Hi, I’m Craig Stanland.
I’m a Reinvention Architect, Mindset Coach, and Speaker. Way back when I was a nationally ranked power-lifter. And I’m the author of the best-seller, Blank Canvas, How I Reinvented My Life After Prison.
I spent the 1st half of my life chasing all the shoulds and supposed tos. I checked all the boxes I believed I had to check: Job title, money, status, and prestige.
But my life was empty. There was no purpose, meaning, or fulfillment.
I self-sabotaged in the biggest way I could by defrauding a tech giant. Losing everything along the way (including my will to live) and reinvented my life from scratch.
If you feel lost, stuck, or empty, if you’re tired of chasing, if you’re professionally successful but woefully unfulfilled, and if you’re ready to connect with your mission and life’s calling, I want to help you.
Why? Because I’ve been where you are, and it sucks. I want to share how I stopped chasing, so hopefully, you can start creating the life you’ve imagined.
My clients come to me because they’ve spent their 1st half chasing. The titles, the money, the status, and the materialism. And they realize none of those is filling the success-sized hole in their life, and they’re tired of asking, “Is this all there is?” My clients are often successful but stuck in their life and career, financially comfortable but woefully unfulfilled. They’re ready to stop chasing and start creating their 2nd half with purpose, meaning, and fulfillment.
But they don’t know how to get there, so they come to me.
I know what it takes to reinvent, and I can help you do the same.
Your extraordinary second half awaits.
Hear from Craig
Craig is a regular contributor to a number of different blogs and publications, and he has been a guest on many different podcasts. To read and hear the latest from Craig, see the latest blog posts and our in the media section.
Blank Canvas Book
Craig published his story in Blank Canvas to remind people that no matter who they are, no matter how bad things look, they can rebuild their lives. You can hear more about Craig’s memoir and purchase Blank Canvas.
Chat with Craig
Craig is an experienced personal coach who can help you identify what an extraordinary life looks like for you and uncover the challenges holding you back from reinventing yourself.
Speaking Engagements
Craig takes audiences on his rollercoaster ride from corporate success to federal prison to living with mission and meaning.
The Latest from Craig
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You Have to Start Where You Are (and start now)
I started writing Blank Canvas when I was in prison. I used those black and white composition notebooks from high school and a cheap Bic pen. I used an iPhone when I was released to the halfway house because it was all I had. When I went home, I used an…
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An Email From Prison is Better Than a Multi-Million Dollar Deal
When I worked in corporate sales, life felt one-dimensional. Chase deals, land deals, spend commission checks on a luxurious lifestyle. It was one chase after another, with constant anxiety that there wouldn’t be another deal around the corner – or even worse, I’d lose a client. The luxurious lifestyle was my…
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The Shortness of Life is The Best Motivation
What makes life rich and meaningful? Towards the end of his life, an interviewer asked Norman Mailer (American novelist, journalist, playwright, filmmaker, and Pulitzer Prize winner) if he had any regrets. One may think he’d list some common regrets: more time with family, less time working, or more time in nature.…
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3 Simple Ways I Discovered Purpose Outside of My 9-5
After prison I landed a job at a gym in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. I worked at the front desk at first but eventually moved my way up to general manager. I was grateful for the job, and I met some of my now closest friends thanks to the…
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How to Create a Life of Meaning After Midlife
“Craig, you have a blank canvas. Paint whatever picture you want.” I was leaving prison and reentering the real world, a world filled with so many unknowns and overwhelming fear when I heard these words. They came from my mentor, Ed, as I expressed those unknowns and fears. The words reframed…
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How I Make Better Decisions
It was around October 2012 when I made the choice that would shatter my life. I was a successful Senior Enterprise Account manager for a large tech firm, working with some of the world’s most prominent banks and hedge funds. The products I was selling were becoming commoditized, profit margins on…
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How to Overcome Your Brain’s Fear Tactics
You’ve got big dreams and goals completely outside your career. They’re the dreams and goals that light you up inside and terrify you simultaneously. You’re finally going to write your novel, become an artist, or maybe master the craft of Japanese woodworking. All of which are firmly on the other side of…
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Unboxing My Life Story After Federal Prison
We like to put things, especially people, in boxes. We like to slap a label on that box and “know” what that person is. Notice I said what, not who. “What” is easy. “Who” involves a deeper level of understanding most people aren’t willing to explore. They’re either afraid to confront…
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Your Potential Unleashed: The Path to an Authentic Life
Years ago, I wrote a sentence that has remerged and ignited something in me. All thanks to a stranger on the internet highlighting the line on my Medium post. I have a deeper understanding of the line, and honestly, its undiscovered layers scare and frustrate me. I’m living in this bizarre…
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Break Free with Self-Forgiveness: A New Beginning
I beat myself up for the choices that landed me in prison. I verbally thrashed myself with the cruel viciousness that only comes when you know your target so well. I knew the mental buttons to push and what would inflict the most pain. I even punched myself and whipped myself…
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