BLACKLICK, OHIO – July 2026 – Accomplished author, retired executive, United States Air Force veteran, educator, and leadership expert Les Duncan continues to inspire readers through a growing collection of books that draw upon more than five decades of extraordinary personal and professional experience. Covering topics that range from leadership and parenting to health, marriage, and resilience, Duncan’s work is united by a single purpose: helping people navigate life’s challenges with practical wisdom grounded in experience rather than theory.
Unlike many authors who focus on a single subject, Duncan writes about the defining moments that have shaped his own life. Every lesson he shares has been tested through personal triumphs, professional leadership, family life, or extraordinary adversity.
“My books were never written simply to tell my story,” says Duncan. “They were written to help someone else overcome their own challenges and discover that change is always possible.”
Before becoming a full-time author, Duncan built a distinguished career that spanned military service, higher education, and corporate leadership. A former officer in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam and Cold War eras, he earned multiple Meritorious Service Medals before transitioning into executive leadership roles within the private sector. Throughout his career, he helped lead major organizational growth initiatives and was recognized as one of America’s leading Chief Information Officers. He also taught Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, and Finance at the college level after earning degrees in Mathematics, Finance, and Telecommunications Engineering.
Yet Duncan’s greatest test came far from the boardroom.
Born with cavernous angioma, a rare vascular disorder capable of causing life-threatening bleeding within the brain, Duncan survived 9 catastrophic brain hemorrhages and 8 debilitating strokes. Despite facing overwhelming medical challenges, he refused to surrender to hopelessness. Instead, he immersed himself in understanding his condition, sought out leading specialists, embraced innovative treatments, and rebuilt his life through determination, faith, and perseverance. Those experiences ultimately inspired him to dedicate his retirement to helping others facing their own seemingly impossible circumstances.
Today, that mission lives on through his books, speaking engagements, podcasts, and digital platforms, where Duncan encourages readers and audiences to approach every obstacle with courage, preparation, and optimism.
His growing body of work reflects the many dimensions of life he has experienced firsthand.
One of Duncan’s most celebrated books, How We Raised Three Children to Become Exceptional Adults, offers practical guidance for parents seeking to raise confident, independent, and successful children. Rather than presenting abstract parenting theories, Duncan and his wife, Sharon, share lessons learned while raising their own three sons, each of whom built accomplished professional careers. The book emphasizes consistent encouragement, family traditions, public praise, exposure to new experiences, and the importance of nurturing character alongside achievement. It serves as both a parenting guide and a testament to the lifelong impact of intentional family values.
Health and personal transformation become the focus of Duncan’s inspiring book, How I Lost 140 Pounds and Kept It Off. After struggling with his weight for decades and reaching 335 pounds, Duncan rejected the cycle of fad diets in favor of a realistic lifestyle built around portion control, balanced nutrition, increased physical activity, and long-term consistency. Over two years, he lost 140 pounds and successfully maintained that transformation. His book provides readers with practical meal plans, recipes, and sustainable strategies while emphasizing that lasting success comes through patience, discipline, and daily commitment rather than quick fixes.
Perhaps Duncan’s most personal work is Brain Storms: Surviving Catastrophic Illness, inspired by his own battle with cavernous angioma and the devastating brain hemorrhages and strokes that nearly claimed his life. Written for both survivors and caregivers, the book offers practical advice for navigating serious illness, including finding the right specialists, advocating for effective treatment, maintaining hope, and embracing recovery as a full-time commitment. Rather than focusing solely on medical procedures, Duncan highlights the importance of resilience, humor, determination, and strong relationships throughout the healing journey. His message is one of empowerment, reminding readers that while illness may alter life’s path, it does not have to define its future.
Together, these books reveal Duncan’s unique approach to writing. Every chapter grows out of lived experience, offering readers practical solutions shaped not by theory but by decades of real-world challenges, hard-earned victories, and an unwavering commitment to helping others move forward.
Duncan’s decades of executive leadership inspired another cornerstone of his collection, They Made You the Boss, Now What?, a practical guide for professionals stepping into leadership roles. Drawing upon years of leading organizations ranging from small teams to global workforces, Duncan challenges the outdated notion that effective leadership is built on authority alone. Instead, he advocates servant leadership, mutual respect, clear communication, and empowering employees to succeed. Readers are encouraged to hire exceptional people, trust them to do their jobs, remain connected to frontline employees, and lead with integrity rather than ego. The result is a leadership resource grounded in practical experience and applicable to organizations of every size.
Completing Duncan’s current collection is Forty-Five Years and Counting: A Love Story, co-authored with his wife, Sharon. More than a memoir, the book celebrates the enduring principles that have sustained their marriage for more than five decades. Through personal stories, humor, and heartfelt reflections, the Duncans explore the importance of communication, shared values, mutual respect, and never taking one another for granted. They encourage couples to continue dating after marriage, express appreciation through everyday acts of kindness, and build relationships rooted in friendship as well as love. The book has also been adapted into a short film scheduled to be featured at the Frankfurt Book Fair, extending its message to international audiences.
While each book addresses a different stage of life, together they form a collection centered on one enduring belief: life’s greatest lessons are often learned through its greatest challenges. Whether helping parents raise confident children, guiding leaders through new responsibilities, encouraging healthier lifestyles, supporting survivors of catastrophic illness, or strengthening marriages, Duncan offers readers practical advice shaped by experience rather than theory.
Duncan’s newest book, Reclaiming Healthcare: One Patient’s Journey Through Corporate Medicine and the Fight to Take Medicine Back, turns his personal medical experiences into a powerful call for reform. Drawing from years of navigating catastrophic illness, emergency rooms, delayed diagnoses, corporate hospital systems, and the search for life-saving specialists, Duncan examines what happens when healthcare shifts away from physician-led care and becomes driven by profit, bureaucracy, and administrative control. With honesty and urgency, he shares the lessons he learned as a patient while also highlighting the growing movement of doctors, lawmakers, and communities working to reclaim medicine for the people it was meant to serve. The book is both a warning and a source of hope, urging readers to recognize the crisis in modern healthcare and support a system that places patients, doctors, and genuine care back at the center.
His mission extends well beyond the written page.
Through The Les Duncan Show is available on his website https://leslieduncan.com/ , Duncan shares stories from his remarkable life, interviews, practical advice, and conversations focused on leadership, resilience, family, faith, and personal growth. His authentic style and willingness to discuss both triumphs and setbacks have helped him connect with audiences seeking honest, experience-driven guidance.
His message has also found a growing audience on TikTok, where promotional videos for The Les Duncan Show generated approximately 20,000 engagements within their first two days, reflecting increasing interest in Duncan’s unique perspective and inspiring life story.
In addition to his online platforms, Duncan has appeared on numerous podcasts and interview programs, sharing insights drawn from decades of leadership, military service, business, family life, and personal resilience. Whether speaking about overcoming illness, leading organizations, or building stronger relationships, he continues to encourage audiences with a message rooted in perseverance, faith, and practical action.
“Every challenge we face teaches us something,” Duncan says. “The question is whether we keep those lessons to ourselves or use them to help someone else. I chose to share mine.”
That philosophy continues to define Duncan’s work as an author.
His books are not intended to provide temporary motivation. They are designed to become lasting resources readers can return to throughout different seasons of life. By combining personal experience with practical guidance, Duncan offers encouragement that is both relatable and actionable, reminding readers that setbacks need not define their future and that meaningful change begins with a single decision to move forward.
As Duncan continues to expand his literary portfolio and reach new audiences through speaking engagements, digital media, and future publications, his commitment remains unchanged: to equip individuals and families with practical tools that inspire healthier lives, stronger relationships, better leadership, and renewed hope.
For readers searching for authentic stories of perseverance, thoughtful leadership, and practical wisdom, Les Duncan’s collection offers more than inspiration. It provides a roadmap for facing life’s greatest challenges with courage, determination, and purpose.
For more information about Les Duncan, his books, media appearances, speaking engagements, or The Les Duncan Show, please visit his official website or contact him directly.