Kevin Carroll's life-changing, masterful storytelling skills enhance personal communication and innovation, improve team dynamics and enliven and enrich the lives of all of us.
Raised by his grandparents in Philadelphia, Carroll spent endless hours at the neighborhood playground where he found his calling: a red rubber ball. His subsequent pursuit of play and his red rubber ball took him overseas where he served as a language interpreter and translator, gaining fluency in Croatian, Czech, Serbian and German.
After serving in the Air Force for over 10 years and earning his college degree, Carroll became an athletic trainer at the high school and collegiate levels in Philadelphia. His expertise in sport performance led to a job as the head athletic trainer for the Philadelphia 76ers in 1995. While at the 76ers, Nike tapped Carroll to bring his unique experiences to the sneaker giant in 1997.
At Nike he was directed to create a position at the company that would add value to the overall mission of the brand. Carroll accepted the challenge and stayed for seven years as "Katalyst" (the K is for Kevin), a creative change agent, instrumental in helping the company develop a deeper understanding of athletic product performance, team dynamics and interpersonal communication.
He left Nike in 2004 to create his own company, Kevin Carroll Katalyst, committed to elevating the power of sport and play around the world. Since then he has dedicated his life to advancing sports and play as a vehicle for social change. Carroll partners with non-governmental organizations and businesses around the world that share his vision and goals.
Able to reach audiences with a simple transformative message -find your passion and joy-, Carroll reawakens drive and ambition in both individuals and organizations, allowing them to rediscover the things that propel them towards individual and operational goals. Energetic and humorous, he deftly combines an anecdotal narrative with strategies for discovering new and creative ways of thinking to help build mission-oriented teams.
Carroll has motivated and enlivened organizations such as Starbucks, Discovery Channel, ESPN, HSBC, Mattel, Capital One and the National Hockey League, helping them improve team dynamics and communication. He is the acclaimed author of "Rules of the Red Rubber Ball", "What's Your Red Rubber Ball?!" and "The Red Rubber Ball at Work".
Carroll holds a BA in Speech Communication from Angelo State University and a master's degree in Health Education from St. Joseph's University. It is his "job" to inspire businesses, organizations and individuals to embrace their spirit of play and creativity - from CEOs and employees of Fortune 500 companies to schoolchildren.
