John O'Leary | #1 National Bestselling Author & Speaker Expected to Die. Now Teaching Others How to Truly Live.

John O'Leary

#1 National Bestselling Author & Speaker Expected to Die. Now Teaching Others How to Truly Live.

Fee Range
Please contact us for pricing
Travels From
St. Louis, MO, US

John O'Leary
Biography

In 1987, John O'Leary was a curious nine-year-old boy. Playing with fire and gasoline, John created a massive explosion in his home and was burned on 100% of his body. He was given less than a 1% chance to live.

This epic story of survival was first showcased in his parents' book, Overwhelming Odds, in 2006. Originally printing 200 copies for friends and family, his parents have sold 60,000+ copies. It was this book that first invited John to embrace his miraculous recovery and share it with the world.

John inspires 50,000+ people at 100+ events each year. He speaks to companies and organizations across industries, such as: sales, healthcare, safety, marketing, finance, faith, education and insurance.

Consistently described as "the best speaker we've ever had," John receives nearly 100% of his engagements from referrals. His schedule is a testament to the power of his message and who he is as an individual. His emotional story-telling, unexpected humor, and authenticity make each of his presentations truly transformational.

John's first book ON FIRE: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life was an instant #1 National Bestseller; 200,000+ copies have sold and it has been translated into 12 languages. John's Live Inspired Podcast is top-rated on Apple Podcast and has more than 2,000,000 downloads.

His second book IN AWE: Rediscover Your Childlike Wonder to Unleash Inspiration, Meaning and Joy will be published by Penguin Random House in May 2020.

John considers his greatest success to be his marriage to his wife Beth, their four children and his relationships with friends and family.

John O'Leary
Featured Videos

Current: Sizzle Reel

Time 02:57

More Videos From John O'Leary

Sizzle Reel
Time 02:57
John O'Leary Introduction
Time 03:07
The Power of One
Time 16:19

John O'Leary
Featured Keynote Program

Be Light
Shining with faith

Today’s world can seem so dark. We are too often reminded of the pain and disappointment in our everyday lives. Health, financial, and relational challenges impact all who live in this imperfect, fallen world.

Our faith doesn’t offer the guarantee of avoiding adversity, but instead the promise of a loving God who suffers with us in our pain, celebrates with us in our joy, and invites us into an eternal relationship with Him.
In this presentation, John O’Leary illustrates the incredible power of love, gratitude, forgiveness, purpose, courage and resilience. John reminds us that Jesus Christ calls us to be his living presence – to bring light to this dark world. This program will empower you to shine your light of faith for all to see!

John O'Leary
Featured Books

On Fireby John O'Leary

On Fire

by John O'Leary
In the bestselling tradition of Brene Brown's Daring Greatly and Nick Vujicic's Life Without Limits comes a rousing 7-step plan for living a life on fire, filled with hope and possibility--from an inspirational speaker who survived a near-fatal fire at the age of nine and now runs a successful business inspiring people all around the world.

When John O'Leary was nine years old, he was almost killed in a devastating house fire. With burns on one hundred percent of his body, O'Leary mustered an almost unimaginable amount of inner strength just to survive the ordeal. The insights he gained through this experience and the heroes who stepped into his life to help him through the journey--his family, the medical staff, and total strangers--changed his life. Now he is committed to living life to the fullest and inspiring others to do the same.

An incredible and emotionally honest account of triumph over tragedy, On Fire contains O'Leary's reflections on being that little boy, the life-giving choices made then, and the resulting lessons he learned. O'Leary very clearly shares that without the right people providing the right guidance, at the right time, he never would have made it through those five months in the hospital, let alone the years that followed as he struggled to regain mobility, embrace his story, and ignite clarity of his life's purpose.

On Fire encourages us to seize the power to choose our path and transform our lives from mundane to extraordinary. Once we stop thinking solely on the big moments in our lives, we can begin to focus on those smaller opportunities that tend to pass us by. These are the events--the inflection points in our lives--that can determine how we feel about life now, where we are headed in the future, and how many lives we can impact along the way. We can't always choose the path we walk, but we can choose how we walk it. Empowering, inspiring, remarkably honest, and heartfelt, O'Leary's strength and incredible spirit shine through on every page.

In Aweby John O'Leary

In Awe

by John O'Leary
NATIONAL BESTSELLER - The #1 bestselling author of On Fire shows us how to recapture and harness our childlike sense of wonder in order to become more engaged, successful, and fulfilled.

"Engaging . . . O'Leary encourages us to see the world through a child's eyes."--Mitch Albom, author of Tuesdays with Morrie

There once was a time when we joyfully raised our hands to answer questions, connected easily with others, believed that anything was possible, and fearlessly jumped into new experiences. A time when we viewed each day not as something to endure, but as a marvelous gift to explore and savor--when we danced through our lives in awe of the ordinary moments and eager for the promise of tomorrow.

Unfortunately, that's far from our experience today. Instead, we feel disconnected and jaded. Social media reminds us that we don't measure up, and the mainstream media barrages us with constant negativity. Many of us find ourselves caught in a life of dogged responsibility and mind-numbing repetition. The daily struggle to earn a living has caused us to lose the sense of wonder with which we once greeted every day.

In his new book, bestselling author John O'Leary invites us to consider that it is possible to once again navigate the world as a child does. Identifying five senses children innately possess and that we've lost touch with as we age, O'Leary shares emotional, humorous, and inspirational stories intertwined with fascinating new research showing how each of us can reclaim our childlike joy, and why doing so will change how we interact with the world.

In Awe reveals how we can regain that ability to see fresh insights, reach for new solutions, and live our best lives.

John O'Leary
Featured Articles & Resources

Ask John: 10 Travel Hacks to Live Inspired on the Road

I know you travel a lot. So do I…. and I hate it! How do you stay so positive in the drudgery of your work trips? — Mary N. Mary, here are 10 things I try to do every...
Read More

How Do You Choose the BEST Speaker for Your Event?

We’ve had 30 years and 40,000 events to perfect the process—and we’ll do it for free.

Booking the very best Keynote Speakers, Business Speakers, Inspirational Speakers and Motivational Speakers has never been easier.

Get more details and availability

John O'Leary

Share some basic details about you and your upcoming event, and one of our experts will be in touch with you quickly regarding pricing and availability.
Event Details
Your Details
Cancel
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.