From Syrian Prison to Perspective, Sam Goodwin’s Story of Resilience

Sam Goodwin is an inspirational keynote speaker, bestselling author and founder of SGI Ventures. He has delivered hundreds of corporate keynotes all around the globe, from Fortune 500 giants to industry-leading organizations. As one of the few people to have traveled to all 193 countries in the world, Sam’s global journey took an unexpected turn in 2019 when he was taken hostage and wrongfully imprisoned in Syria. His bestselling memoir, Saving Sam, recounts this harrowing experience and reveals the hard-earned wisdom he discovered through the ordeal. Today, these lessons form the foundation of SGI’s signature program, “Winning Through Uncertainty.” A former Division I hockey player, Sam spent six years living in Singapore working for a tech startup and an NGO. He completed bachelor’s and master’s degrees before earning a doctorate in International Affairs from Johns Hopkins University in Washington DC. Away from the keynote stage, Dr. Goodwin is a private pilot, Ironman triathlete and an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at Washington University in St. Louis. He and his wife, Natasha, make their home in Tampa, Florida, where Sam balances coaching leaders, logging flight hours and playing in a weekly men’s league hockey game.https://www.samrgoodwin.com/https://www.instagram.com/samrgoodwin/Saving Sam: The True Story of an American’s Disappearance in Syria and His Family’s Extraordinary Fight to Bring Him Home This podcast is hosted by Jessica Buchanan, a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, survivor and founder. Her latest book, How to Survive Survival: A Guide for Turning Life’s Hardest Moments Into Meaningful Contribution for the World was released in 2025.  Jessica is also the author of Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six, published in 2014, which became a New York Times Bestseller. Jessica is the founder of Soul Speak Press, a boutique non-traditional publishing company focused on stories from women who have been through something, now they know something and can teach us something.When she’s not writing or speaking, Jessica is traveling the world with her Swedish husband and two “half Vikings.” She aims to lead a life shaped by curiosity, culture, and a deep appreciation for the resilience of the human spirit.