Poway resident David Corbin describes himself as an ex-Woodstock graduate/hippie who has always been deeply patriotic.
He is also an inventor and author.
In his 14th and latest book, “Reawakening America: Illuminating Her Brand,” Corbin said he blended two of his passions – being a patriotic and engaged American citizen, and working in the realm of branding and brand integrity.
“I’m a mentor and I’m known as a mentor to mentors because I’ve advised some famous people like Academy Award winners, Fortune 5 CEOs, a U.S. cabinet secretary and solopreneurs who own their own business,” Corbin said. “They’re the heart of America. I believe entrepreneurs are the building blocks of America and always have been.”
In “Reawakening America,” the nation is personified as a woman. She looks for guidance from her mentor – C. David – and says she is feeling a little shaky on her feet.
“She is unsure of who she is and what she stands for, and is feeling like she’s trying to be all things to all people, but is not really doing as much as she wants and can,” Corbin said.
In response, her mentor sends America to 11 prominent corporations in the U.S. so she can see her values in action, Corbin said. The values are freedom, free speech, limited governance, responsibility, justice, courage, innovation, equality, democracy, civic and virtues.
While debriefing with her mentor after taking the 11 journeys, America remembers specific historic events where she has lived her brand, he said. But with some of the events she did not have integrity with her values, he added.
“The reader is learning history in a very enjoyable way,” Corbin said. “What I’m hoping to do is tear down border walls between friends, families and neighbors by discussing the values that unite us.”
Courtesy David Corbin
Patriotic Poway resident David Corbin, left, often celebrates the Fourth of July at Old Poway Park. (Courtesy David Corbin)
Along with learning about American history, Corbin said readers will learn how U.S. citizens have helped keep America on track with her values.
“I also hope to inspire the reader to explore their values and audit whether they are living them or not,” he said.
Corbin said he considers this book to be his 250th birthday present to the United States.
To write “Reawakening America,” Corbin said he conducted research at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. There he had access to original documents written by abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, marine biologist and conservationist Rachel Carson and former associate Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
“They all appear prominently in the ‘Reawakening America’ book,” Corbin said.
Although the book has been available for a year, its official publishing date was July 4, 2026. During his own birthday week in early August, Corbin said he made the Kindle version available for free internationally.
In the back of the book is a section to guide book clubs, and an America 250 conversation kit to help people have conversations among friends and family about the values that unite us.
Corbin said he focused his book on values that unite the nation, not divide it.
“The intent of the book is to pull down interpersonal border walls,” he said. “Let’s get excited about America not just when we’re attacked or on the nation’s 250th birthday, but let’s celebrate this great nation and keep the window of patriotism open.”
Corbin has a long history in the local community.
After living in the same house in Poway for 45 years, Corbin said he recently discovered his home built in 1958 was connected to two prominent Poway families. One was the Rauch family, which purchased 120 acres of land just east of Midland Road to develop Belvedere Estates in the 1950s. The other was the Millard family, whose matriarch lived to be over 100 years old.
The property now contains turtle ponds, a chicken coop and a pickleball court.
In addition to writing, Corbin, who has a bachelor’s degree in counseling psychology, has given two TEDx Talks.
As an entrepreneur, Corbin said he founded one of the first community crisis intervention centers in the United States. He also invented the Rejuvenation Station, which is designed to reduce stress for emergency room nurses and doctors in addition to first responders. Corbin said he installed one of the audio-visual wellness booths intended to reduce stress and burnout among health care workers in high-pressure environments in the San Diego County Sheriff’s wellness room.
“After conversations with San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez about her emphasis on wellness in her Sheriff’s office, we agreed to install the Rejuvenation Station at their wellness facility,” Corbin said.
For more information, visit reawakeningamerica.org. The book is available on Amazon for $19.93 in paperback form.