From the Dugout to the Stage — A Message That Changes How You See Yourself
Lance Thonvold delivers a powerful keynote experience rooted in identity, resilience, and leadership
Trusted By:
Former MILB Pitcher Lance Thonvold connects deeply with athletes, students, corporate teams, and faith-based audiences.
You don’t need another speaker who shows up, drops a few quotes, and disappears. You need someone who understands your people, speaks their language, and creates a real shift in the room.
Right now, you're seeing:
Students checking out and struggling with motivation, identity, and respect for themselves and others.
Athletes tying their worth to performance and missing the deeper development your program is designed to offer.
Corporate teams that are disconnected and burned out, stuck between chasing results and maintaining a healthy culture.
Faith communities, especially men, drifting without strong roots, a clear identity, or the strength to walk through hard seasons.
This message brings people back to who they are, why they matter, and how to grow through what they’re facing.
Lance Thonvold is a former professional baseball player whose career ended after three straight seasons of injuries. But that pain planted something powerful. Through identity loss, faith, and a hard redirection, Lance developed “Planted Not Buried,” a message that has impacted thousands, bringing a raw and hope-filled presence to every room. Audiences constantly say the same thing about Lance: he is relatable.
Signature Keynote: Planted Not Buried
Every seed faces a dark season. That doesn’t mean it’s dead. It might be planted.
Planted Not Buried is Lance Thonvold’s signature keynote, built around the powerful idea that adversity is not the end of your story. It’s the beginning of your growth.
This talk is rooted in identity, resilience, and purpose. Lance shares personal stories from his career as a professional athlete and his journey through injury, identity loss, and redirection. His message is always tailored to the audience in front of him, but the core stays the same.
It’s not just motivational. It’s transformational. And it helps people show up with more clarity, more courage, and more ownership of their growth.
Attendees are encouraged to cultivate a mindset that sees setbacks as stepping stones rather than roadblocks, fostering personal growth and perseverance even in the face of uncertainty.
Meet Lance Thonvold
Hey, I’m Lance. I used to think my value came from a stat sheet. I was living my dream as a professional pitcher with the Mariners when three seasons of injuries flipped my world upside down.
That pain planted the seed of a bigger calling. I spent three years rehabbing and rebuilding—not just my arm, but my soul. And that’s where “Planted Not Buried” was born.
Today, I speak to students, athletes, companies, and churches about the value we all carry, even when it’s not visible yet. Whether I’m in a school gym, a corporate kickoff, or a college chapel, my goal is to help people see their worth, face adversity with grit, and grow deeper roots than they ever thought possible.
Why I Do This
Because I’ve lived it.
I know what it’s like to chase performance, question your identity, and feel like the best part of your story is behind you. I also know what it’s like to be loved, led, and believed in when you’re down. That’s what changed my life. And now, I help others change theirs.
Bring Home the message
You are being Planted, Not Buried Book
- Reframe failure and setbacks as opportunities for growth
- Separate identity from performance
- Develop resilience through life’s hardest seasons
Start the conversation
You need more than a motivational talk. You need a message that shifts the room and stays with people after the mic drops.
Lance works closely with each audience to understand your unique goals, culture, and challenges. No two keynotes are the same. Every talk is carefully tailored to make the deepest impact possible—whether you’re building student culture, growing leaders, or unifying a team.
Let’s plant something powerful in your audience. Because they’re not buried. They’re just getting started.
Email me or complete the form below to get started.
Lance's Impact in the past year:
80+
Keynotes Delivered
12,000+
Lives Impacted
13
Repeat Audiences
If you have ever felt like you just can’t handle any more wind, rain, or storms in your life, remember