David Blake(XV)
- Actor
- Producer
- Location Management
Actor, Speaker, Producer, Writer-
Dave Blake is a keynote speaker, writer, and former president of the National Speakers Association known professionally as The Flip Flop Philosopher. After surviving a catastrophic medical mistake that left him with a serious neurological injury, Dave rebuilt his life from the ground up - trading the pressure to "bounce back" for a deeper philosophy of moving forward with intention, humor, and resilience.
Known for his signature keynotes like 'Navigating the Unknown' and 'The Shaved Coconut Theory', Dave brings clarity, structure, and a dose of real-world humor to audiences across industries from Fortune 500 companies to global medical conferences. He has been featured in multiple wellness and leadership documentaries and continues to inspire through his weekly Life by Design series 'Island Minutes'.
Offstage, Dave is a Florida-based ocean lover with a gift for helping people rethink what it means to thrive and Flip Flop what isn't working.
At 40, Dave Blake was a fixture in Chicago's movie and corporate entertainment scene, an energetic force behind high-impact events, team-building experiences, and dynamic stage moments. He led the city's premier entertainment company and was fresh off a nonstop 22-day run of events leading into the holidays when a simple fall on the ice changed everything. What was a routine ankle surgery turned catastrophic when a recalled drug caused a traumatic brain injury. Dave walked into the hospital under his own power and left unable to walk, speak clearly, or hold himself up.
Told by specialists that he had just five months to live, Dave was advised to "get his affairs in order." Despite profound physical setbacks, misdiagnosis, and the isolation that followed, Dave's journey became one of radical resilience. He refused to accept the end of his story and instead began rewriting it, step by hard-fought step. Today, Dave speaks, shares, and creates with a mission: to explore what it truly means to be human and help make today's world more human in return.
Known for his signature keynotes like 'Navigating the Unknown' and 'The Shaved Coconut Theory', Dave brings clarity, structure, and a dose of real-world humor to audiences across industries from Fortune 500 companies to global medical conferences. He has been featured in multiple wellness and leadership documentaries and continues to inspire through his weekly Life by Design series 'Island Minutes'.
Offstage, Dave is a Florida-based ocean lover with a gift for helping people rethink what it means to thrive and Flip Flop what isn't working.
At 40, Dave Blake was a fixture in Chicago's movie and corporate entertainment scene, an energetic force behind high-impact events, team-building experiences, and dynamic stage moments. He led the city's premier entertainment company and was fresh off a nonstop 22-day run of events leading into the holidays when a simple fall on the ice changed everything. What was a routine ankle surgery turned catastrophic when a recalled drug caused a traumatic brain injury. Dave walked into the hospital under his own power and left unable to walk, speak clearly, or hold himself up.
Told by specialists that he had just five months to live, Dave was advised to "get his affairs in order." Despite profound physical setbacks, misdiagnosis, and the isolation that followed, Dave's journey became one of radical resilience. He refused to accept the end of his story and instead began rewriting it, step by hard-fought step. Today, Dave speaks, shares, and creates with a mission: to explore what it truly means to be human and help make today's world more human in return.
