Millman was born in Los Angeles, California, to Herman and Vivian Millman, and he has an older sister Diane. Much of his early life included active pursuits such as modern dance and martial arts, and then trampoline, tumbling, and gymnastics. He attended John Marshall High School in Los Angeles, where he was recognized along with another student as a Co-Senior Athlete of the Year. During his senior year in high school, he won the United States Gymnastics Federation national title on the trampoline, and while a freshman at U.C. Berkeley, he won the 1964 Trampoline World Championships in London and earned All-American honors and won an NCAA Championship in vaulting. In 1966 he won the USGF championship in floor exercise and represented the United States in the 1966 Maccabiah Games, winning four Gold Medals in Gymnastics. In September of 1966, just prior to his senior year at U.C. Berkeley, Millman's motorcycle collided with a car. He suffered a shattered right femur, requiring surgical repair and bone marrow transplant with a steel nail inserted in his femur. Millman actively pursued rehabilitation and was able to return to gymnastics as co-captain of his team which won the 1968 NCAA Gymnastics Championships in Tucson, Arizona. He was the last man to perform for U.C. on the high bar, and had a best-ever routine and perfect landing that clinched the team title. In 1968 he was voted Senior U.C. Berkeley Athlete of the Year, and graduated with a B.A. degree in Psychology.
Career
In 1968, Millman served as director of gymnastics at Stanford University, where he coached U.S. Olympian Steve Hug and brought the Stanford team to national prominence. During Millman's tenure at Stanford, he trained in Aikido, eventually earning a shodan ranking, and studied T'ai chi and other martial arts. In 1972, Millman joined the faculty at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio as an assistant professor of physical education. At Oberlin, on a travel-research grant from the college, Millman traveled to San Francisco, where he completed the Arica 40-Day Intensive Training, then to Hawaii, India, Hong Kong, and Japan, where he studied various disciplines including yoga and martial arts. In 1985, Millman began to produce audio and video programs, and to present seminars and professional keynotes. His work is generally connected to the "human potential movement". Millman has authored 17 books as of 2015 which together have been published in 29 languages. In 2006, his first book, Way of the Peaceful Warrior, was adapted to a film, Peaceful Warrior, with Nick Nolte, distributed by Lionsgate Films and re-released by Universal Pictures in 2007. Dan credits the inspiration for his first book to a gas station attendant he met who reminded him of Socrates and to whom he gave that name.
Personal life
Dan Millman and his wife Joy live in Brooklyn, New York. They have three grown daughters.
Works
Works by Millman include the following:
1979: Whole Body Fitness
1980: Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives
