Hello, friend. My name is Dave Ursillo and I’m a multi-published author and entrepreneur who helps creative self-starters live their leadership through artistry. My latest project, The Literati Writers, is a private-membership digital writers’ group dedicated to helping writers “live and love” their creative journeys every step of the way.
DaveUrsillo.com is my personal space and outlet that serves me as a communicator, a connector, a conduit and a life-explorer. But beyond all of those titles, what I am is a writer.
I believe that written word is the most profound and powerful art of all arts. I write to inspire, to explore, to learn, to create change — and, especially, to understand.
Beyond writing…
When I’m not falling down a wormhole of rockstar daydreams and childhood superhero cartoon memories, you’ll find me reading the poetry of Hafiz and Ralph Waldo Emerson, exploring the teachings of the Dalai Lama or the latest findings on behavioral change from the Positive Psychology movement.
In between rocking out at the nearest Shinedown or Red Hot Chili Peppers concert, I’m probably in between ashtanga sun salutations, meditating with mala beads in hand or finding a new coffee shop on the streets of New York City.
When I’m not on stage speaking to crowds of a few hundred about the plight of modern leadership caused by rampant ego, attachment and addiction to follower counts, I’m kicking back with friends over local craft beers.
I quit my young career in politics in 2009, and since then I have been…
- Writing over 300 essays on life, love and personal leadership on DaveUrsillo.com while being featured on CBS News Sunday Morning, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Zen Habits, LeadershipNow and Inc.com
- Publishing my first two books: my debut nonfiction Lead Without Followers in 2011 and a collection of spiritual poetry God Whispers on the Wind in 2012 among other ebooks, essays and manifestos
- Speaking in front of small businesses and leading liberal arts universities across the United States on leadership, effective communication and organizational change
- Coaching young creatives, artists, writers and aspiring authors to use artistry to awaken and help others
- Connecting with thousands of amazing men and women who dream big and want to do good in our world
- Supporting dozens of amazing charities and non-profit organizations through unique partnerships and events
- Living freely on my own terms through the work I do and the philosophy I live by: “Lead without Followers, Live from Within.”
Why I Write
My love of writing dawned in high school when I began to understand the incredible ability that written word possesses to convey messages, instill concepts and invoke different emotion in human beings — perhaps even more powerfully than spoken word.
Today, writing is truly my deepest passion.
As a writer, speaker and blogger, I choose to explore life, this world and its people in verse and ink because it feels purer and more uninhibited than any other way that I know.
I love it, and I live for it.
I consider writing to be more than a method of communication — it’s a potent art form that can open stagnant channels and shatter barriers of the mind in beautiful and brilliant ways. For every problem to which our world is enslaved, writing possesses the powerful capability to spark revolution, to create change, to inspire, and to liberate the human species.
As a writer, there’s nothing more remarkable to me than when the words flow forth onto the page as if not from my own hand, but from “somewhere beyond” that I’ve somehow managed to tap into for just a fleeting moment.
In 1851, a young Henry David Thoreau described a similar feeling in his personal journal — a sentiment that resonates strongly with me.
He stated,
“There comes into my mind such an indescribable, infinite, all-absorbing, divine, heavenly pleasure—a sense of elevation and expansion, and I have not to do with it … I speak as a witness on the stand, and tell what I have perceived.”
Where I’ve Been
In my past life, I was a “politico” insider on a career fast-track in the world of politics and public service. My experiences spanned five state and federal governmental offices from 2003 to 2009, including a stint at the White House Council on Environmental Quality in 2008 and as a “bodyman”, driver and political aide to a state gubernatorial candidate in 2009.
But I abandoned that world to become the politico-exile that I now am at the age of 23 — after becoming totally disillusioned to all things political: the ego, the backstabbing, the lying, and all of the bullshit.
And with the way politics is these days, I bet you probably feel the same way!
Unfortunately, the modern political landscape sent me running, when all I wanted to do was to help.
I was 15-years-old on September 11, 2001, and I wanted to be part of the solution to today’s troubled world. To give to people, to inspire and empower people. But in politics, I was held back. Forced down. Told I wasn’t enough. Made to believe that I needed to “climb the ladder” and cut corners and undercut competition just to get ahead.
I knew that wasn’t the truth. I could feel it. And I wouldn’t take no for an answer.
I knew that I could do more, try harder, give bigger and live better than the life I was living — but all I was doing was suffocating in a world of ego and corruption, backstabbing and total bullshit.
I became depressed. Aimless. Hopeless. I had to escape.
That’s when I quit my job and dedicated myself to living my life fully and unapologetically. It took me a while to rebuild myself from the inside out, but that’s what I did — thanks to writing.
The power of writing helped me to reclaim my thoughts, my life and happiness, piece by piece: from sprawling essays on Generation Y culture to the modern political problems before us, to who I was and what I identified with throughout my life, I literally began to rewrite my place in the world — I just didn’t realize it at the time.
Today, I’m in a much different place.
Through the power of spoken and written word, I’m here to help you positively change in your life. I want you to radically self-actualize to pursue your dreams.I want you to live a life of freedom and self-expression, purpose and passion.
I want you to be unapologetically you.
And I hope you’ll join me.
What I Believe
I believe that writing holds the amazing power to invite radical change in ourselves: writing is a powerful explorative process that invites us to deeply examine ourselves, to better understand people, and to embrace our world.
Writing also holds the quiet but inimitable power to shatter stuck, stagnant, ignorant barriers of the mind. Writing is liberation.
But more than that, I believe that we deserve to taste each day; to truly and unapologetically live each and every moment presently, to fully flourish in our lives, and to deeply experience each other — with loving kindness, and eternal senses of gratitude and giving.
I’m here to teach you how to do just that — and to teach you how it all can begin by reclaiming the meaning of leadership in your everyday life and embracing the power and artforms of spoken and written word.
“Lead without followers, live from within.”
That’s my mantra.
And by showing you what it means to lead without followers and to live from within in your life, I’ll show you how you can open yourself to new worlds of possibility, positivity and joy.
Reframing your life, actions and words through this lens can even revolutionize the way that you do business — whether as an entrepreneur, blogger, startup or small biz.
I’m here to teach you how to live on your own terms, because rethinking what it possesses the incredible power to create radical, positive change in your world.
How Can I Help You?
I’m on a mission to meet and connect with as many amazing people as I possibly can, and I would love to connect with you.
I’d love to meet you in person for coffee (or a drink), chat on the phone about my past experiences in politics, share a quick email to hear what you’re working on, or simply to know how I can support your journey.
Getting in touch is easy. You can:
- Reach out on Twitter
- Email dave(at)daveursillo.com
- Call my mobile line +1(401)384-0887
- Skype me at username: dave.ursillo
Or, shoot me a message with the form below.
I look forward to speaking with you!
And in the mean time, keep shining,
