, and neuroscience — not as an academic but as both an executive and someone with a very strong desire to understand what the research says so I could figure out whether it could work for ordinary people. I read the studies, I tested the ideas, and I built systems around what held up.

What I found is that happiness isn’t a reward for hard work. It’s a practice — and a surprisingly simple one, if you have the right habits and tools. The research bears it out: leaders who cultivate a positive mindset drive measurably better results — 31% higher productivity, 37% higher sales, 300% more creativity, 48% closer friendships, and 42% stronger trust relationships with their teams.

That’s what I share on stage.

For event introductions, please visit Neil's About page for his bio.