Michele Sullivan | Inspirational & Motivational Speaker | TED Speaker | Published Author | Turning Obstacles In To Advantages Guru | Renowned Global Philanthropic Expert

Michele Sullivan

Inspirational & Motivational Speaker | TED Speaker | Published Author | Turning Obstacles In To Advantages Guru | Renowned Global Philanthropic Expert

Michele Sullivan
Biography

We've all had moments of feeling like we didn't belong but imagine being born into a world where fitting in was never an option. Michele Sullivan, born with a rare form of dwarfism, shares how her physical posture taught her the most effective relational posture with others, which ultimately helped her become one of the most powerful women in philanthropy.

Sullivan is the recently retired Director of Corporate Social Innovation and President of the Caterpillar Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the $46B manufacturing giant Caterpillar, Inc. In addition to her 30-year career holding various leadership positions at the company, she recently helped transform the Foundation into one of the world's most influential corporate foundations through the launch of its collaborative impact platform known as Together.Stronger. , a catalyst for shared prosperity that unites businesses, non-profits, government, and citizens to combine their strengths to alleviate poverty for millions of people worldwide.

Michele was the first Caterpillar employee ever asked to do a TED Talk, which she did at TEDWomen 2016. She speaks to tens of thousands of people each year with crowds topping 60,000 and globally broadcast, inspiring them to embrace their differences, turn them into assets, and to recognize that there is a strength within them that could help others. Her candid delivery sprinkled with humor, make her an unforgettable speaker with lasting impact.

Looking Up, set to be released in early 2020, is the story of how Michele became the smallest woman at the largest earth-moving manufacturer in the world. Her story begins with her passage from a young person who, in spite of being looked down upon by others, learned to look up: to find an elevated view of others that would change the course of millions of lives.

Michele Sullivan
Featured Videos

Current: The Atlantic Festival

Time 10:32

More Videos From Michele Sullivan

The Atlantic Festival
Time 10:32
TED: Asking For Help Is A Strength, Not A Weakness
Time 11:56

The Power of Looking Up

Michele’s passage from a young person born with dwarfism, who, in spite of being looked down upon by others, learned to look up: to lead with an elevated view of others, a philosophy that landed her at the helm of one of the world most prominent philanthropy organizations and ultimately changed the course of millions of lives.

While Michele’s height has presented challenges that are different from those most have experienced (including uniquely humorous moments), it allowed her to see things, literally and figuratively, that others do not. With her “looking up” inspiring style and emotional storytelling, she offers unique takeaways for individuals such as the importance of making the first move, being wrong at first, choosing intimacy over influence, and learning that asking for help is a strength, not a weakness.
Yes, the world is at your fingertips if you are looking up!

Learning Objective:
Seeing others takes sacrifice. There is a critical difference between having sight and actually seeing something for what it really is. Our sight fails us when we don’t learn to look further into the faces and figures we see around us. To truly see each others’ value, we must give up our preconceived notions of who they are or appear to be. We must let go of the premature belief that we have all the necessary facts to form an accurate conclusion.

Asking For Help Is A Strength, Not A Weakness

Rarely in life do you do anything completely by yourself. Michele’s truth is, she could not get through a day in her life without asking for help. A sampling of objects she cannot reach: elevator buttons for high floors, the overhead compartment on airplanes, the latch in airplane bathrooms, groceries above the second shelf, dead bolts, or parking tickets under the windshield wipers. While this existence may sound daunting to some, it is reality to Michele.

In this talk, Michele discusses how being open to accepting help from others has impacted her life- so profoundly so that it led her to a position which enabled her to help millions of others. With her signature humorous style, she keeps the conversation comfortable without sacrificing significance.

Learning Objective:
Asking for help is a strength, not a weakness. The biggest life we can live is not an independent one- but an interdependent one. It might sound weird to say but learning to lean on interdependence is a challenge in the current day and age. Independence is commonly seen as a sign of physical capability, an emotional strength, and even an innovative mind. But it takes more strength to admit your fears and insecurities, learn to lean on others.

We All Are More Than You Can See
Intersectionality & Diversity

There is no such thing as knowledge about another person at first sight. Because we live in a world that frequently rewards us for looking a certain way, we’re often punished––from being bullied to teased to overlooked––for not measuring up to certain physical standards. However, in our hearts I think most of us know that the real measure of any person has little to do with what can be gauged by a lens, ruler or scale. To see a person’s real worth, and to help him or her realize it, we must grow beyond a reliance on visual cues like height and weight or skin color and shirt labels.

Michele’s inspiring storytelling will highlight how we all are so much more than we can see and why learning the skill of seeing past the surface of others leads to a more fulfilling life. After all, surviving isn’t the point of life. Thriving is. This requires embracing a broader perspective on others than the snap judgments our brains form at first glance.

Learning Objective:
There are two kinds of growth—outward growth and inward growth—but one matters more than the other. How do you prioritize your own growth? Are you focused on the outside or the inside? Your answer is a good indication of how you assign value to others. We all tend to see and celebrate in others what we value most in ourselves.

The 2 F’s – Faith & Family

At the foundation of Michele’s successful and inspiring journey from a person born with a rare form of dwarfism to one of the 50 most influential women in philanthropy were two constants: faith and family. Recognizing and embracing this as a young woman enabled her to build a life worth living- to thrive, and to help others do the same.

Michele will share with you her inspiring stories of support from her family- and the empowerment that accepting that support brought to her life. She will share her personal journey with faith and the keys to how she has kept faith with conviction.

Learning Objective:
Recognize your core values and embrace them. We live in a time where we are constantly stimulated and exposed to the vastness of the world around us. But we must slow down, shut down, and focus in on what really matters to us most.

Michele Sullivan
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