William Goodwin is a 1967 graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles; he has undertaken graduate study in biochemistry, education, and English. Since 1992 he has worked as a freelance writer, speaker, and consultant specializing in management, youth, industrial, and marine topics. He has also taught high school sciences, owned and operated a sailing school, written scripts for educational videos, and built a forty-three-foot boat. He shares a home in San Diego with his two teenagers, Gideon and Marilyn, and a very friendly bird named Pepper.