presents a pop quiz about Bill Butterworth’s road trip through 50 U.S. states! It’s a page-turner, filled with wit and wisdom. Plus, read my recent review of
," where Matt Davis and I have a conversation about my many leadership mistakes! (Just released on May 5, 2026.)
Wait! What? Bill Butterworth, the top-rated speaker, author, and ghostwriter, has just written a book about “life lessons from the road.”
Should you read it? For a quick taste—take my “True or False” pop quiz for:
POP QUIZ! TRUE OR FALSE? What’s this book about?[ ] True or False? Bill Butterworth’s new book,
Postcards from PopPop, is a master class for wanna-be speakers on how to work with speaker bureaus. (The result: 50 speaking gigs in 50 states!)
Or maybe…Bill Butterworth’s new book is the perfect template for writing your own memoirs. (See four other memoirs in my blog, “
You Should Write a Book.”)
Which is it?[ ] True or False? The author actually mailed 50 postcards (one per state) to his grandson, Hudson—helping him with a fifth grade U.S. geography assignment.
[ ] True or False? The book features 51 short “life lessons” (one from each U.S. state, plus Washington, D.C.). Example: Chapter 37, “A Late Night Recalled in New Hampshire,” details the “most expensive speech” Butterworth ever gave.
(Hilarious!)[ ] True or False? The author has also ghostwritten dozens of books—and invites you into his interviewing and writing process. Butterworth says he’s “collaborated with CEOs, pastors, motivational speakers, therapists, speech teachers, broadcasters, physicians, missionaries, professional athletes, daughters describing their fathers, grandmothers describing their grandkids, and even a pro wrestler!”
[ ] True or False? No way this is true, right? Butterworth claims he has spoken at the Sunday morning chapel services for 29 of the 32 NFL pro football teams. Chapter 49, “Wisconsin Cheesehead,” mentions one team (not the Packers) that was at zero wins and 11 losses when he spoke!
(Hmmm. What Bible verse would you pick to bless that team?)[ ] True or False? (Hint: This is true!) At my
home church last Sunday, Jared Powell, our co-pastor, happened to mention that to learn the names of all 50 U.S. states, he memorized a song! Read Butterworth’s book while you sing along to “
Fifty Nifty United States.”
Sing along to the short video, “Fifty Nifty United States,” featuring all 50 U.S. states in alphabetical order. (View here.)[ ] True or False? The book is practical—and doesn’t pontificate. The author has endured his fair share of bad food in many states and on airplanes. Example: In Chapter 17, “A Nice Piece of Fish in Nebraska,” Butterworth describes the
aha! moment after he ordered beef in Boston and swordfish in Omaha! (LOL!)
[ ] True or False? Oh, my! Imagine being the keynote speaker for “The Medical Meeting in Montana” (Chapter 8), and following a less-than-riveting physician’s talk on “Red Rash Update.” Or giving his “Balancing Work and Life” presentation to a group of veterinarians in Mississippi (Chapter 13), and not understanding the humorous punch lines of the other speakers—all vets. (Must-read chapter! And learn why even veterinarians need work/life balance.)
[ ] True or False? Once the author discovered that certain professional groups needed continuing education (“no two words are sweeter to a professional public speaker”), he found a profitable niche: speaking to local, state, and national CPA groups. One firm asked him to stretch his 75-minute presentation on “Balancing Work and Life” into eight hours. He did it—often. (See Chapter 16, “Speaking Slowly in Rhode Island.”)
[ ] True or False? Every chapter begins with “Dear Hudson,” a note to his grandson—and every chapter concludes with a “life lesson” note to “Huddy.” Did I mention?
This is a brilliant format for sharing your own story with family and friends. Butterworth notes several reasons why he wrote this gem, including “… to offer up a model for other parents and grandparents to follow. Giving your family the story of your life is one of the most treasured gifts you could pass along. Be creative in how you tell your story—whether it’s postcards or slices of life using other symbols—get it on paper.”
[ ] True or False? Early in his speaking/traveling career—and also the father of five children (and now "PopPop" to 12)—he realized he was not walking-the-talk of his “balancing work and life” message. Read Butterworth’s transparent and poignant account—and why a friend FedExed him a round-trip plane ticket to Phoenix. (Read Chapter 18, “The Arizona Cadillac.”)
[ ] True or False? (Trick question?) Butterworth claims, in addition to speaking at the chapel services for 29 NFL teams, he’s also been the chapel speaker for 14 Major League Baseball teams. On August 18, 1984, after speaking in L.A. at the Miami Dolphins’ chapel service before a Raiders game, he drove across town to speak to the visiting Philadelphia Phillies MLB team before their game with the Dodgers.
“The NFL and MLB all on the same day. I guess you could call it a Double Header.”[ ] True or False? Besides corporate gigs for Microsoft, Ford Motor Company, Walt Disney Company, Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), and others, Butterworth would often be the guest speaker at many churches across the country. Another ongoing gig was to “teach an audience the entire Old Testament in one day” at
Walk Thru the Bible Seminars on Saturdays. But imagine this: Chapter 5, “The Dark Side of New Mexico,” chronicles the day the lights went out—“the sanctuary was pitch black.” Yet…Butterworth soldiered on all day—in the dark!
[ ] True or False? He had 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., to choose from—but he selected Oregon for his finale chapter. Why? Butterworth calls
Cannon Beach Conference Center as the perfect place (and one of his favorite places). This quaint Oregon coast town, Haystack Rock, and the conference center are all very special. (
I agree. I was there last fall.)
[ ] True or False? Fifty-one fun postcards (one per state, plus D.C.) populate the pages of Butterworth’s “memoir from the road.” When you read
Postcards from PopPop, I’m betting you’ll read the chapter about your home state first, right?
TRUE OR FALSE ANSWERS: You guessed it. All true! But there's so much more, including 41 more memorable states: sharing the platform with a former U.S. president, a church seminar during the Super Bowl (really!), a CEO's grand entrance on a Harley in Vegas, how
Butterworth outlines each new book (Chapter 47 in Georgia), and what he said to a corporate group on 9/11.
TO ORDER FROM AMAZON, click on the title for
Postcards from PopPop: Life Lessons from the Road, by Bill Butterworth. (Note: Thanks to the author for sending me an advance manuscript. I could have written a review about
every gig in
every state. You'll love it!)
More Wit & Wisdom! Read my reviews of:
[ ] Building Successful Teams, by Bill Butterworth
[ ] The Short List, by Bill Butterworth
[ ] Everyday Influence, by Bill Butterworth
YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS:1) How many U.S. states have you visited? Have you been the speaker or workshop leader in five or more states? What’s your home state? What’s your favorite state? Can you sing “
Fifty Nifty United States” by memory?
2) Bill Butterworth’s very creative memoir reminded me of the book,
Yours Truly: An Obituary Writer's Guide to Telling Your Story, by James R. Hagerty of
The Wall Street Journal. (
Read my review.)
So are you inspired and ready now to write your own memoir, obituary, or life story (short or long)? Hagerty warns, “Don’t leave it to family members, who are almost certain to make a hash of it.”
SECOND READS: Fresh Solutions From Classic BooksYou have changed—and your problems have changed—since you read this the first time!Book #46 of 99: OutrageousFor your team meeting this week, inspire a team member to lead your “10 Minutes for Lifelong Learning” session by featuring Book #46 of 99 in our series, “Second Reads.” The big idea:
REREAD TO LEAD! Discover how your favorite books still have more to teach you and the people you’re coaching and mentoring.
Outrageous:
Awake to the Unexpected Adventures
of Everyday Faith
by Aaron Tredway (Oct. 18, 2016)
Aaron Tredway has played and coached soccer on six continents and traveled to more than 100 countries. (Maybe he’ll ask Bill Butterworth to ghostwrite his next book, "Postcards from 100 Nations.") As a
pastor and vice president of global advancement for
Ambassadors Football International, Tredway’s book,
Outrageous, is...well…outrageous.
•
Read my review in Issue No. 351 (Oct. 27, 2016).
• Order from
Amazon.
• Management Bucket #6 of 20:
The Program BucketThe mark of great leaders and managers is the ability to spot and recruit great talent—especially people who align with the program. In Sierra Leone, Tredway joined a pick-up soccer game behind a dump and met 18-year-old Bang-Bang. Impressed with the young man's soccer skills, Aaron signed Bang-Bang, on-the-spot, to a professional contract with the Cleveland City Stars (the “contract” was written on a crumpled Kentucky Fried Chicken napkin awaiting history in the dirt).
Did I mention Aaron and friends launched a U.S. pro soccer club from scratch? Read Chapter 5 to learn more about their mascot, a crocodile, and their best player, a Nigerian named “Harry Toe.”
CLICK HERE FOR BOOKS BY JOHN
On page 68 in the Program Bucket chapter of the Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook, you'll find the “Top 10 Questions to Ask About Program Capacity and Sustainability.” Question #9 asks if you’ve agreed on when to “pull the plug” on a loser program.
NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to a new website here. New book reviews will also be archived at John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. Or, click here for John’s recent book reviews on Amazon.
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