"Dr.Rich is a breath of fresh air"
Keynotes that spark a mindset and movement of fearless conversations for better results and relationships from leadership and communication keynote speaker DR.RICH.
MEET DR.RICH
Pastor • Author • Speaker — Helping families and leaders build faith-filled lives for 35+ years.
Dr. Rich Melheim is a pastor, educator, and author whose work focuses on helping families live with intention. He partners with parents, clergy, and community leaders to design faith practices that are simple, sustainable, and life-giving. Rich’s work combines theology, child development, and practical, everyday routines that help families connect their faith to daily life.
Dr. Rich: The Visionary Behind Global Learning & Creative Movements
The City of Six Towers (coming soon to a big little world near you)
RICH Metaverzal Studios (coming right after that)
Luther the Rock Opera
Amazing Grace Experience 2022
He also serves as arts consultant for the American Trade Development Council, currently producing an online Artists Friendship Exhibit with artists from the US and China to celebrate the 2022 50th Anniversary of Nixon’s trip to China. Some of his music, cartoon books and skits can be found here.LINK
A Prolific Creator
Dr. Rich’s creative impact spans decades and multiple industries. So far, he has:
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Written and produced 39 books
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Illustrated 82 children’s stories
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Produced 24 music albums
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Created and directed 7 musical-comedy stage plays
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Written 400+ songs
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Developed thousands of curricula, scripts, and educational resources
Global Creative Impact
In 2020, he executive-produced Facebook Live concert events featuring artists with a combined 42 Grammy Awards, reaching global audiences during a time of worldwide isolation.
Current & Upcoming Projects
Dr. Rich continues to push boundaries at the intersection of art, education, and technology with projects including:
“Beyond the Metaverse” — an interview series exploring the future of humanity and digital worlds
“The NFT Revolution Movie” — a documentary uncovering the rise of the new digital economy
“Baby Silkworm and the Alien Invasion” — a 3D animated feature film launching a global children’s franchise
VITA — Richard Alan Melheim
Richard Alan Melheim was born in Bottineau, North Dakota on October 10, 1955. He spent his early childhood in Dilworth, Minnesota in the Fargo–Moorhead area, and later attended junior high and high school in Williston, North Dakota, graduating in 1974. He went on to earn a B.A. in Journalism from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and recognized as the Outstanding Journalist in 1977. He completed his Master of Divinity degree at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1981, and later earned a Doctorate in Semiotics and Future Studies from George Fox University in Portland, Oregon in 2013.
Ministry & Leadership Roles Ministry Service:
Throughout his ministry career, Dr. Melheim served congregations and specialized ministry roles across Minnesota, including Trinity Lutheran in Owatonna (1981–1989), Trinity Lutheran in Stillwater (1990–1993), and specialized calls through the St. Paul Area Synod of the ELCA with both the Lutheran Leadership Institute (1993–1994) and Faith Inkubators (1993–2018).
Founder & Co-Founder Roles
Dr. Melheim is the founder of several influential organizations and initiatives, including Faith Inkubators (established in 1994), the Faith Inkubators Foundation (2004), The Preschool Incubators Project (2008–2012), FAITH5 (2009), and RICH Learning (2014). He also co-founded Salt Lick Productions, LLC — a film and media company launched in 2005 — and He Qi Arts, LLC, founded in 2004 to manage and promote the artwork of Dr. He Qi.
Writing & Publishing
His writing career spans humor pieces for Doubleday Mainstreet Books, children’s books for Creative Outlet, dramatic works and ministry articles for Group Publishing, The Clergy Journal, and Lutheran Partners, as well as curriculum contributions for Concordia Publishing House and Faith Inkubators. He has also produced marketing and business writing for a variety of publications.
Musical Stage Plays (Written & Produced)
Dr. Melheim has written and produced numerous musical stage plays over the decades, including Luther (2017), This Christmas Morning: A Comedy of Christmas Tragedies (1992), The Best: A Comedy on Suicide (1988), Restless (1986), A Little Bit Touched (1984), A Tap on the Window (1982), and The Journey of the King (1980). His media work also includes the Head to the Heart satellite TV telecast series and the 2020 Facebook Live concert series The Amazing Grace Experience, which featured performers with a combined 42 Grammy Awards.
Television & Media Production,Videos Produced
In addition, Dr. Melheim has produced a variety of educational and creative video projects, including Sex, Drugs & Fast Cars – Your Body’s a Temple, the Faith Incubators Teacher Training Series, Faith Stepping Stones, Bald Arnold & the Fiendish Plotling, and Conformation Is Dead. Over the years, his creativity and leadership have been recognized with several awards, including the Youth Specialties Outstanding Youth Ministry Innovator — Jack Young Award (1998), the Ben Franklin Humor Award from the Publishers Marketing Association (1994), the Stillwater Jaycees Outstanding Young Man of the St. Croix Valley Award (1994), and the International History Week Literary Achievement Award (1993).
Awards & Honors
Youth Specialties Outstanding Youth Ministry Innovator — Jack Young Award (1998)
Ben Franklin Humor Award, Publishers Marketing Association (1994)
Outstanding Young Man of the St. Croix Valley, Stillwater Jaycees (1994)
International History Week Literary Achievement Award (1993)
Guest Appearances
Dr. Rich Melheim has appeared on major national and international media platforms, including:
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NPR – Morning Edition
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CNN
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Donahue
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Montel
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Rolanda
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Leeza
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The Osgood Files
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Over 50 network news shows from WNBC New York to KTLA Los Angeles, as well as Good Morning Cairo and multiple Turkish and Cypriot morning programs.
Speaking
Rich teaches:
Educators to rethink learning through brain-based neurology
Entrepreneurs to adapt and thrive amid Metaverse-era change
Parents and teens to navigate and survive the challenges of adolescence
Speaking Style:
A unique blend of humor, brain science, systems theory, practical insights, energetic delivery, and creative chaos — designed to make audiences laugh, cry, think, and transform.
He is a regular keynote speaker at education business ,education, church, and family conferences around the world.
EVENTS
A. Business & Educational Keynotes
Metaversal Neurology and Education 3.0
Teaching the Way the Brain Learns Best
(RICH Learning: Brain-based learning on arts-based platforms)Designing with the Young Mind in Mind
(Reinventing education with creativity and fun)Rethinking Stinking Systems
(Systems Theory—How not to kill each other at work or school)Making a Living or Making a Life?
Complexity Theory
(How the worst things can become the best things)Rethinking Preschools on a Performance Arts Platform
(Turning “Watch me, Mommy!” into foundational learning)
B. Church Conference Keynotes
FAITH5
(Five simple steps to strengthen family life)Cross+Gen Ministry
(Uniting the wisdom of elders with the wonder of children)The Life of the Mainline After the Death of the Mainline
The Fifth Church
(Reengineering the institutional church for a postmodern world)Conformation (sic!) Is Dead
(Rebuilding confirmation to retain both kids and content)Music, Bible, Muscles & Memory
(Teaching God’s Word at a cellular level)How to Be a Senior Pastor Without Being a Jerk
How to Kill the Pied Piper Youth Worker Before They Kill You
C. Marriage, Parenting & Teen Keynotes
- The Secret Formula for Surviving Adolescence
- Sex, Drugs & Fast Cars
(Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit) Working on the Dream
(Building a dream relationship with your teen)The Cow & the Haystack
(Becoming your child’s impact adult and faith mentor)God and Science
(Is there a God? How can there be—or not be—a God?)Marriage Without Murder
MY ACHIEVEMENT
