D. Edward Stanley was born in Newport News, Virginia in 1955 to Bill and Dee Stanley. Three years later his parents divorced, setting the stage for an extraordinary event. In 1960, Dee Stanley married Vernon Presley, Elvis Presley's widowed father. David Stanley was just four years old, 20 years younger than his new stepbrother, when he moved into the Graceland Mansion.  Through a strange twist of fate, Elvis Presley had become David's big brother.

Spending the next 17 years as a member of Rock & Roll's first family, David was an integral part of Elvis's personal and professional life. At the age of sixteen, he began touring with Elvis as a full-time personal aide and bodyguard. But beneath the glitter of life in the fast lane, David discovered the one thing he could not protect Elvis from - Elvis's own self-destructive vices.  On August 16, 1977, David was among the first to discover the lifeless body of his beloved stepbrother.

Deeply affected by the aftershocks of his stepbrother's death David knew he had to set his life on a new course. He overcame the obstacles and addictions of the past by eliminating the negative by-products of the Elvis years. David developed new priorities centered on educating, motivating, inspiring and helping others. He began his speaking career in 1980, traveling throughout North America and Europe sharing his powerful story of triumph over adversity.

Drawing on his own past to connect with teens and young adults, Stanley’s
powerful delivery and unvarnished candor quickly put him in demand with high schools, colleges, and a wide variety of other forums.  His unique story and ability to touch individuals at the deepest emotional level saved countless lives by giving audiences the tools to successfully fight peer pressure and drug use. 

In 1981 his life story and work captured the attention of Life Magazine.  The article also impacted peak performance coach Anthony Robbins.  In 1991 in his book “Awaken The Giant Within,” Robbins quoted Stanley on the condition of his stepbrother Elvis Presley during the last years of his life.  When asked why a man so universally adored would take his own life, Stanley’s response was “…Elvis often said he much preferred being drugged and numb to being conscious and miserable.”   Influenced by Robbins, Stanley developed a series of success conditioning tools called Solutionary Dynamics. 

Stanley’s SD formula empowers individuals to turn adversity into personal triumph, identify what they really want out of life, turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, maintain motivation and creativity, and strategically position their lives for success.

In 2006, Stanley’s surrealistic upbringing provided the raw material for the movie “Protecting The King” (www.protectingtheking.com ).  Produced, written and directed by Stanley, this emotionally charged feature film examines the price of fame and the consequences of life choices.

In his newest program, BluePrinting for Success, Stanley shares the cutting edge techniques he developed to take his film concepts from an idea to production and worldwide distribution.  The program helps individuals build the proper foundation to take their own dreams from the mind to the marketplace. 

Today, Stanley continues to bring his powerhouse programs to the speaker’s platform through D. Edward Stanley Companies.  His contagious passion and unprecedented communication skills help people learn how to make real changes in their personal and professional lives.