Presenter : Michael Gates Gill, Best-Selling Author

ABOUT THE PRESENTER:

Nearing retirement, Michael Gates Gill lost it all. A Yale-educated ad exec making six figures, Gill was let go from his job (ostensbily for being old), saw his marriage disintegrate, and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. At the age of 63, desperate and without health insurance, he found redemption and a new sense of purpose where he least expected: behind the counter of a Starbucks. Gill tells his story in How Starbucks Saved My Life, an instant bestseller that has struck a chord with a large segment of middle aged and older Americans -- and which will soon be a film, starring Tom Hanks.

Late in life, unemployed, and seemingly unemployable, Michael Gates Gill, an "old, opinionated white guy," becomes a barista and sees his old world slowly fall away, for the better. In his unforgettable talks, Gill shares his uplifting tale of personal transformation and the lessons he walked away with: the inherent value of hard work; being open to new possibilities, whatever your age; learning from people who are different from you; the fact that, deep down, differences matter less than what we have in common. Gill's varied work experience -- from being a creative director at a famous ad firm to working for an hourly wage as the only older white male alongside younger African-Americans -- also gives him unique insight into many of today's hot button workplace issues: racism, ageism, classism, boomer concerns, and corporate accountability. He speaks with humility, gratitude, and good humor about his fall from grace, and the new -- better -- person he has become because of it.

Gill is the son of famous New Yorker writer Brendan Gill, and, growing up, his social company included the likes of Ernest Hemingway and Jacqueline Onassis. Today, he lives in a simple apartment, close to his Starbucks; he counts himself lucky and blessed: he learned what really matters, at a late age, from his new boss and colleagues, people he would never have met in his old life.