JD Slajchert, BA
Adjunct Faculty, Liberal Studies in Education
Areas of expertise: Writer, Speaker, Philanthropist
About
JD Slajchert is a former athlete, a best-selling author of several books, a world renowned motivational speaker, a popular TV personality, a recent Emmy Nominee and philanthropist born and raised in Los Angeles, California. His debut novel, MoonFlower, was inspired by his biggest fan, a young boy named Luc, who passed away from Sickle Cell Disease during JD's time as a division one basketball player at UC Santa Barbara. He's given TEDx Talks, speeches, and motivational keynotes to organizations, nonprofits, universities and fortune 500 companies across the world including Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Alliant Insurance Services, The Roc Nation School, LeBron James' The SpringHill Company, TEDxUnityPark and was invited back to be a commencement speaker at his alma mater, UC Santa Barbara. He works directly with several nonprofits including The American Red Cross, NMDP, and The LucStrong Foundation, a nonprofit that supports children that are diagnosed with Sickle Cell Disease. After losing his family's restaurant, Moonshadows, in The Palisades Fire, JD became a spokesperson and prominent figure in the media to help raise money for their staff. He's appeared in the LA Times, NBC News, Forbes, CBS News, Inside Edition and Spectrum News speaking about advocacy, writing, and much more. He's also written books titled, "Joining the Choir Invisible" and Darling, You're Not Alone and in 2025 was named to Los Angeles Magazines' notable list of their 25 outstanding, "Men of L.A."
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Sociology, UC Santa Barbara, 2018
Publications
MoonFlower (2018) - https://www.amazon.com/MoonFlower-JD-Slajchert/dp/0692185534
MoonFlower: Charity Edition (2019) - https://www.amazon.com/MoonFlower-Charity-JD-Slajchert/dp/0578540401/ref=pd_lpo_14_t_1/144-7235155-4780312?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0578540401&pd_rd_r=c1cb6f1d-74ee-40ed-87df-9ff6d8189675&pd_rd_w=OFHJE&pd_rd_wg=afs0G&pf_rd_p=7b36d496-f366-4631-94d3-61b87b52511b&pf_rd_r=7ATH7E8ZKEH64DHS68R7&psc=1&refRID=7ATH7E8ZKEH64DHS68R7
"Joining the Choir Invisible" (2021) - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1737292009/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Joining+the+Choir+Invisible&qid=1624398376&sr=8-1
Darling, You're Not Alone (2022) - https://www.amazon.com/Darling-Youre-Not-Alone-Slajchert/dp/1737292033/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2SIY49OZC3XBT&keywords=darling+you%27re+not+alone&qid=1667411226&sprefix=darling+you%27re+not+alone%2Caps%2C162&sr=8-1#averageCustomerReviewsAnchor