Trace Dann | SpeakerHub

Personal Details

Bio

Trace Dann, the guy behind Captain Krankypants (www.captainkrankypants.com) has achieved a lot in his life. He has done so many things that many ‘normal’ people only dream about achieving. A commissioned army officer (in war zones), a senior public (civil) servant, a consultant, rally navigator, touring car pit crew, international theatre producer, stage show writer, tv producer, radio announcer… and the list goes on.

In 2018, Trace was diagnosed with PTSD and depression stemming from his time in the military - he had suffered the disorders for 10 years prior to diagnosis thinking it was just a normal part of life.

His talks are highly motivational calling upon his life experiences to show how a person can achieve a great deal and be successful despite having mental health conditions. Trace is keen to share these experiences with fellow sufferers to show they are not alone and can still provide significant value to society, business and family. He also wants to help destroy the stigma clouding PTSD and depression by speaking to management groups, media and other entities that may employ or engage with sufferers.

Trace doesn't profess to be a mental health professional nor an expert in the psychological fields - he is just a guy living with the conditions and not letting them control him.

Current position (1)

Professional Speaker and Creative Director

Huntingfield Concerts

Degrees (4)

Business Information Systems

RMIT University

1995 to 1996

Event Management

Sydney University of Technology

2008 to 2010

Instructional Design and Technology

Victoria College

1986 to 1987

Diploma of Teaching

South Australia College

1979 to 1981

Presentations

Presentations (4)

How to be successful despite PTSD and Depression

So many people are today suffering from depression, PTSD or other mental health issues. Trace was diagnosed with both conditions in late 2018 that stemmed from his time in Iraq and Afghanistan.

His talks address having the conditions and how he masked them for ten years while still forging out successful careers as a senior sales executive for a multi-national corporation while also building his own successful international concert and theatre production company.

He wants his talks to act as inspiration to other sufferers and let them know they are not alone in the world and that they can still have an active, fulfilling and successful life.

Living with Anxiety, Depression and PTSD

How one person survived these crippling disorders and the tricks he used to control them.

Hoax Speaking at Your Company

As an IT consultant, Trace spent many years pretending to be something he was not. From Master of Ceremonies at Australian conferences dealing with advanced XML technology through to presentations in South Africa on “Probity in Government Procurement”, Trace has been able to network and interface informally with “fellow experts” and discuss major issues affecting the industry. Including some of the “new radical approaches” being undertaken overseas… usually he just makes these up to incite some thought or reaction in the listener. Once presenting, Trace approaches the subject as the dedicated professional with important news from the leaders in the field. In the past this has included such classic new technologies as: “Reducing global warming through harvesting methane from dairy cows”, “Capitalising on increased avian deaths caused by the expansion of wind turbines”, “Applying heritage technologies to meet today’s business needs”.

Stop Changing the World or I will Leave

Being in the IT industry for 25 years has seen Trace at the forefront of change in business. Now he thinks it has gone far enough – well far enough in the areas that affect him negatively – of course there is always room for more change in gadgets that he likes… double standards? Nay, triple and quadruple standards are strongly at play here. If he likes it then change is good, if he doesn’t then it becomes a subject for complaint. In these presentations Trace discusses change, why we had to have it and how it is now out of control. Change being made for change’s sake and not really having any positive effect on people’s lives. He also looks at all those annoying things that just make the life of a middle aged man just that little bit less enjoyable. Is he just a comedic whiner here or are there serious grounds for concern??? In the past topics examined here include: “Coke and Cadbury’s – why change a winning flavour?”, “Ethanol – WTF I don’t want sugar in my tank”.