Rick Saldan's Motivational Magic - Motivational Speaker & Master Magician

Rick Saldan is an excellent inspirational speaker who tailored the seminar to the needs of the individual students being instructed. This office thanks the Mayors Office of Information Services for having such a vendor.

Timothy K. Lynch

Office of Fleet Management

City of Philadelphia

Rick has a magical approach that provides a clear and concise message specifically designed to the needs of his audience. Rick will provide all the motivational magic you will ever need, propelling your organization to the next level of greater success.

Thomas Mulhern

Frontier Communications

Rick Saldan is a compelling and absorbing motivational speaker and magician. I have been to five of his Motivational Magic presentations and it is amazing how he keeps our college audiences on the edge of their seats. A highly entertaining performer with great comedy flair. Rich content to increase students' productivity, peak performance and motivation. If you need an outstanding motivational speaker for colleges, Rick is definitely one of the world's greatest speakers and magicians!

Dr. Rob Gilbert, Sport Psychologist,

Montclair State University

Rick Saldan has the wit, wisdom and sorcery of a wizard. He has a dynamic personality, and all will enjoy his captivating stories, comedy and magic!

Dennis Slaughter
Credit Suisse First Boston

Rick Saldan delivers a first-class show! A pro in every sense of the word. Funny, unique, entertaining and polished.

Brian Letscher, Actor

Hawaii Five-O, NCIS, Cold Case, Law & Order and The Mentalist.

Rick Saldan is a wonderful combination of master magician, comic improviser and first class speaker. The audience loved his program, which was music to our ears. If you love celebrity motivational speakers such as Tom Hopkins, Dale Carnegie and Zig Ziglar, then you'll love Rick!

Dottie Burman, President
Burtley Productions, Inc.

Rick Saldan is an incredibly talented performer and motivational speaker with great insight. He shares many powerful motivational messages that will enhance your life for the better!

Jack Murray, President
Dream Illusions

Rick is one of the best inspirational speakers on the scene today. Funny, fun loving and highly energetic. If you want to make your next event into an extraordinary one, then invite professional speaker Rick Saldan and his amazing Motivational Magic.

Andres Lara, President

Inspiration Times Magazine

Disease or Not? Does It Matter
Author: Anne Wayman

Questions about the disease theory of alcoholism and addiction surface quite regularly, and usually it's forgotten that it was the American Medical Association who attached the label to drunkards in the first place. AA, while certainly open to the notion has, for the most part, preferred to focus on recovery than on the causes of alcoholism.

The issue of the need to abstain totally is, probably, more important. During the show, Psychologist Marc Kern spoke rather eloquently about his success with learning to control his drinking. Apparently he can now 'enjoy an occasional glass of wine.' He also said, rather emphatically, that because he's learned to control his drinking, AA's model is open to question.

Well bully for Dr. Kern. He isn't the first, nor will he be the last, to advocate a behaviorist model of controlling excessive drinking. The thing I don't understand is who cares? If he has a family, they may, particularly is his drinking again increases ?so may his clients. But he may stick with an occasional glass of wine for the rest of his life! So what? Lots of people enjoy an occasional glass of wine. Maybe he wasn't a 'real alcoholic,' maybe he was a problem drinker. It doesn't matter ? not to me anyway.

The fact that Dr. Kern can drink wine with his meals has nothing at all to do with the fact that I continue to choose not to drink wine or anything else. His social drinking has nothing to do with me. My staying sober has nothing to do with him.

Why abstinence is considered abnormal is beyond me.

What about Richard Banton who said he'd been in the AA program for six years and felt like a social outcast during that time. Social outcast from where? And why did he stay with a group or groups that, according to the ABC press release he was " ?terrorized to fall into line . . . Anytime you say anything that conflicts with their model, then you're in denial." Sure there are Nazi groups like that out there ?they all have a door that swings both ways and there are plenty of meetings and groups where that sort of nonsense just doesn't happen.

What might we take away from all of this?

? AA and 12 Step Programs help a whole lot of people, but have never said they are the only answer
? Not drinking (using, practicing whatever addiction) is a powerful, self-affirming act
? Just because some return to social drinking (or social whatever) doesn't mean what we're doing is wrong for us.

I suspect there will be a brief outcry about all this, and much discussion in meetings. Sure, a few may try to return to social drinking as a result of the 20/20 program ?and even fewer may discover they actually can maintain that. Most of them, however, will come back to the 12 Steps and life will go on.

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Anne Wayman is the author of Powerfully Recovered! Her website is http://www.powerfullyrecovered.com

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