Jason Kander
NYT Bestselling Author of Invisible Storm: A Soldier's Memoir of Politics and PTSD
First Millennial Statewide Elected Official | Afghanistan Veteran
Jason pulls from his life experience as a former government official and veteran recovering from PTSD to instill lessons of leadership, resilience, and the importance of taking care of one’s mental health.
Visit jasonkander.com for more info.
MORE:
‘If I’d not got help, I’d probably be dead’: Jason Kander on PTSD, politics and advice from Obama |The Guardian
Jason Kander's Private War: New Memoir Recounts Battle With PTSD | Rolling Stone
A former Army Captain who served in Afghanistan, Jason Kander was elected to the Missouri state legislature in 2008 and as Missouri Secretary of State in 2012, making him the first American millennial elected to statewide office. In 2016, while Donald Trump was winning Missouri by 19 points, Jason nearly unseated a Republican U.S. Senator.
In 2017, he founded Let America Vote, a national campaign against voter suppression. He served as a teaching fellow at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics, worked as a CNN Commentator, and appeared on every major television network.
In 2018, while traveling to 46 states for political events, Jason publicly acknowledged that he was considering a 2020 presidential campaign. Months later, he surprised many by choosing instead to run for mayor of Kansas City. Three months into that campaign – which seemed destined for victory – Jason shocked the political world by ending his candidacy and stepping back from public life to seek treatment for post-traumatic stress he’d been struggling with since coming home from Afghanistan.
He spent eight months out of the public eye while addressing his mental health.
Today, Jason is the President of National Expansion at Veterans Community Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting veteran suicide and veteran homelessness. He is also the host of Majority 54, one of the nation’s most popular political podcasts. He sits on the boards of Giffords and Let America Vote/End Citizens United, and he is the founder of Afghan Rescue Project.
A graduate of American University and Georgetown Law School, Jason has written two New York Times bestselling books, Outside the Wire: Ten Lessons I’ve Learned in Everyday Courage, and Invisible Storm: A Soldier’s Memoir of Politics and PTSD, as well as a children’s book, Courage Is, which he co-authored with his son.
Jason lives in Kansas City with his wife Diana, their son True, and their daughter Bella. In his spare time, he coaches True’s Little League team and plays centerfield for the Kansas City Hustlers of the National Men’s Adult Baseball League.
Speech topics
TaMING THE INVISIBLE STORM
From political wunderkind and former army intelligence officer Jason Kander comes a haunting, powerful memoir about impossible choices—and how sometimes walking away from the chance of a lifetime can be the greatest decision of all. In this talk Jason will share lessons on how to confront one’s biggest challenges in an effort to live a truly fulfilled life.
Going Outside the Wire
Outside the Wire is a candid, practical leadership guide for anyone interested in making change. This talk is an entertaining, humorous, and hopeful meditation on the underrated value of everyday courage.
Books
Invisible Storm: A Soldier's Memoir of Politics and PTSD
From political wunderkind and former army intelligence officer Jason Kander comes a haunting, powerful memoir about impossible choices—and how sometimes walking away from the chance of a lifetime can be the greatest decision of all
Outside the Wire: Ten Lessons I've Learned in Everyday Courage
A smart and revealing political memoir from a rising star of the Democratic Party.
Courage Is...
Jason Kander knows what courage is. With help from his son, True, he introduces the concept to future leaders in this powerful children's board book.
Podcast
A weekly primer for progressives interested in knowing where the party is headed and persuading others to join our majority. Co-hosts Jason Kander and Ravi Gupta draw on their experience winning progressive campaigns in red states to understand the other side and how to flip them from red to blue.
