Craig Stanland
| Craig Stanland | |
| Nationality | American |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Author, public speaker |
| Known for | Memoir Blank Canvas: How I Reinvented My Life after Prison; work on personal reinvention and second chances |
| Website | https://craigstanland.com |
Craig Stanland is an American author and public speaker known for his work on personal reinvention, resilience, and second chances. He is best recognized for his 2021 memoir Blank Canvas: How I Reinvented My Life after Prison and for a widely viewed TEDx talk on rebuilding a sense of self-worth.[1][2] Earlier in his career he worked in technology sales, and following his own journey through the criminal justice system he turned to writing and speaking about rebuilding a life after significant loss.[3][4]
Reinvention and career
Stanland describes his work as that of an author, speaker, and "reinvention architect," working with people who have experienced significant personal or professional setbacks.[1][2] He has said that a difficult chapter in his life became the starting point for a deliberate effort to reconsider how he defined his own worth and to rebuild his life on different terms.[4][3] In his own later accounts and in the description published by his memoir's publisher, Stanland has spoken candidly about losing much of what he had built and about the process of starting over.[1][3]
Writing
Stanland's memoir, Blank Canvas: How I Reinvented My Life after Prison, was published by Lioncrest Publishing in May 2021.[1][2] The book reflects on adversity and the process by which he worked to reconstruct his life afterward.[1][3] The publisher describes the work as "a meditation on our remarkable capacity to rebuild and reinvent our lives" and frames its central theme as the idea that severe adversity need not be final.[1] Writing about the book, entrepreneur and author James Altucher described it as one of the most impactful "hybrid" books he had recommended.[3][1]
Public speaking
In February 2020, Stanland delivered a TEDx talk titled "How I Learned My Greatest Worth in Federal Prison" at TEDxNorthAdams, reflecting on the experience of losing his outward markers of success and on the value he says he found in adversity.[4] At the time of the talk he was described as a transformational storyteller living in Brooklyn, New York, and was working on the memoir that would become Blank Canvas.[4] He has since worked as a keynote speaker, addressing audiences on themes of decision-making, accountability, second chances, and personal reinvention.[2][3]
White Collar Conference
Stanland has participated in the White Collar Conference, an annual gathering focused on people affected by white-collar criminal cases. He served as emcee of the inaugural 2024 conference and returned to open the 2025 program.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "Blank Canvas". 'Lioncrest Publishing}'. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Life After Prison – Craig Stanland: Losing Everything You Value". 'The IPS Project}'. June 2021. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "The Book". 'craigstanland.com}'. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Craig Stanland: How I Learned My Greatest Worth in Federal Prison". 'TED}'. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
- ↑ "Craig Stanland — White Collar Conference". 'White Collar Conference}'. Retrieved 2026-07-23.