Adversity Taught him to Succeed
Nelson's struggle with literacy was a result of his severe dyslexia that had gone undiagnosed.

School years were a nightmare. Feeling angry and misunderstood - he rebelled against authority, choosing to be the "bad kid" and doing his best to ensure that no teacher would ever want him back for a second year. To Nelson, anything was better than the embarrassment of being labeled the "dumb kid".

To the rest of the world, Nelson hid his literacy problems as best he could by developing unique coping methods and strong verbal and memory skills.

Always intensely curious, Nelson knew everyone in his rural PA hometown. He'd ask question after question, absorbing every detail about someone's life. Nelson also became a huge history buff and couldn't get enough of the war stories told by his father and the Juniata County locals. He'd listen intently for hours, committing every detail to memory.

Socially promoted (just passed through) year after year, Nelson graduated from East Juniata High School in 1981 and was given a diploma that he struggled to read.

Nelson knew his lack of literacy skills meant he could never find work in a "regular" job. In order to earn a living he needed to be his own boss.

He began by buying and selling scrap metal as a teenager. Then as a young adult he moved to precious metals, speculating with gutsy leveraged buys that more often than not, worked in his favor.

He started other businesses too, a classic car restoration company with his brother, even brokering large quantities of heating oil. Sometimes his business ventures took off, other times they didn't, leaving Nelson wondering how to support himself. But he kept getting back up and moving forward - learning how to deal with adversity.

He worked as a janitor in his family's roller skating rink. When the business floundered and the rest of the family bailed out, Nelson took it over and sharply increased revenues.

From the outside, Lauver's string of business pursuits appeared successful and calculated.  The skills he was developing in business however, did little to aide him in his personal relationships.  When it came to interacting on a personal level, Nelson was still an angry young man who felt misunderstood and trusted no one.  Divorce and difficult relationships would plague him through his young adult years and only add to the chaos and dysfunction of his life. With each new business venture, Nelson was forced to develop new skills to hide his inability to read and write.

He carried a pocket tape recorder wherever he went, recording notes and conversations on tape, always evading the written word. At the skating rink, he'd leave daily instructions for staff on tape. He employed capable individuals to handle anything requiring reading and writing. He knew some people surely realized there were problems - but they never questioned him.

With each new business venture, his frustration grew. He earned a living, but it wasn't what he wanted to do with his life, and the stress of hiding his reading and writing problems was becoming unbearable.

As a kid, he imagined himself as a lawyer, skillfully arguing a case - or as a broadcaster communicating with listeners. He knew he could do more, he just didn't know how to break out.

He resolutely moved into his next venture, a parking lot line painting business.

From Line Painter, to Word Painter...
In 1992, while working on a parking lot line painting job, a stranger stopped and asked Nelson for directions. Nelson tried to help the man who handed him a tablet and asked him to write them down. When the man realized he'd made an impossible request, he asked Nelson if he'd ever been tested for dyslexia.

That brief encounter changed Nelson's life. He knew two things, he didn't want to paint parking lot lines for the rest of his life, and to better his future, it was time to swallow his pride and seek help.

At the man's suggestion, he turned to the Pennsylvania office of Occupational Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) to teach him strategies to deal with his dyslexia and learn to read and write.

Through professional and exhaustive evaluations, it was determined that as a means of compensating for his reading and writing disability, he had unconsciously honed his listening and speaking skills to extraordinary levels. The little boy who teachers had given up on was brilliant.

As part of the vocational rehabilitation process, Nelson needed to choose a stable career path. He again returned to his boyhood thoughts of becoming either a lawyer or a broadcaster.

Based upon testing that revealed Nelson's high IQ, various state agencies including Penn State University offered him full funding for pre-law and law school.

However, Nelson's dreams of being a broadcaster outweighed his dreams of being a lawyer - and he had the voice for it too.

Using his newfound literacy skills, he stepped behind the microphone and began his career as a broadcaster, professional narrator and voice over artist. There was great demand for his very natural, comfortable voice and cadence. Nelson discovered that to be unique and stand out in the world of broadcasting - he simply needed to be his imperfect self.

The American Storyteller Radio Journal
While in the midst of vocational rehabilitation, Nelson's counselor suggested he use a word processor to help him continue to progress his sentence structure. Not knowing how or what to type, he started to "hunt and peck" colorful short stories about his boyhood, friends, and the small Pennsylvania community around him.

He soon discovered that buried deep under years of anger and frustration was a gifted writer and storyteller just waiting to be set free. His stories were to become the basis for The American Storyteller Radio Journal.

In 2000, Nelson created The American Storyteller Radio Journal. He presented it to every major radio distributor in the United States, and was promptly rejected by every last one. Undaunted, he struck out on his own and single-handedly started marketing his show to radio stations.

Today, a nationally syndicated feature, The American Storyteller Radio Journal, touches the lives of millions of listeners. This 4 minute slice of Americana is broadcast daily in over 60 US markets (and growing).

Nelson's faithful listeners consider him an old friend - comparing him to the likes of Garrison Keillor, Paul Harvey, Charles Kuralt and even the legendary Mark Twain.

Motivational and Keynote Speaking
As a speaker and humorist for nearly 15 years now, Nelson has been entertaining and inspiring audiences with his thoughts on goal setting, personal achievement and human potential.

Nelson travels and speaks to many diverse groups, from colleges and universities to corporate and charitable organizations.

His proudest moment came in 2003 when he was invited to share his "Rules for Beating the Odds" at the very school where teachers had given up on him.

His strategies for finding a better life and building self-esteem are ingenious and refreshing.

Literacy and Learning Disabilities
In addition to his work as a keynote speaker and journalist, Nelson continues to be an advocate for literacy and frequently addresses educators and literacy groups around the world.