Live Inspired Podcast With John O'leary

Rich Donnelly spent three decades as a major league baseball coach. This was his dream since he was a little boy. In attaining this dream, he set everything else in life aside, including his marriage and children. Today, Rich shares how the news of his daughter's terminal disease shook him out of his detrimental focus on success and how he's been driven to lead a life of significance since. Ever wonder if people can change? My friends, this episode is for you. SHOW NOTES: Get your copy of Rich Donnelly's new book The Chicken Runs at Midnight here. Don't be average. You were put on earth to inspire and help people. Thank God I had cancer. It strengthened me. My son gave his life to save a strangers life. I lost a son but I gained a grandson, the woman is naming her son after Michael. I've had a lot of storms in my life, but I've also had a lot of sunshiny days. The storms taught me to not waste the sunshine. The average age is 80, so I hope I've got about 3,000 days left. I don't waste a day; try to do someth

Mondays in November, I'm releasing a special short, Ask John episode. During this season of gratitude, I thought it would be a fun way to say thank you, answer your questions + shine a light on YOU, our wonderful Live Inspired Community members. Today's question was submitted but Troy in Florida who said that his biggest takeaway from the show is: "Life is an adventure and always worth listening to the fullest." I love this! Troy asked if we ever get recommendations for our guests from our listeners and the answer is YES! If you want to make a recommendation, email my team at info @ johnolearyinspires.com. Here are a few that were recommended by listeners like you: Dare to Lead with Brene Brown [Ep. #103] Don't Stop Believin' with Jonathan Cain of JOURNEY [Ep. #100] Stephanie Szostak of the new show A Million Little Things [Ep. #101] I mentioned Jason Kotecki + Rich Donnelly and actually those aren't released yet. Coming soon! *** If you enjoyed today’s episode: Subscribe, rate & review on iTunes or whe

Klyn Elsbury has Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic condition that nearly claimed her life 5 years ago. Today, Klyn is living her "second chance." Her close call with mortality has made her ever present to the gift in each moment + given her a unique ability to unearth happiness in every moment. Join me and Klyn (live! we recorded this together on the road) as she walks you through four ways to find your happy right now. SHOW NOTES It's always going to be different and tough. Get over it. I know I can control the moment and how I feel about the moment. I've come to terms with my disease and when you come to terms with it, then you can focus on what you can do in the moment. I decided if this is the end I am at least going to go out fighting. Your reminder of the miracle of life is the moment you wake up each morning. Make of it what you want. What can you control in the moment? What can you do? Find the power in that. 4 Ways to Find Your Happy Now: Perceived control: Choose your thoughts + situations just like you

Each Monday during November, I am going to do a special short, Q&A episode. During this season of gratitude, I thought it would be a fun way to say THANK YOU. To answer your questions and to shine a spotlight on YOU, our wonderful Live Inspired Community members and friends. Today's question was submitted through the 100 Episode Survey we did a few weeks back. Thanks to everyone who participated! If you have ever have questions or feedback, you can always send them to me and my team at info @ johnolearyinspires.com. Today you'll meet our dear friend Amy. I think you'll love hearing her story + her question.  SHOW NOTES: I quickly mentioned Jack Buck... my hero! If you've never heard the story of our friendship, check out episode #32 here. I mentioned my How To Write Your Ignition Statement video as a resource to create a solution to today's question in your own life. Here's a link to get it. Use code podcast for 15% off. I mentioned my 3 favorite questions to reshape your thinking from a VICTIM of circum

Everybody's favorite 4-letter word today is "busy." But ask yourself: What's really important? Are you making time for it? Tonya Dalton's company InkWELL Press empowers you through productivity to live your best life. Tonya will be our guide in learning how to do more with less at work and at home. And, most importantly: Forget "busy" + get ready for space to do what you truly love. SHOW NOTES: Get the first chapters of John's #1 National Bestselling book ON FIRE for free here. Listen to Tonya interviewed John on her Productivity Paradox Podcast here. Productivity is not "doing more" it's "doing what's important." We're so busy we feel like discovery is a luxury. But discovering what our passions are + what brings us joy is important. Our lives should be at the center; systems should work around them. Discover what is important + create a productivity system that works for you. Check out InkWELL Press courses, trainings and podcasts to help facilitate the best life you could possibly have, here. We think in

What makes someone superhuman? Is it their cape? Their blue tights? Their ability to fly, jump or leap? My guest today was curious about the subject and, instead of turning to Marvel, Superman or the X-Men franchise for answers, he searched the world to find the finest examples of individuals who personify the 11 'super-human' traits. Today he shares what his research means for us. Grab your journal, your cape (put it on!) and get ready to soar into life with Rowan Hooper.  SHOW NOTES: "People who try lots of different things are more likely to find things they really like and are really good at." Check out this recent article from chess grandmaster John Nun who Rowan shares innately understood math since age 4. "IQ itself is quite stable throughout life, but it does not guarantee personal outcome. Lots of people who are incredibly successful do not have particularly high IQs." Memory, on the other-hand, is something we can all improve with tricks and practice. John and Rowan discuss the Marshmallow test che

Scott Harrison made a lifetime of mistakes by the time he was 28. His journey, though broken, ultimately led him to starting charity: water, an organization that revolutionized the nonprofit model and in doing so, provides clean drinking water to 8,000,000+ people. Today we'll learn lessons on redemption, creative problem solving and creating purpose in our lives and work. Scott reminds us that making BIG change, though difficult, is possible and that the best is absolutely yet to come. SHOW NOTES: Scott was named to Fortune's 40 under 40, Forbes Impact 30 + Fast Company's Most Creative People. Check out these articles share insight on Scott's approach that turned the nonprofit model upside down + increased his impact 10x. Get Scott's new book THIRST here. "We're trying to bring clean + safe drinking water to everyone on earth.There are 660 million people drinking dirty water. We think that number should be zero." "I was rotting on the inside... I realized there would never be enough. As I looked around [I r

Brené Brown, 4x New York Times bestselling author, researcher, Oprah's Super Soul Sunday favorite and top-5 TED Talk presenter of all time, joins us today! We'll talk about her new book Dare to Lead. Share tips to become better leaders. Identify what might be holding us back. And hear the vulnerability expert herself share vulnerably about her "big, rowdy Texas" family + life. Join us to live (and lead!) inspired with one of my very favorite authors. Show Notes: Watch Brené Brown's TED talk on vulnerability here. Brené studies courage, vulnerability, shame, empathy + what transformational leaders will need in the future. "I was raised with a very Texas sensibility. I had to be brave and wasn't allowed to be vulnerable. Now, years and 400,000 pieces of data later, I know there is not courage without vulnerability." "You can't write a new ending to a story that you have not owned." You know what is harder than not fitting in at school? Not fitting in at home. True belonging never requires you to change who yo

Joe DeLoss is the founder of Hot Chicken Takeover, a Nashville-style, hot chicken restaurant chain based out of Ohio. What's more inspiring than delicious fried chicken? The mission behind the chicken and the resulting success and growth the company is enjoying. Joe will share how his competitive advantage (what he calls fair 'chance employment') is leading Hot Chicken Takeover to outperform its competitors in productivity 2 to 1. Join me and life-long entrepreneur Joe DeLoss to get inspired and to get new ideas to grow your business, life and relationships.  SHOW NOTES: "How can we sustainably tackle problems in our community through entrepreneurship?"  Meaningful employment = building positive job experiences for people who probably haven't had many due to homelessness, poor work history, incarceration, criminal record. One in 3 Americans have a criminal record from misdemeanor to felony. "The work we do isn't charitable. We hire really high character, high integrity people (who have been looked over by tr

Stephanie Szostak stars on A Million Little Things, a TV show that shares the story of a group of friends in the wake of suicide. I'm honored to have Stephanie on the show to bring mental health into the light during Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. We'll also talk about her life, inspiration, work (Dinner for Schmucks, The Devil Wears Prada, Iron Man 3!) and how she became a fan of the Live Inspired Podcast. SHOW NOTES: Take our survey to be entered to win autographed goodies from past guests!  Stephanie shared that the director wrote A Million Little Things to honor his friend who died by suicide + hoped it would create opportunities to start conversations about this difficult topic. "You only live once. It's an adventure! It will be great for the kids to see their mother pursue her dreams." The support her husband shared when taking a role that entailed commuting. "You will always know what is right from wrong. You won't always do it, but you'll always know." "Be curious and don't judge." "Working on I

Jonathan Cain is the keyboardist + songwriter for one of the most popular American rock bands of all time: JOURNEY. Jonathan shares about his life, his inspiration behind the song song Don't Stop Believin' and so much more. Stay until the end, Jonathan will play a mini-live concert for you! This is our 100th episode, my friends, and it is an all-out celebration! Look for all of the special features in the show notes. Don't miss it! 100th EPISODE SHOW NOTES:  Enjoy Live Inspired Podcast? Then you'll LOVE joining John for live inspiration via webcast as a member of his Live Inspired IN STUDIO membership community. Registration rarely opens; it's open NOW! For 2 days only. Register here. Please take our 100th Episode Survey + be entered to win a package of autographed goodies from past guests! We want to know what you love, what you don't + what guests you'd like to see on the next 100. Thanks for listening! This episode was recorded via Facebook Live. Watch the video here. (Stay until the end to see Jonathan p

Comic Adam Cayton-Holland's book Tragedy + Time is a tragi-comic memoir about his sister's death as a result of suicide. It was released just in time for Suicide Prevention Awareness month, September 2018. Adam took pause in his favorite Denver park to join us for this personal conversation. Adam shares about life, family, comedy, anxiety and how his book helped him process losing his sister. Listen to live inspired and bring mental health into the light.   SHOW NOTES: Adam's book Tragedy + Time is a tragic story with moments of great joy, laughter, love + redemption. Warning, there are quite a few cuss words. Suicide Prevention Awareness Month is September. Join the conversation, get involved + support at Suicide Prevention Lifeline or National Alliance on Mental Health.  Goal of his book was to show that even in an idyllic family, mental illness can rear its head and take a family member. "I felt stuff strongly." Adam Cayton-Holland on growing up with anxiety. Getting his start in comedy, Adam did stand up

Loneliness epidemic. Did you know we're currently experiencing this? A recent Harvard study found that 1 in 4 Americans feel they have no one to confide in. So, if you feel lonely or like you're lacking something, you are (ironically...) not alone.Today's episode can help. Radha Agrawal shares simple tools from her new book, BELONG: Find your people, create your community & live a more connected life. My friend, the Live Inspired community is absolutely a place where you belong. My hope is that today's episode helps you strengthen the community where you live, too. NOTES: Check out these recent articles about the loneliness epidemic: New York Times, Washington Post. Get a copy of Radha's new BELONG book. Meaningful relationships are the key to a healthy, happy life. Isolation is as detrimental to your health as being an alcoholic; twice as detrimental as obesity, according to the same study noted above. Learn more about Radha Agrawal on her site radhaagrawal.com. The cornerstone of belonging is participa

Amy Jo Martin’s company Digital Royalty was wildly successful with partners like Zappos and NBA all-star “Shaq.” She seemed to be on top of the world, when she realized she had a “purpose problem.” Amy Jo left the business to move into nature and reset. Now, she journals at home in the woods 15 miles outside of Mount Rushmore. She’s again serving as an entrepreneur, angel investor + “the third most powerful woman on Twitter,” but today she’s got her purpose in place. Join us to hear Amy Jo’s story, see how to choose significance over success and ultimately live more inspired. SHOW NOTES: I attribute a lot of things that have gone well in my life to being comfortable with getting uncomfortable, adapting, getting curious + having an addiction to change. "Amy Jo, come down to the [Phoenix Suns] locker room now! Shaq wants to Tweet and no one knows how but you." It's amazing what happens when we stop looking for permission. When I was 30, in a room consulting billionaires, I had a trick. I painted my nails red.

Tom Logan and the Marion Medical Mission built 2,835 wells in rural Africa in 2017. Each well costs $400. Similar organizations need 10 times as much to produce the same results. How do they do it? "We provide the boots with the straps." Learn how Tom's program empowers Africans to develop the skills needed to maintain their wells and the health of their rural community. Get ideas on how to serve others + see how doing so will lead you to a more inspired life. SHOW NOTES: As a society we spend a lot of time talking about what is wrong. Tom Logan spends all of his time working on solutions. Learn more about Tom Logan's mentor; whom he called "the Mother Teresa of the time," Albert Schweitzer. "Sustainable drinking water" means that once a well is in, the local people can maintain it without any outside help. Being involved in the impossible is extraordinary. It drives me. Learn more about Marion Medical Mission. See the photo John mentions of a smiling man digging a well. Tom references this great video that

Andre Norman went from juvie, to jail to Harvard. Andre began selling marijuana in 6th grade to pay for pants so he wasn't seen as the "poor, smelly kid with only two pairs of pants." Vulnerable insights like this one from Andre will allow you to expand your humanity and understand the very real, everyday struggles that can snowball into time spent in jail. Join me for an amazing conversation that will shed light on an often forgotten part of our community... and share the redemption that can come with setting a lofty goal and sticking to it. From jail to Harvard, our friend Andre is here. Don't miss it. SHOW NOTES:  "Please speak kind words to your kids and never stop. The day I wanted to change my life, it was those kind words I was able to hold onto. I've seen people who wanted to change their lives, but they had nothing to hold onto so they got blown back in." "Every Wednesday, the rabbi taught me how to be a better person. He taught me things I'd never learned before; to say I'm sorry." If you want to g

People with ALS often lose their ability to move and speak. The Eyewriter technology allows them to communicate through writing with their eyes. Mick Ebeling and his team at Not Impossible Labs created the Eyewriter. Their mission is to create technology that helps people by "recognizing an absurdity [that limits people] and committing to figure it out." Mick's story, work and heart transformed the way I view life, business, relationships, challenges and possibility. Today, Mick will share how he turns the "impossible" into "possible" in his lab and how you can do it in your life. SHOW NOTES  Figure it out mode: Start talking to people and asking questions. The more questions you ask, the smarter you get and the more you realize who knows what they're doing. Maybe you've viewed it as being bad for too long and it's time to change your perspective. Instead of thinking of technology for the sake of making things pretty and entertaining, how about for the sake of humanity. Hear Not Impossible Podcast episode 7

Najwa Zebian, poet, advocate, author of the book Mind Platter and Lebanese Canadian, was recently thrown into the spotlight when her poetic #MeToo Tweet went viral via New York Times, CBS News, the Times of India. Today, Najwa shares her life, her incredibly moving poetry and an invitation to feel our feelings, own our stories and share our voices. SHOW NOTES: John mentions this Goalcast video that shares his story. John mentions hearing Najwa's story through her Goalcast video. Get Najwa's books Mind Platter and The Nectar of Pain. "When excluded from activities, I felt like it was my fault. This is something not only children internalize, but that adults do too." "I couldn't understand what I was going through. That pushed me to find other means to express myself." "Belonging is a basic human need." I had good grades, good manners. I convinced myself that settling for that was enough. There's no progressing in life if you don't come to terms with your story. Even the strongest of us go through moments wher

Charles Rosen started Ironbound Hard Cider to rekindle the Newark economy by hiring it's chronically unemployed, formerly incarcerated population. James Williams is one such employee who shares his passion for working as a crew chief on the cidery's orchard. Reimagine what's possible in business, life, community, social enterprise + sustainable agriculture on today's episode: NOTES: "The Ironbound Hard Cider community is blended, guys wearing 'Make America Great Again' hats sitting side-by-side with black gang members from Newark and they treat each other like brothers." This business is an unintentional exploration into how to address the biggest gap that exists in our country: Urban v. rural. "We are much stronger as a collective then when thinking only of our own individual pursuits." Helping people shift out of a state of chronic poverty takes time. I'm not seeing entities in any sector willing to put in that time. Instead of a winner take all approach to business, our approach is that my success shouldn

Dr. Laurie Nadel, a psychologist specializing in overcoming trauma, has helped people impacted by the 9/11 attacks, Hurricane Sandy and, most recently, the mass shooting in Parkland, FL. Today, Laurie joins us to talk about how to live inspired after our personal tragedies. Whether divorce, bankruptcy, a natural disaster or anything in between: A "trauma" is anything that leaves you feeling like you've lost your control, your safety or your identity. My friends, we've all had challenges. Today's episode will directly help you overcome yours. SHOW NOTES: If you like this podcast, you will love Live Inspired IN STUDIO. It's my membership community where like-minded friends join me via live webcast to live inspired together. Registration opens soon! Join the waitlist. Dr. Laurie Nadel shared how she was able to better relate to her mother after learning about the Myers Briggs personality types. Dr. Laurie Nadel's first book was a 4-time bestseller + on Oprah's book club twice: Sixth Sense: The Whole-Brain Book