- Subject of ‘Black Hawk Down’ movie
- New York Times Best-Selling Author
- Documentarian
Inspiring message of leadership, courage, and selfless service.
A true American hero, First Sergeant Matt Eversmann illustrates the importance of duty, courage and selfless service to succeed when ordinary circumstances become extraordinary challenges.
Author of book (co-authored with James Patterson), ‘American Heroes.’
In August 1993, Matt and his Ranger company deployed to Mogadishu, Somalia in support of Operation Gothic Serpent. The battle was made famous by the best selling book and movie Black Hawk Down. Matt spent almost nine years in the elite 75th Ranger Regiment. He later served as the Operations Sergeant at the US Army War College and taught leadership at The Johns Hopkins University. Matt’s last military assignment was an Infantry Company First Sergeant in the 10th Mountain Division. He and his men spent 15 months in Iraq during “the Surge” fighting Al-Qaeda and implementing the counter insurgency strategy.
Matt was a Master rated parachutist, a sniper and an honor graduate of Ranger School. He also wore Royal Thai, Egyptian and British jump wings.
Matt retired in 2008 and spent a decade in the healthcare, non-profit and data management sectors before exploring his entrepreneurial spirit. He is a Partner and Co founder of Eversmann Advisory, a consulting firm in West Palm Beach. His specialty is preparing young leaders to join and compete in the workforce.
For his service in Mogadishu, Matt was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor device. In 2019 he won an Emmy for his PBS documentary “Send Me” about the advances of battle field medicine in Afghanistan. He has co-authored five non-fiction NYT Best Sellers with James Patterson. Their fifth book, “American Heroes” made its debut in October 2024. Their sixth book, due in 2025, is about teachers.
FAQs for Matt Eversmann
What topics does Matt Eversmann speak on? Matt Eversmann speaks on leadership, team building, resilience, performing under pressure, crisis management, corporate culture, accountability, and selfless service. His keynotes draw directly from his experience as an Army Ranger in the Battle of Mogadishu — made famous by the book and film Black Hawk Down — as well as 15 months leading soldiers in Iraq during the Surge, and a decade of post-military corporate experience in healthcare, nonprofit, and technology.
What is Matt Eversmann’s signature keynote? His signature keynote is Strategic Shock: Leadership Lessons for Business from Black Hawk Down — a gripping firsthand account of being thrust into a high-stakes, high-chaos situation as a young leader, and what it teaches about standards, accountability, teamwork, and execution under pressure. He also delivers FUSION Leadership: How to Be an Elite Leader and Manager, a practical framework for building elite-level team performance without a military background.
Is Matt Eversmann the soldier portrayed in Black Hawk Down? Yes. Matt Eversmann was the real-life Army Ranger Sergeant portrayed in the film Black Hawk Down. He led a chalk of Rangers during the Battle of Mogadishu in October 1993 — one of the most intense urban firefights in U.S. military history. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor for his actions that day. His firsthand account of the battle is featured in the book The Battle of Mogadishu: First Hand Accounts from the Men of Task Force Ranger, which he co-authored.
What makes Matt Eversmann’s leadership message relevant to business audiences? Matt spent nearly a decade with the elite 75th Ranger Regiment, then transitioned into corporate leadership roles in healthcare, nonprofit, and data management — so he’s lived on both sides. He doesn’t just translate military metaphors into business language; he specifically addresses what actually transfers and what doesn’t. His framework is built for managers and mid-level leaders who have to execute without the authority of the military chain of command — the people who “make everything happen” in any organization.
Has Matt Eversmann won any major awards? Yes. In 2019, Matt won an Emmy Award for his PBS documentary Send Me, about advances in battlefield medicine in Afghanistan. He is also a five-time New York Times bestselling author, having co-authored books with James Patterson — including Walk in My Combat Boots, E.R. Nurses, American Heroes, and Living Forward: A Healing Guidebook for First Responders. Their sixth collaboration, about teachers, is due in 2025.
What books has Matt Eversmann written? Matt has co-authored five New York Times bestselling books with James Patterson: Walk in My Combat Boots, The Battle of Mogadishu, E.R. Nurses, Living Forward: A Healing Guidebook for First Responders, and American Heroes (released October 2024). A sixth book focused on teachers is forthcoming. He is one of the few keynote speakers in the country who is both an active author at the NYT bestseller level and a decorated combat veteran.
What types of organizations has Matt Eversmann spoken for? Matt speaks for corporate audiences and associations across industries including financial services, healthcare, technology, and manufacturing. His clients include Ann Arbor Annuity Exchange, TranS1, and CMC Global. He is particularly well suited for leadership conferences, sales kickoffs, corporate annual meetings, and any event where the audience needs to be challenged — not just inspired.
What is the FUSION Leadership framework? FUSION Leadership is Matt’s proprietary framework for building elite team performance in a non-military environment. It addresses the core challenge most managers face: how do you maintain high standards and accountability when your authority isn’t backed by rank or regulation? Matt developed this system from his experience leading both Ranger units — where standards are absolute — and conventional military units, where leadership requires a different approach. The framework translates directly to corporate managers running small-to-mid-sized teams.
Is Matt Eversmann available for virtual events? Yes. Matt is available for both in-person and virtual keynote engagements.
What is Matt Eversmann’s speaking fee? Matt Eversmann’s speaking fee is $12,500 plus expenses. Contact Eagles Talent for exact and current speaking fee, travel requirements and availability.
How do I book Matt Eversmann to speak? Matt Eversmann is exclusively managed by Eagles Talent. Click the “Check Availability” button on this page to start the conversation.
The business world, regardless of industry, is filled with uncertainty, chaos and the unexpected. Welcome to the “Urban Battlefield.” Strip away the drama of gun fights and the frustration of Murphy’s Law the lessons learned from battle during Black Hawk Down or Iraq are directly applicable to leaders at all levels of business. There is no business plan to help leaders avoid ‘Strategic Shock’, but this story of elite teams with high standards, solid leadership, followership and teamwork will get the conversation started.
Matt will walk the audience through his experiences as a young leader (manager) thrust into a “must win” situation in the harshest times. With Matt’s post military experiences as a leader in the corporate world (healthcare, non-profit and technology) he literally can “talk the talk and walk the walk” about what really translates from the battlefields versus what just sounds good. Matt explains why his theories and lessons positively affect individuals and institutions. What they hear on Friday they can apply on Monday. His talk resonates particularly with the audiences who have to execute, who have to lead and manage, and who ultimately have to answer for their delivery of goods and services. This is a war story like no other.
Key takeaways:
How can you be elite if you were never in the military? If you don’t have the entire might of the US Congress supporting you and your authority isn’t backed by the Constitution how can you expect every member of your team to “be like an operator”? The truth is that you can’t. None of us can. But you don’t have to have served to be a great leader. Most of us must manage small teams and that is the secret to FUSION leadership. Matt spent almost half of his career as a leader with the elite Army Rangers and about the same in the conventional forces so he knows both sides well. He knows about high standards, accountability, and responsibility. A leadership award winner at almost every professional school he attended, Matt devised a system of leadership where we all can influence our teams and get the same results as elite Army Rangers.
“He was a great fit for our group and the speech was phenomenal. Never have we dealt with such a gracious, humble and inspiring keynote speaker.”
“He was such a genuine speaker…Very interesting and dynamic and really brought home the point. In addition to his amazing talk, he was very kind and easy to work with.”
“Absolutely 110% perfect! He is a true gentleman and an American hero that mesmerized our entire crowd! I cannot say enough.”
It started as a mission to capture a Somali warlord. It turned into a disastrous urban firefight and death-defying rescue operation that shocked the world and rattled a great nation. Now the 1993 battle for Mogadishu, Somalia–the incident that was the basis of the book and film Black Hawk Down–is remembered by the men who fought and survived it. Six of the best in our military recall their brutal experiences and brave contributions in these never-before-published, firstperson accounts.
What leads to a career fire fighter lying on his kitchen floor curled up in a ball, crying uncontrollably? What leads to a paramedic sitting in an ambulance bay wracked with anxiety about the next call? What leads a police officer to avoid driving down the street where a young person died by suicide? The answer to these questions is trauma. As a first responder, you are all too familiar with the weight one must carry after witnessing human suffering. The traumatic events you witness could involve children, suicide, overdoses, or car accidents where you see suffering and death firsthand. These calls leave their mark. Even though you dedicate your life to helping others, there are times when you feel helpless, and everything feels like too much. This book will provide questions and suggestions for you to consider to help you understand a new perspective about your experiences as a first responder.
Around the clock, across the country, these highly skilled and compassionate men and women sacrifice and struggle for us and our families.
You have never heard their true stories. Not like this. From big-city and small-town hospitals. From behind the scenes. From the heart.
This book will make you laugh, make you cry, make you understand.
When we’re at our worst, E.R. nurses are at their best.
U.S. soldiers who served in overseas conflicts—from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan—share true stories of the actions that earned them some of America’s most distinguished military medals, up to and including the Medal of Honor.
They never acted alone, but always in the spirit of camaraderie, patriotism, and for the good of our beloved country.
There has never been a better time for all of us to think about duty, sacrifice, and what it means to be an American hero.
Discover “the stories America needs to hear” (Admiral William H. McRaven, US Navy (Ret.)) with these moving and powerful recollections of war, told by the men and women who lived them.
Walk in my Combat Boots is a powerful collection crafted from hundreds of original interviews by James Patterson, the world’s #1 bestselling writer, and First Sergeant US Army (Ret.) Matt Eversmann, part of the Ranger unit portrayed in the movie Black Hawk Down.
These are the brutally honest stories usually only shared amongst comrades in arms. Here, in the voices of the men and women who’ve fought overseas from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan, is a rare eye-opening look into what wearing the uniform, fighting in combat, losing friends and coming home is really like. Readers who next thank a military member for their service will finally have a true understanding of what that thanks is for.
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