Long Bio

“If the Buddha had two kids, a dog named Blue, a Southern accent, and a huge crush on Johnny Depp, his name would be Patti Digh,” wrote one reviewer after Digh’s grassroots bestseller, Life Is a Verb, was published. In 2003, Patti Digh’s stepfather was diagnosed with lung cancer and died just 37 days later. She woke up on day 38 and asked herself a question that she has asked every morning since: “What would I be doing today if I only had 37 days to live?”

Patti’s award-winning blog, 37days.com, emerged from the lessons she learned by asking that question and soon the essays were crafted into the bestselling book LIFE IS A VERB: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally. Patti has since written FOUR-WORD SELF-HELP: Simple Wisdom for Complex Lives, CREATIVE IS A VERB: If You’re Alive, You’re Creative, WHAT I WISH FOR YOU: Simple Wisdom for a Happy Life, THE GEOGRAPHY OF LOSS: Embrace What Is, Honor What Was, Love What Will be, and YOUR DAILY ROCK: A Daybook of Touchstones for Busy Lives. All of these books are beautifully illustrated by her readers from around the world, two were nominated as “Book of the Year” by the Southern Independent Booksellers Association, and Life is a Verb was one of five finalists for the prestigious “Books for a Better Life” award in 2008. Previously, her two earlier books were focused on business, the first of which was a Fortune Magazine “Best Business Book” for 2000.

In addition to her writing, Patti is formerly the founding Vice President of International and Diversity Programs for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), with over 350,000 members worldwide. Since 1996, Patti’s company, Strong Offer LLC, has helped individuals and organizations reimagine the world by creating courageous and inclusive communities. She does this by providing online classes, executive consulting, and unique, interactive training to individuals, corporations, communities, and schools on racism and other -isms. Patti is also a sought-after Keynote speaker. Audiences come away from her speeches both laughing and crying and with a clearer sense of what’s important in their own lives.

Patti and her family live (intentionally) near the artsy mountain town of Asheville, NC, with two dogs and four cats on a gravel lane around a heart-shaped lake. No, really. She is hankering for a baby goat at the moment.