Dan Millman was born on February 22, 1946 and won the World Trampoline Championship in 1964 at the age of eighteen. Four years later he co-captained the gymnastics team for the University of California in the NCAA before becoming a gymnastics instructor for nearby Stanford University. Following the call of athleticism, Millman continued his teaching career at Oberlin College as a professor of physical education. He also teaches martial arts and has a background in Akido and modern dance.
According to Dan Millman, he had a twenty-year spiritual quest that led him to write the book, Way of the Peaceful Warrior, a fictionalized tale of his own life as an athlete. In the book, a young, college-age Millman, meets a gas station attendant who becomes his mentor. After the boy breaks his leg in a motorcycle accident, the attendant, a man he calls "Socrates", becomes his spiritual guide to becoming a "Peaceful Warrior".
Although the book had minimal sales with its first printing, later editions became bestsellers and launched Dan Millman's career as a well-known lecturer on positive thinking. He has joined Anthony Robbins, a famous motivational speaker, on the human potential movement, a movement based in the 1960s that works to help people develop their unique potential in order to live happier, more fulfilling lives.
In 2006, Way of the Peaceful Warrior was adapted into a feature film called "Peaceful Warrior" staring Nick Nolte.
Millman has since written eleven other inspirational books that help to inform and inspire people around the world. Although Millman continues to write, he spends most of his time speaking and giving seminars and workshops designed to help individuals from all areas of life. Professionals from the fields of psychology, health, business, education, politics, sports, and entertainment have all benefited from his work.
A complete list of his books follows:
- Whole body fitness: mind, body and spirit
- Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives
- Sacred Journey of the Peaceful Warrior
- Secret of the Peaceful Warrior: A Story About Courage and Love
- No Ordinary Moments: A Peaceful Warrior's Guide to Daily Life
- Quest for the Crystal Castle: A Peaceful Warrior Children's Book
- The Life You Were Born to Live: A Guide to Finding Your Life Purpose
- The Laws of Spirit: A Tale of Transformation
- Everyday Enlightenment: The Twelve Gateways to Personal Growth
- Body Mind Mastery: Creating Success in Sport and Life
- Divine Interventions: True Stories of Mysteries and Miracles that Change Lives
- Living on Purpose: Straight Answers to Life's Tough Questions
- Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives (20th Anniversary Edition)
- The Journeys of Socrates
- Wisdom of the Peaceful Warrior: A Companion to the Book That Changes Lives
