NOW BOOKING 2025
•
NOW BOOKING 2025 •
Got lemons?
But want
lemonade?
GET IT
with a squeeze of
rugged
optimism.
It gets
the juice!
Meet the founder.
James Saunders is an engaging speaker and mindset coach focused on changing obstacles into achievements.
With more than a decade of experience as a domestic violence counselor and hiring consultant for small businesses and multinational franchise systems, James offers insightful knowledge about human behavior and personal growth.
Living with multiple sclerosis has deepened James's understanding of, and appreciation for, resilience and adaptation. He came to consider these vital for living a fruitful life despite a progressive neurological disease.
He had never considered himself an “optimist” but became fascinated by a pattern he observed: Major setbacks, failed plans, and unexpected challenges were often ironic beginnings of many accomplishments. This led him to ask:
Is there a common thread for converting setbacks into breakthrough?
This question drove James to develop the Rugged Optimist framework.
Rugged because it was forged in tough situations, unexpected challenges, and unusual growth paths; it accepts life's harsh realities.
Optimist because of the hopefulness it generates; certainty that rewarding opportunities are discoverable in every challenge.
As a self-described nerd for breaking down complex concepts, James excels at making challenging ideas accessible and actionable. He has employed this to empower both domestic violence survivors and employers facing a difficult hiring market.
Those who embrace the Rugged Optimist mindset—and its tools, processes, and exercises—can discover more than just resilience. They can find a greater sense of peace with life's uncontrollable elements, develop deeper empathy for others' struggles, and gain the analytical tools to discern richer insights about how the world works.
This comprehensive approach transforms not just how people handle challenges, but how they view themselves and others.
James has been invited to speak in every continental U.S. time zone, addressing audiences ranging from corporate leadership teams to graduating high school students.
Using the Rugged Optimist mindset, he equips audiences with practical tools for transforming obstacles into stepping stones for success.
JAMES HAS SHARED THE
RUGGED
OPTIMIST
MINDSET
AT EVENTS HOSTED BY
COMPANIES LIKE:
Window World
PostNet
Shine Window Cleaning
State Farm
Pathful Connect
CareerPlug
& others.
THE RUGGED OPTIMIST
CORE FOUR
WHY GO R.O.?
Good? Bad? Ugly?
“Perfect.”
RUGGED
OPTIMISTS
know how to
find & act
on the hidden capacity
for good
in everything.
The Rugged Optimist
Methodology
extracts rational hope
from things as they
truly exist.
RUGGED OPTIMISM
does NOT require or provide
rose-colored glasses.
services
-
Speaking
The speaker at your next corporate or private event shouldn’t leave people thinking 'this could have been an email'. We deliver something different: engaging talks that equip audiences with with clarified vision and methods for converting challenges into advantages.
Drawing from experience in crisis intervention, hiring consultation, partnership management, and living with multiple sclerosis, James provides systematic approaches that work in any situation configured to your situation. Expect insight with energy, depth with dynamism, and a positive outlook with no rose-colored glasses. -
Training
Our training sessions introduce battle-tested tools from the Rugged Optimist framework - developed through helping hundreds of organizations transform hiring challenges and team dynamics. Because when you see situations more completely, you can extract opportunities others miss.
Bring the bad. We'll show you how to get the goods.(virtual, or on-site with traveling expenses):
• Half-day
• Full-day -
Lunch & Learn
Give your team 45 minutes to start seeing what others overlook. Built on experiences like transforming support team dynamics and trailblazing through difficult hiring markets, James introduces a framework that turns obstacles into advantages.
Honed to your organization’s needs, our sessions ensure attendees will leave with a relevant tool from the R.O. METHODOLOGY to begin immediately applying in their work and lives. -
Coaching
Want coaching that goes beyond feel-good platitudes… that still leaves you feeling good? Weekly sessions develop your mastery of universal methods so you can happen to the worlds. RUGGED OPTIMIST coaching focuses on practical tools, tested approaches, brain-training, and accessible philosophy to create lasting, compounding results. See more, solve more, do more. Weekly, hour-long sessions to grow your resilience and creative leadership by mastering the tools of rugged optimism.
•3 months (in-person/virtual)
•6 months (in-person/virtual)
