Founder, The Nowist Society · Stand-Up Comedian, Author & Performer
I help people get out of their heads and into their actual lives — through books, live events, and one-on-one work. I've been doing it for forty years, and I'm currently traveling the globe to scale up the Nowist Society.
About Doug
I'm not a teacher. I'm just someone who has spent a lifetime collecting what actually works for getting out of our heads and into our real lives. A lot of personal trial and error has led me on a quest to keep sharing — like a kid with a box of souvenirs — what I learn through workshops, retreats, and one-on-one mentoring.
Along the way I have written several plays with this theme that I have performed throughout the U.S., U.K., and Europe, made music, painted, acted on TV and Film, and wrote a few non-fiction books. All of it kept pointing at the same thing: the only moment that's ever actually available is this one. Now.
The Nowist Society is my attempt to scale that idea up — and get as many people as possible playing the game of Now before we completely lose the plot as a species.
TEDx Talk
Using the Present to Create Our Future · TEDxLongDock
Where to Start
A free audio exercise that moves you from living in your head to living in real time. No clearing your mind required.
Get the free audio Book · All FormatsPart memoir, part field guide. Practical, funny, and field-tested for over forty years. For people who already know they "should" be present but can't seem to make it stick.
Get the book Workbook + AudioAn annual review tied to your birthday. Fourteen chapters of honest retrospection and intentional forward design — with audio coaching from me at every step.
Start your audit One-on-One · $150A single diagnostic session across all eight areas of your life. We find the broke spoke — the one area quietly draining everything else — and you leave with one clear move that's actually yours.
Book a sessionWhat People Say
Your participation helped us score one of the highest overall satisfaction ratings ever.
Doug Motel makes "conscious comedy" — he makes us laugh and he makes us think.
The experience of having Doug as a coach has quite literally transformed my life — from a dreamer to a doer, from an artist blocked to an artist on a roll.
The evaluations were unanimously positive. Because of you, our team has experienced a way to live life more fully. That is a special gift.
Doug is one of our most requested speakers with the best reviews. Engaging, humorous — I'd highly recommend him.
His ability to use humor as a healing tool is evident. Doug has an unusually sensitive and compassionate manner.
Thought-provoking, very funny, carrying a meaningful message. Life-enhancing. It was just what the doctor ordered.
Doug's gift is in supporting you to accomplish your goals with consistent, achievable actions. He helps you maximize your ability to reach your dreams.
Work with Doug
We all have a story of "me" — shaped by family, culture, the geography we were born into. Most of the time that story runs quietly in the background, making your choices for you. This work is about finding out which parts of that story are actually yours.
The Wheel Session is where we start. One honest conversation, all eight areas of your life, one clear move. Sixty to ninety minutes. No ongoing commitment required.
Learn More & Book"From a dreamer to a doer, from an artist blocked to an artist on a roll. If you are ready to have your life changed in miraculous ways — Doug helps you do it."
— Patrice Karst, International Bestselling Author