“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).” 

Author of A Strategy For Winning: In Business * In Sports * In Family * In Life (Foreword by NCAA Football Championship Coach Lou Holtz), dealing with motivation, communication, human relations and performance improvement, Carl Mays has spoken at over 4,000 events. Clients include corporations, associations, sports teams, government entities, religious organizations and educational groups. Recipient of the National Speakers Association’s Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation in 1986, and Council of Peers Award for Excellence (CPAE) in 1993, Carl is a member of the Speaker Hall of Fame.

His other books (over a dozen) include: Are We Communicating Yet?, Winning Thoughts, People Of Passion, Anatomy Of A Leader, Hope For The World and You Can Do It. Carl has written over1500 newspaper columns and blogs, and has contributed to many print and online publications.

Carl has also served as managing editor of books by other authors, including The Longaberger Story, which chronicles how Dave Longaberger created quality handcrafted maple wood baskets and accessories, and developed a network of independent distributors in America and internationally that took him from poverty to great success. 

With several recorded songs, he is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). His musical drama, The Clown: a dramatic musical experience of spiritual encounter and Christian witness, has been presented in over 2500 American communities and internationally.

Carl’s commendations include Murray State University’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1990, and Religious Heritage of America’s 1987 Faith and Freedom Award that honors national communicators who contribute to the high ideals and values on which America was founded (presented to other notable communicators such as Paul Harvey, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale and Zig Ziglar).

Carl has also received commendations in New Orleans, Columbus, GA, and Gatlinburg, TN, for city-wide youth work. Among other recognitions, Carl was presented with special Certificates of Appreciation for his 2005 keynote address at the US Army Reserve Medical Symposium for deployed surgeons, and his 2006 keynote at Homeland Security’s Border Patrol Chiefs “Operation Jumpstart” Conference.

His community contributions include charter chairman of the Gatlinburg Board of Education, adult Sunday school teacher for 31 years at Gatlinburg First Baptist Church, instructor of young athletes in spiritual and mental growth for 31 years at Gatlinburg-Pittman High School, and initial host of the highly proclaimed Gatlinburg Veterans Day Program from 2003 to 2013. In 2023, Carl was inducted into the Gatlinburg-Pittman High School Hall of Fame.

In the 1970s, Carl began bringing some of the earliest large Christian conferences to Gatlinburg. With an office at Gatlinburg’s Park Vista Hotel, Carl’s wife Jean was office manager with a staff that grew to five. Prior to ending the local convention ministry in the late 1980s, Carl and Jean booked every available room in Sevier County for a January conference totaling over 20,000 participants, with sessions taking place in several locations.

Carl and Louise Mandrell co-hosted the Annual People Of Passion Conferences for senior adults in the 2000s at the Louise Mandrell Theatre in Pigeon Forge, the city in which Carl was a featured speaker at Dollywood’s Young Christians Day. He has also been a featured speaker, consultant and writer for the Southern Baptist Convention and North American Mission Board.

Carl’s education includes a Bachelor’s Degree in Oral and Written Communication from Murray State University; Master’s Degree in Education and Communication from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary; and additional study in Speech, English and Creative Writing from University of Memphis. Born and reared in Humboldt, TN, he graduated from Humboldt High School. In 2015, the Humboldt Chamber of Commerce inducted Carl  into the Humboldt Hall of Fame. 

Some of Carl’s favorite shared thoughts and Bible verses include: 

“Those who can see the invisible can do the impossible” (page 213 – A Strategy For Winning). He has worked with various groups in visualization, including the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team under the tutelage of legendary coach Pat Summitt.   

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). “In the history of the world, there has been only one you. There will never be anyone else like you. If you don’t develop what you have, the world will never experience an individual who can do exactly what you can do the way you can do it – in family, in school, in sports, in career, and in society. The victories, the completeness, the success and the lifestyle you can achieve are only for you. And you deserve to be the best you can possibly be (page 97 – A Strategy For Winning).”    

Semi-retired, Carl now accepts some speaking and consultation engagements. He can be contacted at carlmays@carlmays.com or (865) 436-7478. Having spoken in every state and internationally, Carl currently has his office in Flower Mound, Texas, and flies out of the Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport (DFW). 

Note: Site is under renovation. Updated pages and blogs will return soon.

© 2000-2026 by Carl Mays