Testimonials

I found Nathan when I was searching for a speaker to come into our district to speak to kiddos who are facing so many trials in life. If you have ever used Google, you know that there are many results after you hit enter. Something drew me to Nathan. So I began to watch some short videos on the website, and I was immediately intrigued. We were able to book him for 2 days and what happened next was nothing short of a miracle. Nathan arrived in Tiffin the night before the first speaking engagement with his beautiful family. I met him so that his kiddos could stretch and play inside the gym, as it was rainy. That gave me a moment to connect with him before the hustle and bustle of a speaking day. I talked with him as he intentionally listened and drew from me information on what our community was suffering through. How we have buried children too soon and are in pain trying to navigate this new normal. Watching Nathan as he interacted with his own children was uplifting and encouraging. I was excited to hear his message the next day!

On the morning of, we gathered for a brief educator interactive, where he continued to gather information on our staff perspective. He asked insightful questions and gleaned much from the responses that were given. We finally were able to meet in the gym and listen to Nathan as he beautifully illustrated his personal story. His words were woven with pain and love that were exquisitely felt by those who had gathered in the massive gym. And vast that it was, you could have heard a pin drop when he began to tell his reality.

Students were hanging onto his words and the stories they represented until they witnessed his bold imagery with a persistent urge to utilize their tools and resources to climb to greater heights. To become transparent and vulnerable, and to become vested with each other. This happened over and over as he met with smaller student groups, and then again for a middle school and elementary presentation. The same engagement, the same faces, the intrigue and the realization that some does understand what they suffer behind those doors where you hide the pain. Countless staff and students gathered to speak to him after each presentation. There were hugs, tears, smiles and a true connection of heart-to-heart reality. The evening gathering was larger than anticipated and helped me to realize that there are so many people who are committed to assisting our kiddos with their own growth in this tough world. It was inspiring and motivating. Just having Nathan in our community for 2 short days brought a renewed sense of hope. We were able to step back and acknowledge that we can do hard things! That we are beautifully broken and that together we are better! For me personally, meeting Nathan, breaking bread with him and spending precious time talking about our community of kiddos, was a gift so rare that I am not certain I will ever experience anything like it again. He is a true leader and is using his life and all the sticky and messy parts of it to help others live theirs in a way that they can also be proud.

I am grateful that the Google search led me to Nathan.

Michelle Tuite, Tiffin Ohio - Parent and Community Relations

Grabbed their attention and was impactful.

Never have we had a presenter where every student was more engaged and attentive to what was being said. The 6th through 9th graders took part in a give-and-take with him because of the interactive format for that age group. Administrators reported that the more serious and mature tone with the older students grabbed their attention and was impactful.

After the presentation, the student body improved their behavior and the way that they treated each other. Use of disparaging remarks and the off-the-cuff “Go kill yourself” as a simple throwaway insult declined. We were very impressed. We look forward to their return and recommend Nathan’s presentation to any school needing a shift in the way students think about themselves and one another.

Steve Thalheimer

Superintendent