How Lance Cibik Left Corporate to Become an Adversity Speaker
The Story
Before he became an adversity speaker and author, Lance Cibik learned what resilience truly meant. Born into difficult circumstances, Lance lost his mother to suicide before his first birthday. He grew up paycheck to paycheck, and by 17 years old, he was living on his own.
Despite it all, he became a first-generation college graduate with a degree in Business and Finance, earning the Certified Financial Planner designation. He spent over 22 years in financial services, consulting, sales, and leadership roles, rising to Senior Vice President and overseeing teams across the country.
But then came a life-changing car accident that took a man’s life and radically reoriented Lance’s path. His mission became crystal clear: help others find clarity, strength, and purpose despite their past adversity.
The Curiosity
As Lance began exploring this new calling, he started speaking at churches, schools, and corporate events. He started noticing that people were deeply connecting with his message of hope.
Over time, a thought kept surfacing: What would it look like to turn this message into a book?
The idea felt heavy, but the pull toward writing was undeniable.
“I took the leap of faith.”
The Solution
A series of conversations led him to Streamline Books, and the timing felt providential.
Lance entered the partnership nervous but hopeful. What he found was a team that made space for the emotional journey, offered clear guidance, and brought steady professionalism to every step.
“Streamline made it easy. They were pros the whole way through.”
The Journey
Writing Adversity Fuels Purpose meant returning to painful truths: childhood loss, instability, financial struggle, and years of pushing forward when life felt overwhelming.
Streamline helped him shape those experiences into a narrative grounded in hope, clarity, and honesty. Together, they told his story in a way that felt raw, relatable, and deeply practical.
He has since left his corporate job and is now living a purpose-filled, successful life as a full-time author, speaker, and coach.
The ROI
The book added immediate, tangible value to Lance’s career as an adversity speaker and author. It raised his authority, supported higher speaking fees, and acted as a business card that kept working long after he left an event.
“The ROI is there!”
Speaking opportunities for diverse audiences. Lance has tailored his message to financial groups, students, churches, and nonprofits. And he gets paid.
A huge pathway opened up for him to start executive and youth coaching.
He writes a weekly newsletter with over 1,500 subscribers.
→ Lance is amazing at making his message visible on LinkedIn and other platforms. If you’re looking for an example of effective book marketing months after launch, be sure to check out his profile.
What People Are Saying
- “relatable, conversational, and impacted them emotionally”
- “simple, raw, and incredibly impactful”
- “a powerful wake-up call… helping you identify areas in your life that need meaningful change”
- “a reminder that we are not alone in struggle”
- “a deeply personal exploration of how life’s toughest challenges can become a catalyst for transformation”
When he is not speaking or coaching, you will find Lance where he is happiest: spending time with his wife and daughters, volunteering in his community, playing basketball, or lifting weights at the gym.
