It is an amazing world.
It only asks us to look.
An Owner’s Guide to Your One Extraordinary Life
Thirteen lyric essays about wonder and being fully present to the amazing things in front of us — stories both personal and historical, drawn from the worlds of art and science. It is an amazing world, and it only asks us to look. Arriving October 2026.
Visit wonderthebook.orgGary grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, catching fireflies in mason jars. He’s spent the thirty years since trying to hold onto that particular quality of attention — in classrooms, in boardrooms, in leadership teams, and now on the page.
He holds a doctorate in education and is a former California school superintendent and counselor who now spends his days consulting, coaching, and writing about the magic possible at the intersection of creativity and connection. He lives in Palm Springs, where he’s active in the arts community, publishes the weekly Letters2Leaders newsletter on LinkedIn, and walks his Chihuahua, Picasso, beneath the brilliant desert stars. He still collects moments of wonder — just like those fireflies in his backyard when he was a kid.
Through Creative Spark Consulting, I work with leaders who want to lead in a more connected and creative way. I’ve carried a sense of wonder across a host of leadership roles — superintendent, principal, counselor — inviting teams to think about their work and their lives differently. What I offer are consulting and coaching around partnership, connection, and creative leadership that produces results.
See speaking & consultingWhether you came for the book or for the work, there’s a door here for you.
Lyric essays on wonder and being fully present to the world. Out October 2026.
SpeakingKeynotes and talks on creativity, connection, and the practice of wonder.
Consulting & CoachingLeadership consulting and coaching for leading in a more connected, creative way.
Stay close — Letters2Leaders · @WonderWithGary · gary@thecreativespark.org
