About Barry Maher

Barry Maher

Barry Maher

Barry Maher is a product of the University of Notre Dame, the Graduate Journalism Program at U.C. Berkeley and five confused weeks at The Whopper College of the Burger King Corporation. In his misspent youth, he was an award-winning poet (the award was seven copies of a xeroxed "literary" publication). His non-fiction appeared in perhaps a hundred different publications, and in order to eat, he held nearly that many different jobs. Sometimes he lived on the beach. Not in a house on the beach. On the beach. With the sand and the seagulls.

Then he started his own marketing business. He turned out to be good at it. Soon, he was an executive in a Fortune 100 conglomerate. Companies started asking him to consult. They started paying him to speak at their meetings. To his great surprise, nobody asked for their money back. He built a multimillion-dollar business telling stories to business and non-business audiences across the country and around the world, his client list a Who’s Who of multi-national corporations and leading associations.

You may have seen Barry on The Today Show, NBC Nightly News or CNBC, and he’s been featured in publications and websites ranging from The New York Times, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal to, his personal favorite, Funeral Service Insider.

We should also mention Barry’s been incarcerated twice. Once for not making a lefthand turn out of a lefthand turn lane, and once for aiding and abetting a loiterer. He’s deeply repentant.

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Artificial Intelligence Meets Natural Stupidity Oct 03, 2025

We keep hearing that Artificial Intelligence may one day decide to improve the planet by getting rid of the world's biggest problem — human beings. And it does seem to be setting us up. Our laptops, tablets, phones and watches are taking over o... Read More

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Laughter for Fun and Profit Sep 26, 2025

A young entrepreneur is meeting with the executive team of his top corporate client in the office of their CEO. This is a huge deal for him. He's got his best suit on. A brand-new shirt — a little too tight around the collar. His tie's kind of ... Read More

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Mr. Marvelous Is Not His Real Name Sep 19, 2025

As a professional speaker, I meet a lot of self-help gurus, some of whom are only too happy to work on my various character flaws. No charge. I never even have to ask. Recently, one cornered me in a hotel bar. I'd delivered the convention's opening k... Read More

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A Novel Idea Sep 12, 2025

At 7 a.m. that day, my short-term goal and long-term plan were identical: I wanted to survive the next few hours. Literally. If I were breathing at 10 a.m., it would be a wonderful day. Still, we were all laughing in the operating room as the doctors... Read More