Best-selling author Po Bronson has made a career of exploring the real lives of real people. He is the author of six books, including the #1 New York Times best-seller What Should I Do With My Life? His 2009 best-selling hit, Nurture Shock: New Thinking About Children, with co-author Ashley Merryman, explores the science of parenting, turning on its ear most current conventional wisdom on best parenting practices.
At the podium, Bronson brings his research to life with wit, first-hand experience, and a journalistic appetite for the truth. Delving into NurtureShock, he covers a variety of parenting techniques, topics and addresses all stages of childhood, from toddlers to teens. His insightful exploration of themes and issues that transcend children’s (and adults’) lives will change how audiences think about the kids in their life, and rethink how we all became who we are today.
Bronson also reveals the ways in which individuals are challenging and changing the corporate, cultural, and economic landscape and finding their fulfilling niche within it. His uncanny ability to capture the motivations, desires, and personalities define their unique places in every aspect of modern culture. His presentations are like the life stories he chronicles: sometimes fun, sometimes moving, and always important and meaningful.
NurtureShock began as a series on the science of parenting with an article titled “How Not to Talk to Your Kids” which appeared in New York Magazine in 2007. After researching the most current science, Bronson and Merryman reported on the counterintuitive finding that constant praise has a negative effect on children. It quickly became the most emailed article in the history of the magazine, and the series won the magazine journalism award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as well as a Clarion Award.
The best selling duo has collaborated again on Top Dog (January 2013), revealing the hidden factors behind every sort of win and loss – from bringing home a Gold in Olympic swimming to bombing the SAT. Exploring the psychology of rankings, the neuroscience of mistakes, and the DNA of fearlessness, Top Dog’s filled with cutting-edge science told through stories of pilot flight training, NASCAR brawls, political try-outs, ballroom dancing, CIA spies, Wall Street, and so much more.
In Bronson’s book of social documentary, What Should I Do With My Life?, he crosses the American landscape to find people who have succeeded in finding their calling, many after great difficulty. He describes their resolve, sacrifice, introspection and courage in the face of the overwhelming fears and misconceptions that lead many to make poor choices in their lives and livelihoods. Bronson is originally from Seattle, Washington, and earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Stanford University. He also holds an M.F.A. from San Francisco State University.
His other books include Why Do I Love These People? The Nudist on the Late Shift, and the novels Bombardiers, and The First $20 Million is the Hardest. He has written for television, magazines, and newspapers, including TIME, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and NPR’s Morning Edition. He is currently a regular contributor to New York Magazine in the US and The Guardian newspaper in the UK.
Bronson lives in San Francisco with his wife and two children.
