Motivational speaker Travis Bell keynotes WIN breakfast on March 30

RENO, Nev. — As a keynote speaker who travels around the globe, Australian native and the “Bucket List Guy” Travis ‘Trav’ Bell often bluntly poses this question to his audience:

“If I was a doctor and diagnosed you with cancer, what would you do?”

He says the crowd typically quiets, only murmurs in the background, but as he paces around the stage scanning his audience, he can tell many thoughts are racing in their heads: “What would I do?”

After a moment or two, he’ll ask every member of the audience to formulate a list of goals — or, a bucket list — whether personal or professional accomplishments or dreams.

“Most people are sleepwalking through their lives,” Bell said in an interview with NNBW last week. “I don’t try to tell people how to live their lives, I just tell them to hurry up and get busy living out their dreams.”

Bell will speak at the next Western Industrial Nevada (WIN) breakfast meeting March 30 at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno.

Bell said he already formulated a “To Do Before I Die List” by age 18, a list that continues to evolve to this day. The name was morphed into the “The Bucket List,” a term made popular by the 2007 movie of the same name starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson.

Among his past adventures: surfing on the shores of Fuji, following the Tour de France bicycle endurance race, and visiting Burning Man on the Black Rock Desert of Northern Nevada.

He also is an entrepreneur, having founded and built the largest fitness training franchise in Australia. However, philosophical differences with his business partners left him wondering if he was properly serving his clients.

Bell disenfranchised the business and left it behind, but the ordeal left him in depression. He sought professional help, and it was during treatment that he began doing motivational speaking and found a true calling.

Early on in his speaking career eight years ago, one client called Bell the “Bucket List Guy” after Bell shared some of the adventures at a speaking engagement.

Intrigued by the new moniker, he applied the domain name thebucketlistguy.com and states he is the No. 1 “Bucket List Expert in the World.”

He has also branched out to Bucket List Certified Coach franchises, or “Bucket List Buddies,” to duplicate their efforts. He now has 21 coaching franchises all over the world in Mexico, Europe and the United States.

While Bell tries to stay humble when talking about the many people he’s inspired, he nonetheless proud of what others have accomplished after listening to him speak.

He implores people to grab hold of their professional careers and do what they want — whether it’s advancing in a job or starting their own business.

“Do people live to work or work to live?” Bell asked. “Ultimately, if people love what they are doing in their careers, that is the Holy Grail.”