Jay Foreman
Award Winning Author’s Leap of Faith
J
ay Foreman’s life today is
vastly different than it was six years
ago. It was then that he decided to take
a leap of faith, leave his ten-year career
in finance, and try to become an author.
Having a daughter and son in elementary
school at the time, Foreman decided to
make his first book a children’s book,
titled Raccoons’ Christmas. He wrote,
self-published, and recalls making every
mistake possible along the way. Despite
these hurdles, he was successful in his
first endeavor, which led to being picked
up by a publisher and writing seven more
children’s books, two young adult novels,
and two books for adults.
After winning an award for his
writing and having two best-selling titles,
Foreman started receiving requests to
speak at various events. He reluctantly
began accepting these invitations and
soon discovered that he had a passion
for public speaking a well as a skill set
that he wanted to continue to develop.
Since then, he has spoken to audiences,
large and small. He has been a keynote
speaker at special events and a breakout
speaker at different conferences. Foreman has delivered sermons to church
congregations as well as competitive-edge
speeches to business leaders. He is now
a member of the National Speakers
Association’s Virginia and Washington
D.C. chapters, as well as the Christian
Speaker Network. When asked about his
speaking style, Foreman says he considers
himself a combination of storyteller and
humorist. “Much of what I talk about
pertains to real-life, comical situations
that I have found myself in that happen
to be applicable to the topic on which I’m speaking. I feel that audiences
listen to the points I’m making, but wrapping them into entertaining stories
is how the information will be retained.”
After finding success in writing and speaking, Foreman was asked to
start conducting writing workshops in the school system. “I thought to myself, sure! Why not start teaching writing workshops? How hard could this
be? Let’s just say that after my first day, I had a whole new respect for teachers!” Foreman’s workshops grew, as did the demand for them. He expanded
into creative writing workshops, school-wide assemblies, standardized testing
preparation workshops, and many more. His students range from elementary school to middle school to high school, and he even conducts workshops
for teachers.
Foreman says that the one common thread woven throughout his
writing, speaking, and teaching is this: To try and put something positive
out into a world that can seem overwhelmingly negative at times. To help
accomplish this goal, Foreman uses what he calls the 4 Es: Engage, Entertain,
Educate, and Encourage. “I try to wrap an element of all four of these into
everything I do,” says Foreman, “and I think that makes all the difference in
the world.”
If you would like more information about Jay Foreman, visit his website at
jaywforeman.com. If you would like to contact him for a speaking engagement, please send an email to [email protected].
Written by: Corretta Doctor, The A List Agency