WALK ON
by Stephen PanusCOMING DECEMBER 8, 2026:
A NOVEL
THE CIRCLES WE CARRy
by Stephen Panus
Jack Brennan, a commanding presence in the world of sports media and a former quarterback defined by precision and control, loses everything the night his only child is taken from him. His son, a gifted, five-star football recruit on the brink of his future, leaves behind a silence so vast that it swallows Jack’s ambition, identity, and sense of worth.
Untethered and struggling to function inside the life he once curated, Jack finds himself at a spiritual crossroads. He withdraws from the world—until he discovers a note his son wrote shortly before his death. That single scrap of hope sets Jack on a cross-country journey to the American West.
As Jack continues westward, each stranger and each story becomes another circle inside his own, proof that connection is not an accident—it’s a force. Jack arrives in Montana and encounters an enigmatic Northern Cheyenne medicine woman who carries her own scars and wisdom. Through the sacred web of human connection, Jack is challenged to confront his grief and piece together a purpose greater than his pain and a story that defies the illusion of separation and connection.
The Circles We Carry is a testament to the invisible threads that bind us and how love, in all its forms, endures beyond loss and the boundaries we believe separate us.
AUTHOR / INSPIRATIONAL SPEAKER / COACH
• “Walk On” hailed as “a brave and beautifully written book”…“a must read”…”courageous and brilliant”…and “a storythat grips your soul and forces you to feel deeply”
• A featured “Good Morning America” Book Club Buzz Selection and a 2025 Eric Hoffer International Book Award category finalist
• Proceeds from the sale of “Walk On” support the Jake Panus Walk On Scholarships, which ensures that Jake’s legacy of lifting up other young people - especially those facing difficult circumstances - endures forever by affording them with the opportunity to chase their own enthusiastic dreams through education, sports, and community
•Selected as one of America's Most Inspiring Keynote Speakers to Watch in 2025
Ep. 85 - Stephen Panus
“Walk On” is a deeply moving journey of a father’s rise from tragedy and a heartfelt tribute to a son’s enduring spirit and a father’s unbreakable love. In this powerful memoir, Panus shares the story of unimaginable loss and the resilience that follows, capturing the raw emotions of grief, hope and the relentless pursuit of honoring a loved one’s legacy. With vivid storytelling and profound insight, “Walk On” is more than a book - it’s equally a mindset as well as a reminder that even in the face of tragedy, love never fades. A must-read for anyone seeking inspiration, hope, healing, and the courage to keep moving forward.
The preface of “Walk On” was written by Shane Beamer, Head Football Coach at the University of South Carolina.
An inspirational and emotionally powerful story of a father who suffered every parent’s worst nightmare, yet found a way to turn his pain into purpose. Beyond the grief, Walk On is being lauded for teaching that the pathway to a purposeful life filled with honesty, integrity, resilience, effort, gratitude, kindness, compassion, and service, among other positive traits and values, resides within all of us.
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In today’s world, grief and adversity are seemingly everywhere, more so than ever. These universal concepts cause many to suffer and lose hope. Walk On will help you discover the mindset needed to overcome whatever struggle, hardship or adversity you encounter.
Drawing upon wisdom, leadership, parenthood, and a 35-year career as a sports marketing executive, Stephen Panus highlights indispensable values and traits that illuminate a pathway for turning pain into purpose and becoming the best version of ourselves. We all suffer in some manner and no matter what happens or how it happens, we all must ‘Walk On’ in our lives.
‘Walk On’ is published by Koehler Books.
AVAILABLE NOW AT THESE BOOKSELLERS, AMONG OTHERS:
WATCH THE FIRST JAKE PANUS WALK ON SCHOLARSHIP PRESENTATION
(Sept. 2021)
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