About the Author

Kevin Ladd grew up in Waterville, Maine, where a love of drawing, listening to and playing music, and hands-on work took root early—long before he ever imagined writing a book. After years of carpentry, cooking, and seven-day work weeks, he moved to Chicago, where he eventually helped build Scholarships.com and built a life on his own somewhat unconventional terms. Though his career shifted from web design and management to leadership and business development, he’s never stopped being a maker: building furniture, restoring motorcycles, crafting concrete countertops, or taking spontaneous cross-country motorcycle rides.

Kevin is driven by curiosity, creativity, and the belief that life is best lived through doing. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Dawn, and their dogs, Bruce Willis and Marty. They continue to say yes to new projects, new adventures, and pursuing a full and gratifying life which will no doubt one day culminate in a lovely storybook ending.

PWM >> ORD

From a childhood in small-town Maine with a black-and-white TV and an overactive imagination, to blue-collar beginnings in carpentry shops, to unexpected success in the burgeoning tech world, Ladd traces the winding backroads—literal and figurative—that shaped him. Along the way, he shares the lessons earned through work, creativity, motorcycles, mistakes, friendships, craftsmanship, and the stubborn refusal to live life on autopilot.