Making a living doing what I love

After my “blinding flash of the obvious” back in 2003 when I suddenly realized, “Oh my God, we’re eating the wrong food,” I have been trying to figure out how to make a living in this field. As a former industrial engineer and corporate executive, I have a unique “big picture” story to tell. And telling that story in public is a piece of my future ability to earn a living—doing what I love.

J. Morris Hicks introduces Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn at the Stonington Harbor Yacht Club

Long ago, a good friend suggested that I consider becoming a professional speaker. Probably because I had a strong voice, was pretty good on my feet, and looked decent in my Ralph Lauren suits. It had nothing to do with the importance of my topic. Flattered nonetheless by the suggestion, I decided to look into the “public speaking” arena.

Toastmasters and National Speakers Association. I actually joined a local Atlanta chapter of Toastmasters and attended a national convention of the NSA. I quickly learned the same thing at both—I learned about the two most important ingredients for success as a speaker. I now call them the two P’s:

• Passion for your topic
• Published book documenting that passion

At the time (2002), I had neither—now I have both. And I’ve still got the strong speaking voice, stage presence and a few of those fine Ralph Lauren suits. In addition to the published book, for the past ten years, I have been preparing myself for my career as a public speaker, writer and consultant in the field of health promotion for humans — AND for the planet.

An update of my new career

1.     Author of recently published “Healthy Eating, Healthy World,” (BenBella, 2011), foreword by Dr. T. Colin Campbell and endorsed by ten other prominent people, including Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Alexandra Stoddard (author) and the former CEO of Xerox, Paul Allaire.

2.     Member of the Board of Directors of the T. Colin Campbell Foundation, which is currently training over 1,000 people a year in Plant-Based Nutrition, one-third of whom are physicians who are earning continuing medical education credits.

3.     Earned certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell/T. Colin Campbell Foundation (2009).

4.     Writing for the Food Channel. Recently began writing a weekly column on the foodchannel.com as a guest correspondent. Click here for my third article.

5.     Featured VegSource Blogger. Since February of 2011, I have been a featured weekly blogger on VegSource.com.

6.     Creator of a blog/website for promoting health, hope and harmony on planet Earth. Just published my 423rd consecutive daily blog today. Now seen in over 100 countries. (www.hpjmh.com)

7.     Creator of the 4Leaf Program for promoting health by focusing on maximizing our percent of calories from whole, plant-based foods. (www.4leafprogram.com)

8.     Creator of the 4Leaf Diagnostic Survey for estimating the approximate percentage of daily calories from whole plants—without counting calories.

9.     Active speaker and consultant. Have spoken dozens of times in the past year—most notably in university settings at the University of Kentucky and at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA.

Fees, logistics, topics, etc. I am very flexible on all these details. I can tailor my presentation format and length to fit almost any venue. I am interested in opportunities at clubs, businesses, churches, expositions, special events, etc. In the past year, I have spoken at many Rotary Clubs on a pro-bono basis as I fine-tune my message.

I am equally comfortable speaking to vegan/vegetarian groups or to mainstream audiences—and can tailor my presentation to fit the profile of your group. If you have any questions, please give me a call at the number listed below.

J. Morris Hicks, wearing Ralph Lauren from head to toe.

If you have any ideas or referrals, please contact me:

• J. Morris (Jim) Hicks
• E-mail: jmh@jmorrishicks.com
• Cell: 917-399-9700
• Website: www.hpjmh.com

Want to find out how healthy your family is eating? Take our free 4Leaf Diagnostic Survey It takes less than five minutes and you can score it yourself.

After taking the survey, please give me your feedback as it will be helpful in the development of our future 4Leaf app for smartphones. Send feedback to jmorrishicks@me.com

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J. Morris Hicks, working daily to promote health, hope and harmony on planet Earth.

For help in your own quest to take charge of your health, you might find some useful information at our 4Leaf page or some great recipes at Lisa’s 4Leaf Kitchen.

Got a question? Let me hear from you at jmorrishicks@me.com. Or give me a call on my cell at 917-399-9700.

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Blogging daily at hpjmh.com…from the seaside village of Stonington, Connecticut – Be well and have a great day.

—J. Morris Hicks, board member, T. Colin Campbell Foundation