Jim Stavis

I'm Jim Stavis, a triple organ transplant recipient, entrepreneur, speaker, and author of the memoir When Hope Is Your Only Option. The Revised Edition was published in 2026.

I founded my first company, Pace Setter, in 1972. In 1988 I co-founded Paragon Steel, which supplied structural steel for projects including LACMA and Tongva Park in Santa Monica. While running the business, I survived a series of life-threatening health crises. When my doctors at Cedars-Sinai told me a procedure had never been done before, I told them, "I'll be the first."

My memoir is a Montaigne Medal Finalist (Eric Hoffer Award) and a Pacific Book Review Notable Book, and has been reviewed by Kirkus Reviews and Foreword Clarion Reviews. I've appeared on CNBC and wri

I'm Jim Stavis, a triple organ transplant recipient, entrepreneur, speaker, and author of the memoir When Hope Is Your Only Option. The Revised Edition was published in 2026.

I founded my first company, Pace Setter, in 1972. In 1988 I co-founded Paragon Steel, which supplied structural steel for projects including LACMA and Tongva Park in Santa Monica. While running the business, I survived a series of life-threatening health crises. When my doctors at Cedars-Sinai told me a procedure had never been done before, I told them, "I'll be the first."

My memoir is a Montaigne Medal Finalist (Eric Hoffer Award) and a Pacific Book Review Notable Book, and has been reviewed by Kirkus Reviews and Foreword Clarion Reviews. I've appeared on CNBC and written for USA Today and Reader's Digest. I also wrote and directed the documentary Source of Hope, which won the "Doing Good" award at the Lifetree Film Festival.

I speak on hope, resilience, and overcoming adversity. Learn more at jimstavis.com.