Take heart; you matter, you are seen, you are loved, and you are not alone.

Speaking Reservations

Interested in having me come speak and share heart rocks at your school? 

Let's flood your school with heart rocks!

I've done 97 school assemblies and flooded them with over 100,000 heart rocks. Let's flood your school next!

In addition to school assemblies, I have presented at corporate events, residential treatment centers, retirement and nursing homes, youth groups and camps, home-school groups, religious devotionals, universities, libraries, and hospitals. I can easily tailor my message to meet the needs of any group.

My Message: Using Frequent Acts of Kindness to Uplift Ourselves and Others

I’m a Kindness Specialist, and my goal is to inspire people—especially our youth—to use simple, frequent acts of kindness to uplift themselves and others. I’ve dedicated my life to this pursuit. My way of being kind? Making and giving away hundreds of thousands of heart-shaped rocks as physical reminders that people matter and are loved. I’ve seen how using small, frequent acts of kindness—like giving away a heart rock—can deepen friendships, strengthen family ties, and even save lives.

My goal is to normalize that life is hard and we all struggle, but we can do something about it by being kind, doing it our way, and doing it often. I share how I have become “The Heart Rock Guy” by being kind in my own way, and how students can become kind too. I will share the experiences I’ve had handing out thousands of heart rocks one person at a time.

When requested, I can also speak on more difficult topics including anti-bullying, suicide prevention, coping with mental health challenges, and the negative impact of social media. I am a NAMI- and QPR-certified safe suicide speaker, and I approach these topics through storytelling because I believe stories are a gentle, yet powerful way to teach and inspire.

My presentation can be anywhere between 20 and 60 minutes long, depending on the needs of the school or organization—my “sweet spot” is about 40 minutes. All I need is a handheld microphone and a projector. I like to bring my laptop with a PowerPoint, clicker, and HDMI cable to supplement my presentation with pictures and videos. Scroll to the bottom of the page for sample transcript and an example assembly.

Elementary & Middle School Pricing

Base Cost: $300 (for up to 249 students) OR $1.30 per student (for 250+ students)

  • This cost covers one polished heart rock and affirmation card per student; and my preparation, time, and delivery.

Travel Cost is Separate

  • $1 per roundtrip mile from Mapleton (within 150 miles–beyond this is negotiable).

Add Ons:

  • Additional heart rocks are $1 each for faculty, staff, kindness initiatives, and the counseling center.
  • Additional assemblies are $100 per assembly.

Junior High & High School Pricing

Base Cost: $500 (for up to 299 students) OR $1.50 per student (300+ students)

  • This cost covers one polished heart rock and affirmation card per student; and my preparation, time, and delivery.

Travel Cost is Separate

  • $1 per roundtrip mile from Mapleton (within 150 miles–beyond this is negotiable).

Add Ons:

  • Additional heart rocks are $1 each for faculty, staff, kindness initiatives, and the counseling center.
  • Additional assemblies are $200 per assembly.

Payments: When a reservation is made, I will create and email an itemized invoice. There is no sales tax. Payments may be made either by check or credit card. (Credit card payments are taken through the Square App and are subject to a 4% transaction fee.)

For community, corporate, or religious Events, email tom@takeheart.rocks to inquire.

To see my availability and schedule a presentation click HERE.

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Here is a preview that shows how I start assemblies, which I adapt to match my audience’s age and understanding:

“We all have bad days, off days, and dark days. I believe that we can do something about it with kindness. My way of being kind is that I hand-carved a heart-shaped rock for each of you.

“We don’t know each other, and you may never see me again. Today might be the worst day of your life, or maybe it will come tomorrow, or 20 years from now. Well, that’s why I made you a heart rock. You can keep it your whole life as a physical reminder on those bad, off, and dark days that you matter, are loved, and are not alone. You are a good person, talented, needed, and worthy. You are a more powerful force for good than you could ever imagine.

“I invite you to keep your heart rock for as long as you need it, maybe even your whole life. Then, when you are ready, consider passing it on.

“Oh, and I brought some extra heart rocks. Should we give some to the teachers?

“Imagine this—today, during lunch, you walk up to the cafeteria worker and hand them a heart rock and say, ‘Thank you for lunch. Here’s a little reminder that you matter and are making a difference.’ How do you think it would make them feel? How would it make YOU feel?

“Can I share with you some of my stories? I’ve made and given away over 220,000 heart rocks. I have some really good stories. Which one would you like to hear first???”

(Some of my favorite stories include doorbell-ditching heart rocks in my community, giving them to strangers at the drive-thru, and hiding them in public places.)

You can see an example of one of my K-6 school assemblies below.