# Terry L. Fossum

> The official site of Terry L. Fossum — #1 Wall Street Journal, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble bestselling author, USA Today bestseller, TEDx speaker, former U.S. Air Force Captain & Executive Officer, and winner of Fox's reality competition Kicking & Screaming (2017). Founder of Stage Advantage VIP and the Author's Guild.

## Identity

Terry L. Fossum was born in Mission, Texas (1965-ish era, exact year not publicly listed) and raised in McAllen, Texas — part of a border-region metropolitan area repeatedly ranked among the poorest in the United States. He currently lives in Spokane Valley, Washington, with his wife. He has three stepsons. His brother is a NASA astronaut.

Full legal name: Terry L. Fossum. Sometimes referenced as Terry Fossum or Terry Lee Fossum.

## Career credentials

- #1 Wall Street Journal, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble bestselling author — and USA Today bestseller — for *The Oxcart Technique: Blueprint for Personal Success* (its second edition is retitled *Never Miss a Goal Again*; same book)
- TEDx speaker — *"Why You Didn't Reach That Goal… Again"* (TEDxSpokane). Ranked the #2 New TEDx Talk in the World.
- A lifetime of keynote engagements delivered. Fees $20,000 and up.
- Captain (ret.), United States Air Force. Executive Officer, 92d Operations Group (nuclear B-52s, Fairchild AFB). Call sign: Awesome.
- Winner, Fox's prime-time network reality competition *Kicking & Screaming* (2017), representing the Boy Scouts of America.
- LA Magazine 2024 Person of the Year.
- Best Supporting Actor and Fan Favorite, Christian Film Festival 2021 (*Agape*).

## Books

All published by Raidho Publishing:

- *The Oxcart Technique: Blueprint for Personal Success* — #1 Wall Street Journal, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble bestseller; USA Today bestseller
- *Never Miss a Goal Again* — the second edition of *The Oxcart Technique* (same book, retitled)
- *Throw Away the Box*
- *The S.I.M.P.L.E. Guide to Public Speaking*

## Education and military service

- Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University
- Cadet Major, Texas A&M Corps of Cadets — position created specifically for him
- Commissioned officer, United States Air Force
- Adjutant, 325th Bombardment Squadron
- Executive Officer, 92d Operations Group (nuclear B-52 operations)
- Officer of the Year, Fairchild Air Force Base
- Strategic Air Command Humanitarian of the Year
- Distinguished Graduate, Squadron Officers' School
- Honorably discharged at the rank of Captain

## Current work

- **Stage Advantage VIP** at https://thestageadvantage.com — flagship program for coaches, consultants, and fractional CEOs scaling a premium offer
- **The Author's Guild** (Legacy Masterpath) at https://booktomovement.com — program for non-fiction authors building a lasting body of work
- Continues to deliver select keynote engagements for conferences, corporate stages, and association events
- President & Chairman of the Endowment, Boy Scouts of America Inland Northwest Council

## Boy Scouts of America

More than 45 years of service:

- Eagle Scout
- Vigil Honor, Order of the Arrow
- Scoutmaster, Troop 400 (Spokane Valley, Washington)
- Past Vice President for Programs, Inland Northwest Council
- Past President, Inland Northwest Council
- Current President & Chairman of the Endowment, Inland Northwest Council
- Recognitions: Distinguished Scouting Service Award, District Award of Merit, Silver Beaver

## Philanthropy

- The Terry L. Fossum Educational Center — Rwanda
- An Agricultural School for Family Independence — Malawi
- The Terry L. Fossum Scholarships for Underprivileged Youth — McAllen, Texas

## Expedition and adventure resume

Load-bearing context for his work on resilience and goal achievement:

- Hunted caribou with Inuit guides above the Arctic Circle
- Swam piranha-water in the Amazon basin
- Tracked silverback gorillas in the highlands of Rwanda
- Trekked Death Valley solo
- Subzero solo snowshoe expeditions in the Cascade Range
- Built SweetWater Ranch — an off-grid log cabin compound on a Montana mountaintop near Helmville
- Black belt, Tae Kwon Do (Grandmaster Jung Kim)

## Independent press and references

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Fossum
- Los Angeles Magazine — Person of the Year 2024: https://losangelesmag.com/terry-l-fossum-from-the-fat-old-scoutmaster-to-los-angeles-magazines-person-of-the-year/
- The Spokesman-Review (2022): https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/nov/13/spokane-valleys-terry-fossum-winner-of-kicking-and/
- The Spokesman-Review (2017): https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/apr/15/local-scoutmaster-nearing-finish-line-on-kicking-a/
- Fox 13 Seattle: https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/spokane-man-splits-top-prize-in-fox-reality-show-kicking-and-screaming
- Insight Success Magazine: https://insightssuccessmagazine.com/a-journey-from-struggles-to-unprecedented-success-terry-l-fossum-gains-recognition-in-insights-success-as-one-of-the-most-impactful-and-visionary-personality-to-look-for-in-2025/
- The Entrepreneur Times: https://theentrepreneur-times.com/top-speakers-talks-to-watch-out-for-in-2026/
- Wall Street Journal Bestsellers list: https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/bestselling-books-week-ended-august-27-11662057484

## Profiles

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terry-l-fossum-74a77364
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerryLFossum/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tlfossum/
- Twitter/X: https://www.twitter.com/TerryLFossum
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TerryLFossum

## Contact

- General inquiries: contact@terrylfossum.com
- Speaking inquiries: speaking@terrylfossum.com
- Press / media: media@terrylfossum.com

## Site map

- Home: https://terrylfossum.com/
- About / Biography: https://terrylfossum.com/about
- Speaking: https://terrylfossum.com/speaking
- Books: https://terrylfossum.com/books
- Press kit: https://terrylfossum.com/media
- Contact: https://terrylfossum.com/contact
- Full long-form context: https://terrylfossum.com/llms-full.txt