Set Fire to Fear with Sean Ritch!
Sean Ritch was born to perform.
I know this because I was there when he was born. I am Sean Ritch’s mom.
Sean was an active child—an extremely active child. As a toddler, he gave “speeches” in a mysterious baby language, then ran through the house.
And he enjoyed challenging the accepted norms, which at that time were called “Mom’s rules.”
Now a professional speaker, rapper, and high school teacher, Sean takes on the societal norms of fear and low self-esteem—often perpetuated by media and consumerism—and their detrimental effects. By using activities and examples, he encourages young adults to, as he states in a KOAT news interview, “Set fire to their doubts so they can set fire to their dreams.” (quoted from KOAT Channel 7 news interview on Seanritch.com).
Committed to helping young adults respect themselves and to love who they are, Sean helps them to challenge negativity with his positive, high-octane message of personal empowerment.
Always high-energy, Sean, when a child, had to overcome the difficulties that a child with ADHD can face, such as in classrooms where children are expected to sit for hours.
Together, he and I had to research techniques to stop the downward spiral into deep negativity about oneself—a trait that can happen to children who do not feel accepted or acceptable—and I watched Sean apply these and many of this own methods, so he could persevere and enjoy a productive and fun life.
He learned to re-train his thinking from negative to positive. In his performances, he shares the methods he has found to be effective.
Growing up, Sean struggled to accept himself; he was extremely loud, hyper, and annoying, which caused most kids on the playground to run away. Not much has changed, except Sean’s ability to re-channel this energy into his greatest strength, which now fuels the electric presentations he delivers.
Seeing Sean grow up, I propose a name to replace what is called Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD):
Super Focus/Energy Ability (SFEA)
Words are important. Notice the change to a positive tone with Super Focus/Energy Ability.
These are the qualities I have observed in Sean—the ability of super focus on what he wants to achieve and does so with super energy.
Sean has channeled his super focus and super energy into honing a super message and a super performance!
Sean’s super message?
Sean’s super performance?
Story, song, rap, call and response, with lots of hand clapping and feet stomping!!
His message and method are effective.
States Assistant Principal Dean Leh, quoted from Sean’s website:
We invited Sean to our high school to help inspire some of our struggling students at our Student Success Night. He ended our evening program with his message-packed performance. In a manner that connects with today’s young people, Sean was able to effectively inspire and motivate our students with excitement and enthusiasm.
His bottom-line message is one of promoting acceptance of self and others for who they are. Sean is all about creating connections, forming relationships, and building community. I recommend him unequivocally.
Sean is engaging! Sean is enlightening! Sean is earnest! Sean is energizing! He had students and advisors on their feet, participating in the leadership rap he created for our NMASC state conference! When his words took a more thought-provoking tone, the silence was impressively eerie – the audience connected with him. He “rapped” up his message with everyone energized – singing, dancing along with the Motivational Rapper!
What a concept Sean has—can we be afraid to love ourselves? Does fear fuel low-self esteem and even self-loathing?
I have been in the audience of several of Sean’s professional speaking engagements, and I can attest that he is on to something super helpful in moving our lives forward. To me, it does feel good to not be “stuck” on negative thoughts about myself.
Some of Sean’s performances include:
2020 New Mexico Association of Student Councils Summer Workshop Keynote Speaker
2020 Freshmen Orientation Keynote Speaker, Phoenix, Arizona
2019 New Mexico Association of Student Councils Closing Keynote Speaker
2017 TEDx Education Albuquerque
You can see and hear Sean with his igniting message and performance—this Wednesday, February 3, 5:30 pm MT at Creatives in Conversation Hour.
Join us as Sean reaches the youth within each of us and inspires us to love and respect ourselves with energy and purpose.
Register for this free event on the button below:
Sean Ritch is an accomplished musician, with several songs and albums that an be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Photo: Sean Ritch
Courtesy Sean Ritch website.
Photo: Sean Ritch
Courtesy Sean Ritch website.
Photo: Sean Ritch
Courtesy Sean Ritch website.
About Sean Ritch:
Sean’s leadership adventure began when he was a student. After graduating high school as Student Body President he earned his B.A. at the University of New Mexico in Communication. As a well-respected high school English teacher, Sean continues to emphasize the importance of leadership and education to his freshmen students.
Sean has spoken with thousands of middle and high school students in multiple states. Events include regional and state leadership conferences, school wide assemblies, and commencement ceremonies. No matter the occasion, Sean’s passion for building meaningful relationships, combined with his unmatched energy, authenticity, and charisma allows students to connect with him almost instantly.
When he’s not speaking Sean enjoys rapping, reading, running, and traveling. Sean is based in New Mexico.
Sean Ritch igniting a full house to set fire to fear!
Courtesy Sean Ritch website.
Sean Ritch captivating the audience with his super message and super performance.
Courtesy Sean Ritch website.
Sean Ritch and Mary Dezember, feeling triumphant, after hiking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon then back to the top.
April 2017
Blog author
Mary Dezember, PhD, is a poet and author of fiction and non-fiction, and is Sean Ritch’s mom. She earned her PhD in Comparative Literature, specialization in Comparative Arts, from Indiana University in 2000, with PhD minors in Art History and Performance Studies.
Professor of English, she teaches Comparative Arts, Art History, Creative Writing and Literature at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. Her publications include several non-fiction essays and articles and two books of poetry: Earth-Marked Like You (Sunstone Press) and Still Howling (CreateSpace Independent Publishing). Her novel, Wild Conviction, is in the works toward publication.
Seen pictured with her son, Sean Ritch (Sean Ritchel), around the year 2000.
Read a poem Mary Dezember wrote about her youngest two children and has a story about 7-year-old Sean in it, with a photo of an “art project” of his, entitled “Pure Poetry and Art,” by clicking on the button below: