Book David Ferrugio to Speak
Keynotes and conversations about grief, loss,
and what it takes to keep living.
David was 12 when his father died in the World Trade Center on 9/11. Since then, he has built a podcast, a book and a following of more than 1.5 million people by talking about the one thing most people avoid.
On stage, David brings the same thing that makes DEAD Talks work: honesty, dark humor where it belongs, and real stories from hundreds of conversations about death, grief and the afterlife. No five stages. No promises that it gets better. Just a frank, human look at what loss teaches us about how to live.
Signature Talks
You're Not Dead Yet: What Grief Teaches Us About Living
The keynote version of the book. Drawing on his own loss and hundreds of DEAD Talks conversations, David makes the case that grief doesn't shrink over time. We grow around it. For general audiences, conferences and universities.
Hey, Kid: Growing Up in the Shadow of 9/11
A personal talk about losing a parent to a national tragedy at twelve, grieving in public, and what 25 years have and haven't changed. For 9/11 remembrance events, schools and first-responder communities.
Men Don't Talk About This: Grief, Silence and Strength
Why so many men carry loss alone, what it costs them, and what changes when they finally start talking. For campuses, men's groups, workplaces and employee resource groups.
What 270 Conversations About Death Taught Me About the Afterlife
Near-death experiences, mediums, scientists and skeptics: what David has heard, what he believes, and what he still doesn't know. For spirituality events, wellness audiences and campus programming.
Building a Brand Around the Thing Nobody Wants to Talk About
How a grief podcast grew to 1.5 million followers, national press and a book deal. Lessons on audience, authenticity and turning a hard story into a body of work. For creator, entrepreneurship and business audiences.
Formats
· Keynote (30–60 min)
· Fireside chat or moderated Q&A
· Workshop
· Panel
· Live DEAD Talks podcast recording
· Virtual or in person
Who David Speaks To
· Universities and student programs
· Thanatology, counseling and social work programs
· Hospice and palliative care
· Grief and bereavement organizations
· Corporate wellness and ERGs
· 9/11 and first-responder communities