Bob Zima

Bob Zima is a self-proclaimed “Frequent Flyer to Hell and Back.” His engaging and entertaining style allows him to seamlessly weave his “E-True Hollywood Life Story” into his “rollercoaster-esque” keynote addresses, workshops and seminars. Bob is a licensed clinical professional counselor who has published two books and produced two videos on grief, loss, and healing. He publishes several blogs and hosts a couple of podcasts as well. Both the blogs and the podcasts feature Bob’s cathartic satire, through which he shares and explores and at times lampoons his passion for mental wellness and his desire to improve the quality of his life…oh, and inspire others to do the same. Bob has personally experienced and lived through the crisis and trauma of alcohol and drug addiction with twenty years of recovery, financial devastation/bankruptcy and homelessness, infidelity and near divorce and the death of two infant children. He has also backpacked through Europe, talked with the Pope, played basketball with Michael Jordan, was selected as the clinical site supervisor of the year in Illinois and has his picture taken with the Stanley Cup. So needless to say, his trips TO Hell are accompanied with trips toward healing…thus making the “Back” part of his tagline the real story and the focus of his books, videos, blog, podcast and live stage shows. Bob received a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School located in Deerfield, Illinois. He has worked in the counseling field since 2006 as a private practitioner, clinical supervisor, clinical program developer, eLearning producer and compliance manager. His therapeutic programs have been nationally recognized by JCAHO and NAMI. Prior to returning to school for a masters degree, Bob worked in the advertising, corporate communications/marketing and broadcast media industries as a producer, director and writer for seventeen years. Bob trained and performed with the Players Workshop of Chicago’s Second City. He also performed comedy with Comedy Sportz and Improv Olympics in the early 1990’s. He wrote a teleplay, The Madcap Murder of Mortimer D. Banks, which featured Second City players and air on cable television in the 1992.