FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – Noted author and educator Stedman Graham closed out the Flagler Tiger Bay Club’s 2025 Speaker Series with a question that lingered long after the final applause: “What happens when you don’t know who you are?”
Speaking to students from Flagler Palm Coast High School, Matanzas High School and Bethune-Cookman University on December 17, Graham delivered the first of two appearances in Palm Coast, challenging the next generation to look inward as a starting point for leadership, growth, and purpose — a message that resonated deeply as the community looks ahead to a new year.
Flagler Schools Superintendent LaShakia Moore said the impact was immediate, with students continuing the conversation well beyond the event.
“It was an absolute treat to have our students be able to spend one hour with Mr. Graham,” Moore said. “He spoke to them about identity leadership, really focusing on them knowing who they are and defining who they are. He spent a lot of time helping them see that it doesn’t matter what’s happening now — the circumstances you’re in or the things you have or don’t have — what matters is the vision you can set for yourself and getting up every day and making yourself better to go after that thing.”
Moore noted students were fully engaged, asking questions and participating in a dialogue that felt personal and empowering. “We’ve already had families reach out saying their child came home talking about the impact it made,” she added.
Later that evening, Graham delivered the same core message to a sold-out audience of Flagler Tiger Bay Club members and guests, where his soft-spoken storytelling encouraged reflection across generations — from those still defining their identity to seasoned professionals reassessing how theirs was shaped.
“Leaders do what other leaders don’t want to do,” Graham said. “They sacrifice, they work hard, they stay on it, and they break the cycle. If you don’t hear anything else I’ve said today, the key is to work on yourself so you can give as much as you can based on who you are as a person.”
That emphasis on self-work became a recurring theme throughout the members-only Q&A session, where Graham outlined his Identity Leadership Nine Step Process as a framework for self-awareness and long-term growth.
Entrepreneur Monica Garcia earned the evening’s Fang & Claw Award for what many attendees called the most thought-provoking question of the night, asking how leaders guide teams through challenges they themselves have never experienced.
“You cannot transfer onto others that which you do not have yourself,” Garcia said. “How do you guide a team through things you haven’t experienced yet?”
Graham’s response centered on vision, goal-setting, defining possibilities, recognizing individual contributions, and intentionally building culture — all rooted in continual self-development.
Flagler Tiger Bay Club President Jay Scherr said Graham’s message reinforced a belief he has carried throughout his own career.
“My biggest takeaway was you can’t lead others until you can lead yourself,” Scherr said. “His ability to deliver that message through stories really amplifies the importance of it. You can’t build a sustainable, profitable business until you build you. And building you means doing the work.”
Scherr added that Graham’s authenticity made the message especially powerful. “He doesn’t just talk about it — he lives it.”
A best-selling author, educator, and speaker, Graham has written 11 books, including his most recent, Identity Leadership, which he autographed for attendees following the December meeting.
The Flagler Tiger Bay Club will kick off its 2026 Speaker Series on January 21 with former Florida State Senator Jeff Brandes, Founder and President of the Florida Policy Project.
