Carine McCandless

Wow, the entire event was a wild success! Carine did an absolute phenomenal job on her presentation and the feedback was a resounding positive from both students and adults in attendance! It truly was one of the best presentations I have ever personally attended. She is an extremely kind and down-to-earth human being as well as a powerful and deeply moving speaker. Countless teachers, educators and support staff mentioned how engaged our students were. This was especially true throughout her presentation, and given the trauma and difficulties they face, this speaks to the power of her presentation and energy. We were so pleased with our students’ response. One of our most ‘at-risk’ students remarked after, ‘That was awesome.’ We were very blessed for everything to work out the way it did.

I had the honor and privilege to speak before Carine McCandless about Adverse Childhood Experiences at an event at Fort Myer in the fall of 2017.  I was so moved by her personal story that I invited her to give the keynote address at SCAN of Northern Virginia’s 16th annual Ally in Prevention Luncheon in May 2018.  I was looking for someone who was willing to share their personal experience of child abuse and neglect.  Someone who could tell their story with honest emotions while engaging the audience through the power of words and visual descriptions.  The 170 guests at our luncheon were immediately sent back in time to Carine’s childhood and felt the love and connection that she and her brother Chris shared.  We were not left with the feeling of being sorry for Carine, but rather were empowered by the fact that we all can make a difference in the life of a child through our connections.

“Carine was very well received and took the time to make everyone feel special as an individual. I was very impressed by her presentation

Carine was an excellent speaker for our graduation! We received nothing but positive feedback from those who attended. Some people indicated it was the best graduation speaker we have ever had! Parts of her speech were raw and honest, which is exactly what the students (and parents) needed to hear. The speech also left the audience with a number of things to think about as it relates to emotional and social issues. We had a number of students and parents stay after to talk with her and have her sign their books. She took so much time with each person and listened to their own stories. She was just fantastic! We loved having her at NSA and would highly recommend her to others. The Class of 2017 will certainly never forget their commencement speech!

I personally loved Carine’s presentations for many reasons. She was incredibly genuine and sincere with the kids and she was honest with them; I know they appreciated an adult being so ‘real’ with them. Her message was an incredible one about choices and paths and truth at a time when our students need it most. Her presentation was engaging and student-focused and I was incredibly sad when I saw that we only had a few minutes left. My students just wanted to keep talking with her and that’s the sign of an amazing presenter. Thank you!

Carine has a personality that makes you want to instantly be friends with her. She fearlessly told us her story which inspired me just as much as her brother’s.

TEDxEmory is beyond thankful that Carine was able to speak at our conference. Throughout our interactions leading up to and during the event she was professional and friendly, an absolute pleasure to work with. She came prepared and gave an incredibly powerful talk. Following the conference I had several friends tell me that her words moved them to tears.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Carine’s visit – she was truly amazing. Anyone who can take a bunch of cynical 18 year olds and get them to actually listen and engage is a miracle worker. She spent so much time engaging with the students not just in the formal events, but spoke with every student who came up to her in between events, signed books, took photos and more. I haven’t gotten feedback on a speaker like this as long as I’ve been doing this. Her talk received a standing ovation and absolute rave reviews on social media from our students. I would strongly recommend her to any school that is considering her.

Carine was incredible—just a joy and inspiration to be around.  She took her role in the festival quite seriously, including crafting a 20-minute intro for six of our Young Chautauquans —they did readings from Into the Wild and The Wild Truth, which were selected by Carine specifically for the way they tied together and introduced her speech.  It was wonderful.  The audience was engaged, and there was a clear emotional impact.  I’ve never had people cry at the festival before, but she really touched people with her story.  The post-event book signing was incredible.  I watched grown men cry when they spoke with her—Chris’s story has much resonance in our area, and you could see how many people felt a connection with Carine as a result.  Carine made sure each person had a moment with her during the signing and for the audience who had books signed, it was clearly a significant experience.  It’s a small touch that makes the event just that much better.

As a charity organization that serves women in crisis, we could not have asked for a better speaker than Carine McCandless. Carine is articulate, eloquent, and her talk was wildly honest, humbling and inspiring!

I can’t begin to express how amazing it was to be able to have a Q&A session with Carine McCandless. Campbell-Savona didn’t just see Into the Wild and The Wild Truth as ‘more work’ but as something we can apply to our lives. I think I speak for everyone else when I say that we admire her quest to keep Chris’ legacy alive and to spread the truth about it.

It was the single best learning experience my students could have had this year in English (for some, maybe in any class). The audience was very engaged and Carine was insightful and responsive to student questions. Carine maximized her time and tried to cover as much as she could while also receiving every question possible. She has a certain ease with teenagers and she was gracious to all of them as she stayed to sign every last one of their books. She and I only wished she had more time. Our heads are still spinning with excitement!

Carine’s presentation inspired everyone at the conference and we were so fortunate to have her as our keynote speaker!  Everyone that I spoke to had wonderful things to say about her presentation.  She truly is a remarkable person and I feel honored to have had the opportunity to get to know her better during our conference.

Literature comes alive when Carine McCandless shares her remarkable and forthright insights about her brother and the book about his life, <em>Into the Wild</em>.  Moreover, her gentle delivery of her brother’s adventure encourages our students to connect the written word with philosophical ideas…Carine challenged their preconceptions about Chris, their own lives and the world in which they will live. Her lessons reach into each student’s subconscious where they resonate for life.

I wanted to express my gratitude for and recognition of the wonderful and amazing talk presented by Carine McCandless. Her presentation touched the hearts, souls and minds of all who were present. The Freshmen class was honored and blessed to have a speaker who took the time and forethought to research the college support offerings and intertwining the information into her talk.

At the Cooperative Leadership Institute, we are constantly in search of the most meaningful and relevant lessons to share with our clients.  Carine McCandless opened our annual speaker series with her message on “Courage in Life and Business.”  She seamlessly wove stories of <em>Into the Wild</em> with feats from her personal and professional lives.  Unanimously well-received, the event was fast-paced, touching, insightful, and beautiful to witness.  Carine has a message that will inspire each one of us to better friends, colleagues, and leaders – a rare treasure, indeed.

Carine kicked off our most recent seminar series speaking on the subject of Courage. After her visit I had countless employees stop by my office or catch me in the hallway to comment on and thank me for bringing her to our company. Her message was received in a very special way. One employee told me that they had never before thought of themselves as courageous, but after listening to Carine speak they now know that they do have that courage inside of them. Others were so touched and moved by her words that they came to tears during our conversations. She touched many of our employees in a deeper and more meaningful way than I thought possible through our seminar and speaker series. Carine is truly gifted in what she does, and although I never had the honor of knowing her brother, I am sure I am correct when I say he would be very proud of his little sister.

Never had I seen the students so riveted and hanging on a speaker’s every word.  Her message, delivery, warmth, and connection was like none other I had seen. Where it had taken me several weeks until my students were completely comfortable opening up to me, Carine was able to achieve that same feat in minutes.  Carine’s gentle nature provided the support for everyone to participate in the discussion and some of my quietest students shared their thoughts like never before.  I have had countless guest speakers assist me over the years. None has approached the effect she has on an audience. Carine’s message of perseverance, overcoming difficulty, and making the most out of life is not a tale of sorrow related to her brother’s death.  Instead, it is a story of life; hers, her brother’s, and how her audience can get the most out of theirs.

Carine knows vastly more about what made Chris tick than anyone I’ve spoken to, and is the only one who seems to understand what motivated him to hitchhike to Alaska and walk alone into the wilderness. Carine’s contributions both to my book and Sean’s film were huge.  For the first two decades of Carine’s life, Chris had been her soul mate and confidant.  A gifted communicator, she is engaging, inspiring, and bracingly outspoken.  Without a question, nobody on earth is more qualified to talk about Chris McCandless than Carine McCandless, the little sister he so adored.