About Darrin
W E L C O M E T O D A R R I N C H A T T E R
I am here to fulfill a purpose, and that purpose is to help as many people as possible. I am sharing my stories and experiences to help you better understand yourself and what you are capable of. One of my favorite quotes sums it up…
“And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fears, our presence automatically liberates others.”
— Nelson Mandela
Helping others pursue their own Self Optimization has become my personal crusade.
I believe the privilege of the adversities I have faced in my life have handed me opportunities to grow in ways I never dreamed. From a neck injury in high school which derailed my college scholarship aspirations to surviving a head-on collision with a wrong way drunk driver, adversity is nothing new to me. As the saying goes, “Life is 10% what happens and 90% how you deal with it” and I am living proof of this to be true.
I have also had some amazing experiences in my life as well, including pursuing my dream of being a Professional Racquetball Player, reaching a career-high ranking of number 18 in the world. After this chapter closed, I became the Head Coach of the ASU Racquetball team, spending 15 years in this role. In my time at ASU I helped produce over three dozen Collegiate All Americans, win a Women’s National Championship, and was a two time recipient of the Collegiate Coach of the Year award. Parallel to this, I am the Vice President of Sales for TriageNow, a telephonic nurse triage service, and have a long list of Fortune 500 clients who now use our service to assist their employees with workplace injuries.
As a Professional Speaker…
I am amassing a large client base of recognized trade associations, companies and universities to my credit. I share the stories of my life experiences, from the car crash or my time preparing to play on the Pro Racquetball Tour, in a customized format for each audience. My focus is to be a dynamic and captivating speaker and leave the audience with actionable takeaways to apply to their own lives. I pride myself on connecting with each audience on a deep and personal level to help ensure out time together has as much value as possible.
In my free time I enjoy fly fishing, golf and incessantly writing my blog and producing more content to share with others.
The Car Crash That Changed My Life
It happened so quickly, and I never saw it coming. I saw nothing but headlights coming out of the darkness right at me. A massive impact, screeching tires and twisting metal, and then complete silence in the dark. The only noise I could hear was someone screaming “Oh my God” over and over… until I realized it was me.
It took forty-five minutes for the paramedics to arrive. This head-on collision with a wrong way drunk driver occurred at the midway point between Phoenix and Payson. Thank God I wasn’t wedged in the car with a broken leg or worse. I doubt I would have made it if I was any less fortunate than I was. I walked away from this crash with barely a scratch physically. However, the emotional scars of this were a different story…
“I have taught nearly 70,000 undergraduates during my career. During this time, I have had a number of guest speakers. Darrin Schenck is one of the best guest speakers of them all. He knows how to engage students in classes from small to large. He connects with students in a manner that engages them and makes them want to learn. Darrin prepares in advance to know his audience and his preparation clearly shows during his guest presentations.
In short, Darrin had made my classes better with his presence.”
“I have taught nearly 70,000 undergraduates during my career. During this time, I have had a number of guest speakers. Darrin Schenck is one of the best guest speakers of them all. He knows how to engage students in classes from small to large. He connects with students in a manner that engages them and makes them want to learn. Darrin prepares in advance to know his audience and his preparation clearly shows during his guest presentations.
In short, Darrin had made my classes better with his presence.”
Christopher P. Neck
Associate Professor of Management
Arizona State University
W. P. Carey School of Business
Department of Management
Past Speaking Clients
Recent Articles
Blog #377 – Knowledge is NOT Power…
...it is only Potential Power. It is Execution that matters. When I decided to write my first book, I spoke to a friend who's wife was a well known author. She was an International bestseller,
Blog #376 – The REAL purpose of money…
I have reached a point in my life where I have a different understanding than I did when I was younger. Money is a particular topic that I feel very differently about now versus then,
Blog #375 – Pick your Outcomes…
There was a famous study done a long time ago called the Stanford Marshmallow Test, and basically what is was supposed to help determine was a child's ability to delay gratification and how this outlook
Blog #374 – The Best Revenge is…
...getting to a place in your life where revenge is no longer desired. I, like most, have been in a place where I had a burning desire to inflict some level of malice and harm
Blog #373 – Selective Ignorance as a Way of Life
This one is a tricky one, so allow me to explain before you discount the idea. Based on previous blogs, I hope you understand that the title is meant to catch your attention and maybe
Blog #372 – Life Hack: Unlearning a Skill
This one might seem counterintuitive, but hear me out. I have used this over and over in many facets of my life, so I am a big believer in this secret skill. You need to
Blog #371 – Bubble-wrapping your Ego…
Brace yourself, this one might be a harsh read for some of you. And if it, please re-read it as you of all people need to hear what I have to say about this. If
Blog #370 – How Often do you Challenge Yourself?
Have you really thought about this? In some cases, your job will require a challenge of you, trying to get you to go above and beyond the call of duty, but I mean on a
Blog #367 – The Dosage makes the Poison…
All things in moderation That might be a more familiar way to say the same thing. As any doctor or chemist will tell you, a drug or substance that can save your life can also
Blog #369 – Five “no’s” away from exactly what you want…
You may have heard this before, especially if you are in a sales role, but this phrase is so true. It applies to everything in life: dating, exercise, sales and more. In this blog post
Blog #368 – Do you Operate out of Love or Fear?
This is a serous question to comtemplate...so let me ask it again: Do you Operate out of Love or out of Fear? Most of the laws that are created are from the fear of something
Blog #366 – The Balance of Opposites
Here is a tricky life skill to learn...you need to learn to balance out the opposites in your life. For example, if you are an introverted homebody, you are not likely to marry someone who
Blog #365 – Red Flags and Rose Colored Glasses
It seems that almost all of humanity is cursed with this same problem. I know I suffer from this, and to a large degree. Here is what I am talking about: when I was single
Blog #364 – Why I didn’t take Ibuprofen after this hike…
For the past few years I have joined a group of people who hike Mt Humphreys in Flagstaff, AZ, and I have had mixed feelings about it. At first, it was a challenge that I
Blog # 363 – Practice your Problems in advance….
Harkening back to my Boy Scout days, I think the motto of "Be Prepared" is a good one for life in general. I have certainly done my share of preparation when it comes to competition.
Blog #362 – Focus on what you WANT…
...not what you are trying to avoid. Mindset is everything in life, the seems pretty self-evident. How you see the world, and how you let the world influence what you see is going to make
Blog #361 – The Thoughts in your Head…
Since I have referenced Jordan B Peterson in a couple of my blogs, you may have gathered that I am a fan. That may be putting it mildly, as I have listened to a lot
Blog #360 – Forget the Mistake, but Remember the Lesson
As the old saying goes "If I had a dollar for every mistake I've made..." yeah well, you know the rest. But here is the question: do you remember the lesson or do you dwell
Blog #359 – The Rule of Thirds, it’s not just for photography…
I have heard this approach as an athlete in a couple of different contexts, much of it being the same thing worded differently. Allow me to expand on this, as you may need to hear
Blog #358 – How to Improve Your Reputation…
Some of the things I write about will seem obvious to some, and to others it will be Earth-shattering. Bear with me if you already do a good job of this, but some out there
Blog #357 – It’s not always about your talent level, it’s about…
...what you are willing to do. Talent is not enough, as at some point you will be surrounded by talented people. If you ascend the ladder of skill, at some point you will have left
Blog #356 – Happy Bobby Bonilla Day
Here is a good look at thinking outside the box and benefitting greatly from it. I am guessing the credit for this may need to go to Bobby Bonilla's agent and not directly to him,
Blog #355 – Stop Hugging the Cactus
That photo makes me cringe every time I see it. Someone proving Darwinism is real decided to jump into a cholla cactus during the WM Open Golf Tournament many years ago here in Phoenix. (Insert
Blog #354 – Winning the Game of Life
Alright, let's get into this topic, as it is one I have written about in the past a few times. I like the idea that things could be done differently by a lot of people,
Blog #353 – Yes, you DO have time…
This maxim is going to prove true in a bunch of areas, so allow me to unpack this brief statement into some detailed thoughts. Are you really as busy as you think you are? Disorganization
