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Meet Christian Torres
Decision Intelligence Speaker & Strategist
"I didn’t learn decision-making from a book. I learned it the hard way... from consequences."
Christian Torres is a former NYPD officer who served almost a decade in federal prison, including 18 months in solitary confinement. In that season, his mind was rewired to think in terms of systems, forecasts, and scenarios.
Today, Christian is a Decision Intelligence speaker, strategist, and author who helps executive teams make smarter, faster decisions under uncertainty. His talks range from an inspirational story of personal transformation to tactical keynotes that challenge executives to rethink how they approach organizational decision-making.
Get your copy of Built in the Dark: How Solitary Confinement Rewired my Mind and Excel Saved my Life.
SPEAKING TOPICS & EXPERIENCES
Explore the latest insights, tips, and stories to fuel your journey towards success.
Christian speaks on decision-making under uncertainty, and the hidden cost of untested assumptions. His talks give leaders a practical way to stress-test decisions before money, people, and momentum move.
Signature Keynotes Include:
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Built in the Dark: How Solitary Confinement Rewired My Mind and Excel Saved My Life.
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The DARK Method: Simulate Decisions. Abandon the Need to Be Right.
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The Stupid Side of Business Intelligence: Why Data-Rich Doesn't Mean Decision-Ready.
Christian combines real-world operational experience with decision intelligence frameworks that make complex choices easier to navigate. His style is direct, grounded, and practical.
"When you're faced with a situation where everything you thought you were going to do, and everything you thought you were going to be in life is immediately off the table, and you have nobody to blame but yourself...
When you're forced to really evaluate yourself, your decisions, and you have 100% accountability because there is literally no one else to blame — that's when you really start asking the hard questions."
- The Detroit Entrepreneurs Podcast
"Our decisions have consequences that echo across time. Across people. Across entire lives ... and yet, in business as in life, we sometimes treat them like momentary problems to be solved.
We forget that no decision stands alone. Instead, it is embedded, woven into the tapestry of the life we are building, into who we are, and into who we are becoming."
- Signature Keynote, Built in the Dark
"You can have everything perfect. You can have everything dialed in. You can have all your systems ready to go. And guess what? Life is going to throw a curveball. Life's going to come and just punch you in the mouth — personally and in business.
So your job is not to be right. Your job is to figure out what matters and move in that direction every single day."
"Stop trying to predict what the market is going to do, because the market is going to do what the market is going to do. Instead, decide what you're going to do when it does."
Wow. What a story! I had no idea. You are a fabulous speaker! Thank you for sharing! I want to learn more about DARK!
Adam L.
Senior Energy Advisor
I now see the why behind Ironman and Excel meaning so much to you. You are a model of perseverance and turning a bad situation into something great. We are so lucky to have you ... Keep sharing these with the world and don’t keep us in the Dark.
Craig B.
Director of People & Culture
I’m in awe of your story, and I’m so glad you’re sharing it with people. I’m going to remember the DARK method for future decisions.
Natalie V.
Yoga Instructor &
Sustainability Expert
Testimonials
The Story Behind the Mindset
Built in the Dark: How Solitary Confinement Rewired My Mind and Excel Saved My Life is the story of what happens when catastrophic decisions collide with extreme isolation and force a man to rebuild from the inside out.
Christian Torres went from the NYPD to federal prison, where he spent 18 months in solitary confinement. In that darkness, stripped of identity, routine, and control, he began rebuilding the one thing he still had left: the way he thought.
What started as survival became transformation. Through structure, systems, and the unexpected power of Excel, Christian developed a new framework for making sense of pressure, consequence, and uncertainty.
Built in the Dark is not just a memoir. It is a gripping story about the cost of bad decisions, the power of mental reconstruction, and the discipline required to build a new future when everything familiar has been taken away.
Pre-order your copy and be among the first to experience this unforgettable story of collapse, clarity, and redemption.
