Clay Clark (born Clayton Thomas Clark, November 5, 1980) is an American business educator, musician, and former mayoral candidate in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He hosts the ThriveTime Show and co-founded the ReAwaken America Tour with Michael Flynn.
Early life and education Clark was born Clayton Thomas Clark on November 5, 1980. He attended St. Cloud State University, Oral Roberts University, and Oklahoma State University.
Career He is best known as the founder of Thrive15.com, an online education platform, and as the host of the ThriveTime Show, a business podcast. Clark is the former United States Small Business Administration (SBA) Entrepreneur of the Year for the state of Oklahoma and a member of the Forbes Coaches Council.
Clark started his career by founding DJ Connection (DJConnection.com) out of his Oral Roberts University dorm room in 1999. He worked as a wedding and party disc jockey under the nickname "DJ Clay".
In 2012, Clark co-founded The Elephant In The Room Men's Grooming Lounge (EITRLounge.com), a men's barbering and grooming establishment. It currently has multiple locations across Oklahoma.
Clark founded Thrive15.com, an online video-based education platform, in 2014. Former NBA player David Robinson took an equity stake in the company and contributed instructional videos.
Between 1999 and 2022, Clark has founded, co-founded, or partnered with multiple businesses, including Epic Photos, Make Your Life Epic, the ReAwaken America Tour, the Tulsa Bridal Association Bridal Show, and Tip Top K9 Franchising.
Clark has served as a consultant for companies such as Hewlett Packard, Farmers Insurance, eXp Realty, UPS, O'Reilly Auto Parts, Maytag University, and OXIFresh.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8sdRxC5-qUhttps://www.thrivetimeshow.com/business-podcasts/business-podcast-dr-zoellner-and-clay-clark-teach-how-to-become-a-millionaire-how-to-make-the-jump-from-being-employed-to-becoming-self-employed/
Clark was named the "U.S. Chamber National Blue Ribbon Quality Award Winner" at the age of 27.https://councils.forbes.com/profile/Clay-Clark-COO-Visionary-thrive15-com/a7e343f9-fde3-4453-b665-b9b0964176de
Political activity In 2009, Clark announced a campaign for mayor of Tulsa as a conservative Republican. He withdrew in July 2009 before filing for the office, endorsed fellow Republican Chris Medlock, and joined Medlock's campaign.
In August 2020, Clark and optometrist Robert Zoellner led a group of business owners in filing a federal lawsuit challenging Tulsa's COVID-19 mask mandate.
In 2021, Clark and Michael Flynn launched the ReAwaken America Tour, a series of events for which Clark serves as organizer and MC. The tour grew out of anti-lockdown gatherings Clark had hosted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The tour brought together conservative Christians.
Published works Clark is the author of more than thirty business books.https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5866633.Clay_Clark
Start Here: The World's Best Business Book BOOM: 13 Proven Steps to Business Success The Art of Getting Things Done Wheel of Wealth Make Your Life Epic Thrive Jackassery Podcast Creation 101 The Entrepreneur's F6 Journal
Clark has contributed some of the following articles to Forbes: "Five Tradeoffs Proactive Leaders Make Every Day" (2017) "The Art Of Saying No" (2017) "How To Start Getting Things Done As A Leader" (2019) "Seven Steps For Scaling Your Business Most Efficiently" (2017) "Why (Most) Business Coaching Is A Waste Of Time" (2018)
He has been featured in publications including the Tulsa World and Tulsa People magazine.
Clark hosts the ThriveTime Show, a podcast that has featured guests such as Seth Godin, Robert Kiyosaki, Tim Tebow, Guy Kawasaki, David Robinson, John Maxwell, Tom Peters, Ben Carson, Jim Bridenstine, Kevin Stitt, Grant Cardone, Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Muggsy Bogues, and Rashad Jennings, among others.https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/podcast-guests/
Music Since 2023, Clark has released music under his own name on streaming services, including three singles and two volumes of an album series titled Lyrical Miracles. Several tracks share their titles with his businesses, including "Thrivetime Show", "Elephant in the Room", and "Make Your Dog Epic".
Discography Albums Lyrical Miracles, Vol. 1 (May 8, 2025; 32 tracks) Lyrical Miracles, Vol. 2 (September 25, 2025; 13 tracks)
Singles "Come Together" (2023) "11th Hour" (2024) "Turned Unto Fables" (2024)
References
External links Clay Clark author profile at Entrepreneur Clayton Clark speaker profile at eSpeakers "Elephant in the Room Men's Grooming Lounge of Tulsa" at Best Pros in Town "Elephant in the Room Men's Grooming Lounge of Tulsa Reviews" at Top Rated Local "Elephant in the Room Grooming" at TulsaGo