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.

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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
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John O'Leary
Featured Keynote Programs

The Power of One

Journey with John O’Leary as he powerfully celebrates the possibility of how you can serve, love and impact more profoundly in your own life.

Personal accountability involves every aspect of our lives – our thoughts, actions, behaviors, and values. John reveals how pride in one’s own life wildly impacts others personally and professionally. Of critical importance here is discovering that personal accountability and significant results in life don’t come from a better spouse, different job, or new manager – they are only realized from within.

In Awe

The #1 bestselling author of ON FIRE shows us how to rediscover our childlike sense of wonder
to unleash inspiration, meaning, and joy.

There was a time when we once joyfully raised our hand high to answer every question, connected more easily with others around us, believed that anything was possible and fearlessly jumped into new experiences; when we experienced our days, not as something to endure, but as a marvelous gift to absorb and savor; when we danced through our days In Awe of the ordinary moments of the day and eager for the promise of tomorrow.

Unfortunately, many of us experience life very differently today. The pace of change has never been so stunningly rapid, and it will never be this slow again. With engagement within our professional organizations waning and burnout rising, many of us find ourselves caught in a life of dogged responsibility and mind-numbing repetition, we feel disconnected and burned out. Social media reminds us we don’t measure up and mainstream media barrages us with constant negativity. The years of test-taking, relentless striving toward someone else’s goals, and the daily struggle to earn a living, have caused us to lose the sense of wonder that we once awoke with every day.

In his new book, In Awe, John O’Leary invites us to return to the joy of navigating life like a child. He identifies the five senses children innately possess, explains why those senses fade, and shares emotional, humorous and inspirational stories of how we can return to them.

Where John’s first book On Fire leveraged his life experiences and challenges as a mirror for readers to better navigate their own, In Awe specifically identifies the most substantial challenges readers face in living more fully. It then calls out the cause of those challenges, while providing practical and inspired solutions to address them.

Strengthened by the past, and empowered for the future, In Awe shows us how to seek fresh insights, reach for new solutions, and live our best lives.

OBJECTIVES

INNOVATION:
Whether they want to play professional sports, think they can fly, or expect there is a solution to every problem, children are born with a naturally curious spirit that challenges the status quo. John invites us to explore what might happen when we no longer see obstacles as impossibilities or rely on what has always been done, but reengage our natural curiosity that asks questions, pushes boundaries, and liberates us to innovate with new ways of thinking, solving, leading, and living.

COLLABORATION:
Many of us find ourselves in a society where we feel isolated, alone, and enduring an epidemic of loneliness. Yet, we once were in touch with our sense of openness. Kids are always looking to expand their world, see potential friends everywhere and aren’t afraid to start conversations with those around them. John invites us to stop building fences focusing on our differences, and instead show our vulnerability and need for others, which resuscitates the feeling of acceptance, belonging and community. Learn how to reignite an environment built on shared goals, values and focus.

EMPOWERMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY:
Despite our best exhortations, kids don’t like to play it safe, but are natural risk-takers and adventurers, dreaming big and boldly going after what they want. John invites to see what’s possible when we set aside the protectionism that keeps us safe, begin to own our choices, claim our power, and live again as if anything is possible.

The Power of One
How One Attitude, One Action, and One Person Can Change the World

Education Focused: Expected to die, John O’Leary now teaches others how to truly live. John was a curious nine-year-old boy. Playing with fire and gasoline, he created a massive explosion in his garage and was burned on 100% of his body. Given less than 1% chance of survival, John is proof of the power of the human spirit. His unlikely recovery meant a journey of pain and loss that could have easily been insurmountable. However, far from being an example of someone who simply endured tragedy, John is a luminous example of thriving through adversity. Surprisingly, this “survivor” story isn’t focused on John – rather, it is a celebration of heroes who intimately served him and his family.

From a dedicated Hall of Fame sports announcer to a visionary burn nurse (and countless others), every individual involved in this 1987 fire teaches us this truth: one person can make a profound difference in the lives of others. With emotional storytelling and unexpected humor, John reminds audiences of the significance of daily attitudes, the power of gratitude, and the impact of serving others with courage. He reawakens audiences to realize the gift of today and the possibility of tomorrow.

John is consistently referenced as “the best speaker we’ve ever had” – earning five star reviews and inspiring 50,000+ individuals at 100+ events each year. His book, On Fire: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life was an instant #1 national bestseller in Spring 2016.

Education Keynote Learning Objectives:

John illustrates this truth: one attitude, one action and one person can absolutely change the world.

1. Reignite passion for career

70% of the workforce is not engaged.* Students do not reap the full benefits of education when teacher satisfaction is low. John dramatically “wakes people up” to realize their role and responsibility is significant. *2012 Gallup poll

2. Understand student motivation

Motivating students is one of the major challenges teachers face on a daily basis. Using examples from his own experience, John reminds teachers of the vital role they play in the motivation and engagement of their students. You’ll learn to own your wins and your failures to truly celebrate your outcomes.

3. Build an innovative culture

John helps schools build a positive atmosphere to increase creativity and productivity. Audiences learn how to reignite an environment built on shared goals, value, and focus. With a new common mindset, your school will achieve unbridled success.

4. Improve communication

Every interaction with a student, parent, or fellow teacher matters. John outlines unconventional communication methods to dramatically (and positively) impact relationships

Virtual Presentation

John can pre-record or livestream a keynote for you! You’ll enjoy a “preevent”
phone call with John which will ensure he is able to share your key messages, industry challenges, company goals and other critical details seamlessly.

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 Reviews

John O'Leary
Featured Articles & Resources

The Spark of Intention: How to Live Inspired with Motivational Speaker John O’Leary

In the latest episode of the Beyond Speaking Podcast, host Brian Lord welcomes the remarkable motivational speaker John O’Leary. John’s story is one of survival, resilience,...
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Why are you climbing the ladder?

"Work hard, but make time for your love, family and friends. Nobody remembers PowerPoint presentations on your final day." [Click to tweet.]-- Chetan BhagatMany of us are...
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What FDR Would Say Today

"The great fact to remember is that the trend of civilization itself is forever upward." [Click to tweet.]– President Franklin D. RooseveltDuring seasons of profound...
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Our Children are Watching

"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day,...
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Galvanized by Accountability

Coronavirus helps humanity level up."If anything matters then everything matters. Because you are important, everything you do is important. Every time you forgive, the universe...
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Live Inspired Podcast: Recognizing Greatness During COVID-19 Turmoil (Monday Moments ep. 237)

On this week’s Live Inspired Podcast Monday Moment segment, John O’Leary recognizes greatness during the COVID-19 turmoil.Join me every Monday for a quick burst of inspiration...
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