Most people can’t say they have traveled 1 million miles in a Chevy Suburban with their families. But Clayton Poland can because he has. For 15 years, the public speaker has brought his family to public speaking events across the country.  

“We have traveled for 15 years in a vehicle that is five times smaller than a prison cell. No one has gone to prison,” Poland said with a laugh.  

The Louisiana native tells that story and others on his podcast, “That’s the Good Stuff,” in his book, “Ain’t Life Fun When You Focus on the Good Stuff” and to audiences across the nation. Although Poland was always a storyteller at heart, he wasn’t always a professional public speaker.  

Poland worked as a civil engineer for many years until he felt that it was time for a change.  

“I was walking up the steps into my office one day and I felt like God told me, ‘You’re not going to be doing this much longer,’” Poland said.  

Poland was initially confused. “Will I never walk up stairs again?” he thought. After pondering and praying for over a year he felt that God was directing him to go into ministry full time. Poland quit his engineering job and got to work.  

Today, Poland tells uplifting stories from his life and the Bible. On Saturday, the storyteller will be sharing his most requested story about his daughter Maddie. She was born prematurely, and because of her extended experience in the hospital, Maddie wouldn’t sleep for more than 45 minutes for the first year and a half of her life. Her parents were understandably exhausted. Poland plans on telling the story in his TEDx Rexburg talk to illustrate the importance of simple, everyday moments.  

“We love the big mountain top moments, but we forget the foundation is not those mountain top moments. The foundation of a mountain is not the top it’s the bottom,” Poland said. “There are many more everyday moments that we experience together with friends and family and co-workers that add up to a really meaningful life.”  

You can get tickets for TEDx Rexburg here. For more about Clayton Poland, visit https://claytonpoland.com/.