David ZM Allison is a writer, coach, and founder of Clumsy Courage™ — a creative brand built to inspire honesty, momentum, and heart-led growth.

A former English major at the University of Pennsylvania, David has spent years writing poetry, collecting stories, and coaching hundreds of runners — from first-timers to professional triathletes. In 2007–08, he even chased his own dream of qualifying for the Olympic Trials in the marathon.

But it wasn’t until 2025, approaching the age of 55, that he made a commitment to share the creative work he’d quietly carried for decades. He had filled files and notebooks with poems, stories, unfinished novels, songs, and one-liners — never fully believing they’d find a home. Now, he’s ripped off the bandage.

All Kinds of Families was his debut children’s book — a joyful celebration of how love shapes the families we build. (It even forgot the title page at first. Oops. That got fixed.) Since then, he’s published Finding a Sport for Hector and is currently building a library of honest, heart-forward stories — all offered in the spirit of permission: to start where you are, mess up, and keep going anyway.

David lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with his amazing wife Zoraida (happily married since 1998), their two awesome kids, and their quirky tripod dog Ripley — who barks way too much but is loved all the same. When he’s not writing, running, or reading, he’s cheering on his kids and searching for joy, abundance, and the freedom to live fully — one honest word at a time.