Audiobooks by David Thomas

The Fairfax Way: Inside Prem Watsa's Secret to Lasting Success

The inside story on Canada's most successful, below-the-radar company in history Even those who have heard of Prem Watsa and Fairfax Financial probably don't understand them. The company sprawls across more than 100 countries and is known for its complex finances-so complex, they once attracted a who's-who of Wall Street short sellers who misread the company as the next Enron and decided it could be profitably pushed into an open grave. The hedge funds even had Bob Dylan lined up to sing at the company's funeral party. Fairfax stared down regulators and fought back. Dylan never got the chance to sing. Watsa, now 75, stole a page from Warren Buffett in building a $45 billion global empire built on value investing and insurance assets. Its bold and creative trades are legendary, often moving against the herd and making billions while others lose their shirts. These days, the company is back winning billion-dollar bets, but away from the headlines. The Fairfax Way explores the lessons learned and why skies are now blue above a transformed company. In its 39-year history, Fairfax's annual compound return of 19.2% trounces the S&P 500's 11.3%. Lately, it is outperforming even Silicon Valley tech stocks and winning back an investor following. It's time to get to know Fairfax better. The company's holdings include strategic investments like Bauer hockey sticks, William Ashley wedding gifts, Sleep Country mattresses, Golf Town stores, and Seaspan container ships. If you took home Swiss Chalet chicken last week or went for steak at the Keg, you ate at Fairfax restaurants. It's time to get to know Prem Watsa better, too. People long misjudged him as a recluse. Truth is, he simply always wanted to build a business, not talk to the media. After 40 years, he and his executives have finally decided it's a good time to open up. For all the colourful dealmaking, billion-dollar bets, high-stakes hedge fund wars, Thomas reveals an inspiring story for our current troubled times. What emerges is that many people just had trouble believing Fairfax had the audacity to build a company culture based on the golden rule-treat others as you would have them treat you. The Fairfax Way captures the inside story of how a culture of treating people right can be a secret competitive moat to long-term outperformance.

David Thomas (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Pragmatic Programmer: 20th Anniversary Edition, 2nd Edition: Your Journey to Mastery

The Pragmatic Programmer is one of those rare tech audiobooks you’ll listen, re-listen, and listen to again over the years. Whether you’re new to the field or an experienced practitioner, you’ll come away with fresh insights each and every time. Whether you’re a new coder, an experienced programmer, or a manager responsible for software projects, use these lessons daily, and you’ll quickly see improvements in personal productivity, accuracy, and job satisfaction. You’ll learn skills and develop habits and attitudes that form the foundation for long-term success in your career. You’ll become a pragmatic programmer. This audiobook is organized as a series of sections, each containing a series of topics. It is read by Anna Katarina; Dave and Andy (and a few other folks) jump in every now and then to give their take on things.

Andrew Hunt, David Thomas (Author), David Thomas (Narrator)

Audiobook

Taking the Lead: Winning Business Principles that Fuel Joe Gibbs Racing

The president of Joe Gibbs Racing―the winningest team in NASCAR history―shares the secrets of succeeding in business and in life. In NASCAR, as in life, the difference between winning and losing often comes down to being in the right place at the right time and making the most of every opportunity. Nobody understands that better than Dave Alpern. Dave started his career as an unpaid intern selling T-shirts for the newly formed Joe Gibbs Racing team. Nearly three decades later, he's now the president of JGR, a multimillion-dollar elite, record-setting racing team with more than 500 employees. In Taking the Lead, Dave shares the wisdom he's learned along the way: key principles that will equip you with what you need to rise to the top and succeed with integrity and purpose―whatever team you're on.

Dave Alpern, David Thomas (Author), Dave Alpern (Narrator)

Audiobook

Are My Kids on Track?: The 12 Emotional, Social, and Spiritual Milestones Your Child Needs to Reach

Tools for identifying and developing spiritual, social, and emotional growth. From birth to adulthood, our children's physical and intellectual development is carefully tracked and charted. But what about their hearts? After all, how our children develop emotionally, socially, and spiritually will determine who they become as husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, friends and co-workers. Are My Kids on Track? helps you identify and measure twelve key emotional, social, and spiritual milestones in your children's lives. Moreover, you will discover practical ways to guide your kids through any stumbling blocks they might encounter and help them reach the appropriate landmarks. Along the way the authors pinpoint the different ways boys and girls develop, so you can help your child flourish in his or her own way. Filled with decades of experience from three practicing counselors, speakers, and writers, this book provides you with valuable, current research and user-friendly, hands-on practices to make supporting your kids' soul development a seamless part of family life. Don't just raise smart kids-raise courageous, compassionate, resilient, empathetic, and smart kids.

David Thomas, David Thomas Lmsw, David Thomas LMSW, David Thomas Lmsw, David Thomas, Lmsw, Melissa Trevathan, Melissa Trevathan Mre, Melissa Trevathan MRE, Melissa Trevathan Mre, Melissa Trevathan, M.R.E., Sissy Goff, Sissy Goff Med Lpc-Mhsp, Sissy Goff Med Lpc-Mhsp, Sissy Goff, Med, Lpc-Mhsp (Author), Lisa Larsen (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Multicultural Mind: Unleashing the Hidden Force for Innovation in Your Organization

Globalization has created a superheated competitive business environment that demands innovation to stay ahead. But it's also created a hidden source of innovation right in your midst: the people in your organization who have deep experience in more than one culture - multiculturals. Having to integrate different cultural frameworks has enabled them to develop abilities that can contribute powerfully to building innovative organizations. David Thomas makes a compelling business case for recognizing and cultivating a new dimension of diversity - the diversity within individuals! He looks at how to establish the organizational conditions under which multiculturals can flourish and shows how even the most monocultural among us can gain the advantages of a multicultural mind.

David Thomas (Author), Jeff Hoyt (Narrator)

Audiobook

Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys

Playing off the themes in the Caldecott Medal-winning children's book Where the Wild Things Are, this informative, practical, and encouraging guide will help parents guide boys down the path to healthy and authentic manhood. Wild Things addresses the physical, emotional, and spiritual parts of a boy, written by two therapists who are currently engaged in clinical work with boys and their parents and who are also fathers raising five sons. This book contains chapters such as "Sit Still! Pay Attention!," "Deficits and Disappointments," and "Rituals, Ceremonies, and Rites of Passage."

David Thomas, Stephen James (Author), David Colacci (Narrator)

Audiobook

Foxcatcher: A True Story of Murder, Madness and the Quest for Olympic Gold

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of Foxcatcher by Mark Schultz, read by Stephen Mendel. On 22nd January 1996 Dave Schultz, Olympic gold medallist and wrestling's golden boy, was shot in the back by John E. du Pont at the famed Foxcatcher estate in Pennsylvania. That started a two day siege at the ranch before the du Pont family heir was finally captured. Foxcatcher is Mark Schultz's vivid portrait of the complex relationship he and his brother had with du Pont, a man whose catastrophic break from reality lead to tragedy. No one knows the inside story of what went on behind the scenes at Foxcatcher Farms - and inside John du Pont's head - better than Mark Schultz, also an Olympic gold medalist and a part of the Foxcatcher team.

David Thomas, Mark Schultz (Author), Stephen Mendel (Narrator)

Audiobook

Called for Life: How Loving Our Neighbor Led Us into the Heart of the Ebola Epidemic

Dr. Kent and Amber Brantly (with David Thomas) tell of Dr. Brantly's near-death encounter with the Ebola virus in Liberia. The first American diagnosed during the 2014 outbreak, Dr. Brantly's ordeal-including his controversial evacuation to and hospitalization in the United States-received worldwide media attention. Interspersed in the account is the full story of how both Kent and his wife, Amber, sought to serve others in the name of Christ in Liberia. Then, when tragedy struck-as thousands, perhaps millions of people worldwide prayed for his life-miraculous events unfolded that resulted in Dr. Brantly's flight to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta and an eventual clean bill of health.

Amber Brantly, David Thomas, Kaleo Griffith, Kent Brantly (Author), Kaleo Griffith, Sarah Zimmerman (Narrator)

Audiobook

First: What It Takes to Win

Reigning CrossFit World Champion Rich Froning is "The Fittest Man on Earth." He's fast, he's strong, and he's incredibly disciplined. But it takes more than physical strength to compete and win at an elite level. It takes incredible mental and spiritual toughness as well. And it is the precise balance of all three that makes Rich Froning a champion. In First, listeners follow Rich as he trains for and competes in back-to-back CrossFit World Championships. Along the way, Rich shares invaluable training tips, motivational techniques, and spiritual insights that, in keeping with the CrossFit philosophy, will prepare you to respond to any real-life physical, mental, or spiritual challenge.

David Thomas, Rich Froning (Author), Sean Pratt (Narrator)

Audiobook

Foxcatcher: The True Story of My Brother's Murder, John du Pont's Madness, and the Quest for Olympic

The riveting true story-soon to be the subject of a high-profile film-of Olympic wrestling gold medal-winning brothers Mark Schultz and Dave Schultz and their fatal relationship with the eccentric John du Pont, heir to the du Pont dynasty On January 26, 1996, Dave Schultz, Olympic gold medal winner and wrestling golden boy, was shot three times by du Pont family heir John E. du Pont at the famed Foxcatcher Farms estate in Pennsylvania. Following the murder there was a tense standoff when du Pont barricaded himself in his home for two days before he was finally captured. Foxcatcher is gold medal winner Mark Schultz's memoir, revealing what made him and his brother champion and what brought them to Foxcatcher Farms. It's a vivid portrait of the complex relationship he and his brother had with du Pont, a man whose catastrophic break from reality led to tragedy. No one knows the inside story of what went on behind the scenes at Foxcatcher Farms-and inside John du Pont's head-better than Mark Schultz. The incredible true story of these championship-winning brothers and the wealthiest convicted murderer of all time will be making headlines this fall, and Mark's memoir will reveal the true inside story.

David Thomas, Mark Schultz (Author), Stephen Mendel (Narrator)

Audiobook

I Still Believe

Christian recording artist Jeremy Camp has written songs that have touched millions of lives. His lyrics reveal a heart that's been broken and a faith that has been tested and restored. In I Still Believe, Jeremy shares, with unflinching candor and emotion, the extraordinary story behind his award-winning lyrics-from his impoverished childhood, rebellious teenage years, and spiritual awakening at Bible College, to the tragic loss of his first wife, Melissa, to cancer and the heart-wrenching spiritual journey that followed-a journey that reignited Jeremy's faith, inspired some of his most beloved songs, and paved the way for a second chance at love with his second wife, Adrienne. This memoir is a must-read for Jeremy Camp fans everywhere, and an inspiring, encouraging read for anyone who has ever experienced loss.

David Thomas, Jeremy Camp (Author), Adam Verner (Narrator)

Audiobook

SEAL of God

"There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends." - John 15:13. Just days before Chad Williams was scheduled to report for basic training at the Great Lakes naval base, he turned on the television and was greeted with the horrifying image of his mentor and training partner, US Navy SEAL Scott Helvenston, being brutally murdered in a premeditated ambush on the streets of Fallujah, Iraq. Steeled in his resolve, Chad committed himself to completing the US military's most difficult training to become a Navy SEAL, and avenge his friend's death. One of only thirteen out of a class of 173 to make it straight through to graduation, Chad went on to serve on SEAL Teams 1 and 7, completing tours of duty in the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and finally Iraq. There, Chad's journey came full circle when his team was ambushed by enemy machine gunners; close to the same road where his hero had been killed five years earlier. SEAL of God follows Chad's extraordinary journey through twenty-five grueling weeks of BUD/S training and onto the hostile streets of Al Anbar Province, Iraq, where he witnessed the horrors of war up close. Along the way, Chad shares his own radical conversion story and discovers the true meaning of ultimate sacrifice.

Chad Williams, David Thomas (Author), Chad Williams, David Thomas (Narrator)

Audiobook