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 #394 – An Educated Guess is as Good As It Gets…
When it comes to living your life and planning out your future, an Educated Guess is as good as it gets. There are no guarantees, and the future is promised to no one. The best
Blog #393 – Anxiety is the gap between…
...the expectation you have for your life and the reality of where you are. That one hit different, as I had not thought about this in such a manner. I, like almost everyone, deal with
Blog #392 – Single Tasking…my secret to getting stuff done
This seems to be a lost art these days, and maybe not having grown up with social media and everything accessible through my phone lends itself to this skill. But it certainly is skill you
Blog #391 – The High Cost of Low Living
This is such a true statement, as most things that you wish to bend the outcome in your favor take planning and preparation in advance. Whether it is studying for an exam, a job interview,
Blog # 390 – Winning is more fun than fun is…
I think it was Tim Grover who said this quote, and it actually goes like this: "Winning is more fun than fun is fun" True and concise, with a funny twist to it. But it
Blog #389 – Ancient Wisdom that is Spot On…
It is not a sign of good health to be well adjusted to a largely sick society. Jiddu Krishnamurti Since I am guessing it is a safe bet that you do not know who this
Blog #388 – Are you living your life, or living to watch others live?
Yeah, think about that, are you really living your life to the fullest? In case you needed a reminder: Life is a participation sport How do you start your day? Do you wake up each
Blog #386 – You are born looking like your parents, but…
...you die looking like your decisions. Wow, I thought that quote was a powerful one, and I could not agree more. We are a product of our own environment as children and young adults, but
Blog #387 – Did I fail, or just miss the target?
So my wife got this crazy idea for an adventure for us to go, and I am writing this fresh off of the experience. We decided to take on the challenge of the Manitou Incline...
Blog # 385 – Drop this word from your vocabulary…
Deserve... I personally believe that you (nor I) deserve anything. You earn things, sometimes you get lucky and sometimes fate has a different plan for you than you did for yourself. If you drop this
Blog # 384 – Once you create your own lane, there is no traffic…
You read that correctly, and I'll say it again. Once you create your own lane, there is no traffic. Now, this is not relegated to coming up with a completely unique business idea that has
Blog #383 – The Six Inches that Matter Most…
Life revolves around this, and for many, it is an area of constant concern. And yes, this is full-on innuendo, as I am talking about the space between your ears. There is nothing more important
Blog #382 – The Delusion of Complexity
Blog #382 - The Delusion of Complexity In a world with so much information available to us all the time, it clearly isn't more information that is needed to assist us. In fact, sometimes it
Blog #381 – Just Show Up…
This sounds like such an simple thing to say, but it is not easy. Think about it, if you want to get in shape, theoretically all you have to do is show up at the
Blog #380 – Most people just ACCEPT their Life….
...very few actually LIVE it. I am so lucky to have had a father that set an example of not listening to the masses and follow the herd. He tried a lot of different things
Blog #379 – Failure is a Bruise, not a Tattoo…
I think this is a concept that most people do not truly understand. And it is killing dreams and opportunities left and right... One of the things that I think is so valuable about participating
Blog # 378 – Understanding that What you do is not WHO you are…
This was a struggle for me, and I know it is for lots of others as well. So I think it is worth some discussion. Allow me to elaborate... As I have referred to many
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
