Losing the old life
Chronic pain, migraines and disability end the software career David thought would define his future.
The book
From Bedridden to the Boardroom.
A memoir about losing the life David had planned, rebuilding through chronic pain, autism and isolation, and discovering that the same tools that helped him survive could help other people move forward.
- Amazon #1 BestsellerBusiness Diversity & Inclusion
- Amazon #1 New ReleaseAutism
- Amazon #1 New ReleaseDisability
- Amazon BestsellerAutism and Disability
Available now. Kindle and print on Amazon. Two deluxe editions direct from IngramSpark. Orderable at bookstores and libraries worldwide. See all the ways to buy.
Life begins when you lose everything.
The story behind David's work on pain, belonging, leadership and rebuilding.
Premise
This is the story behind the work.
Before David spoke to executives or built a global community, his world had become very small. Some days, getting to the bathroom was the project for the day.
The book follows how that life became the foundation for International Friend Connection, self-leadership mentoring and the work David now brings to audiences.
Inside the book
What the story covers.
Growing up different
David looks back at autism before he had language for it, and at the systems, books and values that helped him survive.
ACT as a new operating system
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy gave David a practical way to move toward what mattered, even when pain, fear and doubt were still present.
The first safe rooms
Early Meetup groups become places where shy, isolated and overwhelmed people can walk through the door.
Building International Friend Connection
David built a real-world community that reached 50 chapters at its peak, giving lonely, shy and neurodivergent adults safer rooms to walk into. The work later earned recognition from President Biden and Points of Light.
The boardroom and beyond
The story eventually carries David into the Meetup boardroom, Cultural Autism Studies at Yale and the United Nations, where his lived experience becomes part of the work he now teaches.
People see David's work from different angles
Leadership, community, media, clinical support, and neurodivergent belonging all point to the same pattern: David builds what other people only talk about.
Bob Burg
Coauthor, The Go-Giver — Foreword Author
Go-Givers International
“David Good is my hero. Or, as I often put it, he is one of my ‘real-life action heroes!’... He turned his pain into purpose.”
David Siegel
Former CEO, Meetup and Investopedia — Afterword Author
Author, Decide and Conquer
“For Meetup’s 20th anniversary celebration, I only asked one person to represent the hundreds of thousands of Meetup organizers around the world. That person was David Good.”
“David Good didn’t write a book about becoming normal. Thank God. He wrote a book about what happens when a human is pushed so far outside the system that he has no choice but to build a better one. From Bedridden to the Boardroom is raw, intelligent, painful, funny, precise and nonlinear. David shows us something the world still doesn’t understand: some people are not broken. They were simply never included in the designed straight line.
What I love about David is that he doesn’t speak about belonging as a soft idea. He builds it. He studies it. Protects it. And he turns them into rooms, rituals, communities, frameworks and connections.
David represents exactly why the Octopus Movement exists. He is not trying to fit into the old world. He is helping to create the next one.”
Perry Knoppert
Founder, The Octopus Movement
KL
Kathi C. Laughman
Author, Decision Strategist, Possibilitarian
“I feel like this is one of the most important pieces of writing that has crossed my desk in a long time.”
DP
Dr. Dawn Prince-Hughes
Co-Chair, Cultural Autism Studies at Yale
“His different way of thinking, infectious enthusiasm, and touching humility makes him a very unique kind of advocate... Anyone who works with him is fortunate.”
LW
Dr. Liliya Bakiyeva Wheatcraft, MD, MRCPsych
Author, AUTISTIC First Principles
“David’s work stands out for its simplicity and ingenuity... a no-stigma, psychologically safe ecosystem... a much needed resource.”
Amazon rankings
It reached #1 in three Amazon categories.
These are screenshots from the Amazon listing.
Where to get it
Available now.
Kindle, paperback and case laminate hardcover are on Amazon. Two more editions come direct from IngramSpark and are not sold on Amazon. Bookstores and libraries worldwide can order it in.
Amazon
Kindle, paperback and case laminate hardcover.
Amazon #1 Bestseller in Business Diversity & Inclusion.
Direct from IngramSpark
$24.99 was $29.99
$14.99 was $17.99
Two editions you cannot get on Amazon. Sale prices during our initial release, only through the links above.
Bookstores and libraries
Available to order at bookstores and libraries worldwide.
Ask for From Bedridden to the Boardroom by David Good.
Beyond the book
A story David now teaches from.
David's story is about more than surviving pain. It became the practical foundation for teaching courage, connection, belonging, boundaries and self-leadership.
The work grew out of lived experience, real rooms and real people. That is why the book connects directly to David's speaking and interviews. For some readers, the book may also be the first step toward David's private self-leadership mentoring.
Next step
Start with a thoughtful conversation.
The book is often the easiest place to start. If you are considering David for an event, interview, referral conversation or private self-leadership mentoring, tell him what you are trying to accomplish.