Speaker · Author · Happy

Phillip
D. Cortez

"Every face tells a story, and every story deserves to be told."

Phillip D. Cortez is a speaker and storyteller from El Paso, Texas — bringing talks on happiness, Social Emotional Learning, and the power of owning your narrative to schools, conferences, and communities. Author of three books. Father of four extraordinary kids. Born and raised in El Paso.

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El Paso, Texas
Author · Speaker · Happy · El Paso · Tell Your Story · Children's Books · Social Emotional Learning · The Better Than Good Blog · Author · Speaker · Happy · El Paso · Tell Your Story · Children's Books · Social Emotional Learning · The Better Than Good Blog ·

Speaking

Stories that
move rooms.

Phillip speaks to schools, community organizations, and conferences about storytelling, happiness, Social Emotional Learning, and the power of owning your own narrative.

01
Tell Your Story
Every person carries a story worth telling. This talk is about why owning your narrative changes everything — for kids, adults, and communities.
02
The Happy Manifesto
Three practical rules for building happier students, happier classrooms, and happier lives. Based on the 2018 book.
03
Social Emotional Learning
How story, empathy, and emotional vocabulary change outcomes for students — and what parents and educators can do to support it.
Book Phillip to Speak ↓

The Work

Books that start
conversations.

From children's picture books to a manifesto on happiness — every book Phillip has written starts with the same belief: stories change people.

Latest Release
I'll Be The Moon by Phillip D. Cortez
I'll Be The Moon
A tender picture book about a migrant child's journey — and the love that crosses every border.
Find on Amazon →
Edición en español
Seré la luna by Phillip D. Cortez
Seré la luna
The Spanish-language edition of I'll Be the Moon.
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2018
The Happy Manifesto by Phillip D. Cortez
#TheHappyManifesto
Three practical rules for happier students — the book that started the movement.
Find on Amazon →
2015
Ava and the Monsters by Phillip D. Cortez
Ava & the "Monsters"
A curious girl, strange desert creatures, and a uniquely El Paso adventure.
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2013
When I Close My Eyes by Phillip D. Cortez
When I Close My Eyes
A bilingual picture book about dreams and the stories we tell ourselves at night.
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2011
Night Rhythms by Phillip D. Cortez
Night Rhythms
Where it all began — the sounds and rhythms of nighttime, soothing and unforgettable.
Find on Amazon →
2016
Pancakes For Dinner by Phillip D. Cortez
Pancakes For Dinner!
The best dinner ever — and the joy of celebrating little moments with family.
Find on Amazon →

The Blog

The Better Than
Good Blog.

Latest Essay
No child comes with an instruction manual. But parenting a child who refuses to compromise her authenticity has taught me something unexpected: sometimes the kids become the teachers.
The stories our kids tell — if we actually stop and listen — are often the ones we needed most. This one is about Ava, authenticity, and what it means to lead from the back.
Read the full essay →
Aug 2024
Waco Surf and the Art of the Bro Trip
From Taiwan and Japan to Hawaii — and then, unexpectedly, to a tiny mecca of man-made waves in the heart of Texas.
Jul 2024
Muslims, Jews, Christians, and Agnostics Walk into a Tea Room
We weren't just sipping tea anymore. We were swapping stories, laughing, crying, and finding unexpected common ground.
The Happy Manifesto
Why Happiness Is a Practice, Not a Destination
The three rules that changed how I think about joy — and how I wrote a whole book trying to explain them to my kids.
Read All Essays →

Speaking Inquiry

Let's talk about
your event.

Fill out the form below and Phillip will get back to you within 48 hours. He speaks to schools, community organizations, parent groups, educator conferences, and corporate events.

Phillip reads every message and responds within 48 hours. Or email directly at pdomico@yahoo.com

Phillip D. Cortez

"I was always making up stories to try and get out of trouble anyway. But that sort of comes with the territory when you've got four brothers."

Phillip Dominic Cortez was born in El Paso, Texas, where he became fascinated with books and stories at a very early age. It wasn't long before he wanted to write his own.

He began his career as a freelance sports writer, writing stories for his local paper before moving on to editorials and feature stories for different publications. His children's book Night Rhythms was published in 2011, followed by When I Close My Eyes in 2013 and Ava & the "Monsters" in 2015.

In 2016 he added Pancakes For Dinner! to his catalog. In 2018, Cortez turned his attention to Social Emotional Learning with #TheHappyManifesto — Three Rules For Happier Students, which led to the launch of The Better Than Good Blog in 2019. His most recent work — I'll Be The Moon and its Spanish-language edition Seré la luna — tells the story of a migrant child's journey with tenderness and power.

He lives in El Paso with his wife Patty and their four children: Ivan, Cameron, Ava, and Zoe. He is still fascinated, daily, by the many stories they tell.

Get in Touch

Let's start
a conversation.

For speaking inquiries, book signings, media, or just to say hello — reach out directly. Phillip reads every message.

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