Expert on Rebounding in Business; Yahoo Finance Columnist; Award-winning Journalist; Frequent TV and Radio Commentator
Rick Newman is an award-winning columnist for the nation’s leading financial news site Yahoo Finance and author of Rebounders: How Winners Pivot From Setback To Success (Ballantine). An ideal keynote speaker for corporate events, entrepreneurship conferences, and small-business groups, Newman is a frequent moderator and panelist at the annual Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California and other events. He offers a myth-busting and uplifting presentation explaining how anybody can turn adversity to their advantage, along with clear-eyed takeaways on how ordinary people can prosper amidst the momentous changes upending the way Americans live and work. Newman is also a frequent commentator on MSNBC, CNN, Fox, NPR, and TV and radio networks across the country.
Resilience – the ability to bounce back from setbacks – is an essential determinant of success, especially in today’s tough, Darwinian economy. Rebounders are people who have learned to take smart risks because they know they’ll recover if something goes wrong. In Newman’s talks he profiles Rebounders such as Thomas Edison, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, famed baseball manager Joe Torre, Vanguard founder Jack Bogle, and Grammy-winning musician Lucinda Williams, among others. For these strivers, difficult experiences ultimately led to breakthrough success, teaching them key lessons they couldn’t have learned any other way. Newman identifies nine key traits found in Rebounders that just about anybody can develop. A few pragmatic takeaways:
• Setbacks can be a secret weapon: They often teach vital things you’ll never learn in school, on the job, or from others.
• There are smart ways to fail: Once familiar with them, you’ll be more comfortable taking risks and less discouraged if they don’t pan out.
• “Defensive pessimism” trumps optimism: Planning for what could go wrong is often the best way to ensure that it doesn’t.
• Know when to quit: Walking away at the right time can free the resources you need to exploit better opportunities.
• “Own the suck”: When faced with true hardship, taking command of the pain and sorrow – rather than letting it command you – lays the groundwork for ultimately rising above it.
Newman turns many well-worn axioms on their head as he shows how virtually anybody can improve their resilience and get better at turning adversity into personal and professional achievement. Audiences will come away with fresh insights on the new rules for success and be better equipped with the tools needed to get ahead.
Newman has been a journalist for over 20 years. Prior to joining Yahoo Finance he was Chief Business Correspondent for U.S. News & World Report. Before moving to New York in 2001, he spent 12 years in Washington, where he covered the Pentagon and was awarded the Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on National Defense. He has also earned awards from the National Press Club, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the International Association of Firefighters. In addition to Rebounders, he is the co-author of Firefight: Inside the Battle to Save the Pentagon on 9-11 and Bury Us Upside Down: The Misty Pilots and the Secret Battle for the Ho Chi Minh Trail. A native of Pittsburgh (and a lifelong Steelers fan), Newman graduated from Boston College. His site is www.rickjnewman.com.
Praise for Rick Newman’s Talks
“Rick’s address at our conference was both entertaining and edifying. Any group interested in a thought-provoking discussion on the development of human potential would do well to enlist Rick as a guest speaker or conference keynoter.”
— Dr. Reed Scull, Immediate Past Chair, University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) Region West
“Rick has appeared several times as a speaker and panelist at our annual conference and consistently distinguished himself as a leader with pertinent knowledge of the changing media environment. He’s consistently ranked as one of the best speakers and most sought-after contributors. Rick’s skills as a columnist, reporter, and speaker are appreciated by our audience. I recommend him highly.”
— Rob Wynne, Creator, Business Access Media Conference and Partner, Wynne Communications
“Rick has done a great job for us as a regular moderator at our annual Global Conference. He asks good questions and knows how to get everyone involved in the panel conversation. That’s why he is one of the few we ask back every year.”
— Mike Klowden, CEO, Milken Institute
Praise for Rebounders
“The stories are rich.”
— USA Today
“An exciting, refreshing, and desperately needed book.”
— William C. Taylor, co-founder of Fast Company and author of Practically Radical
“A great read for strivers, entrepreneurs, and anybody eager to get ahead.”
— Jane Bryant Quinn, author of Making the Most of Your Money NOW
“The best book ever written about what it takes to be resilient.”
— Robert Sutton, Stanford University, author of Good Boss, Bad Boss and
The No Asshole Rule
“Newman gives us all a roadmap to success.”
— Sydney Finkelstein, Dartmouth University, author of Why Smart Executives Fail
“This book is full of valuable knowledge. Read it and reap the benefits!”
— Keith Cameron Smith, author of The Top 10 Distinctions Between Entrepreneurs and Employees
“If the idea of failure makes you wither, read this book. If you want to know how to fail better, read this book. Only a rebounder like Newman could clarify these lessons. And only a journalist like Newman could write about them with such clarity.”
— Erik Proulx, Filmmaker, Lemonade and Lemonade: Detroit
