9/11 Survivor · U.S. Marine Veteran · Author · Keynote Speaker
Bob Jenkins
He walked down 39 floors. He's been walking toward purpose ever since.
We all spend our lives believing we are preparing for careers, marriages, children, promotions, and retirement.
Only when we look back do we realize we were also preparing to become the person we were meant to be.
This is the story of how a lifetime of ordinary experiences quietly prepared me, just an ordinary guy, for an extraordinary day — and how we often don't recognize that preparation until we're looking back.
Bob Jenkins
September 11, 2001
The building shook violently. It swayed and rocked back and forth like a palm tree in a hurricane. I dug deep for the training I had received in the Marine Corps; DO NOT PANIC, PANIC IS WHAT GET'S YA KILLED!
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Bob Jenkins was on the 39th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center when American Airlines Flight 11 struck the building. What happened next — and the life experiences that unknowingly prepared him for that moment — became the foundation of everything he shares today.
Now Available
Stairway to Heaven
A 9/11 Survivor's Story of Courage, Resilience, and Purpose
In this raw and unflinching memoir, Bob Jenkins takes you floor by floor down the North Tower — and year by year through the life that prepared him to survive it. STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN is not just a story about one day. It's a story about every day that came before it, and every day that followed. As you read this book, you will undoubtedly see where your own stairway journey in life has taken you.
Keynote Speaking
A Story That Changes How You Lead
Resilience Under Pressure
When everything around you is collapsing, what keeps you moving? Bob draws on the most pressure-tested moment of his life to show audiences how to find clarity, calm, and forward motion in crisis.
Leadership in Crisis
True leadership isn't tested in boardrooms — it's tested when the stakes are life and death. Bob's military service and survival experience deliver lessons in decisive action, accountability, and leading others through the unthinkable.
Finding Purpose After Trauma
Survival is just the beginning. Bob's journey from the rubble of the World Trade Center to stages across the country is a testament to what becomes possible when you choose meaning over fear.
Ready to bring Bob's story to your audience?
Bob speaks at corporate events, military gatherings, leadership conferences, and memorial ceremonies. Every engagement is personal, prepared, and unforgettable.