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Have you ever looked in the mirror and wished there was something different staring back at you? Have you ever sat on the side of the pool to avoid a swimsuit, or thought twice about posting a photo of a wonderful memory on social media because of how the photo made you look?

18 May

Excited to discuss how to take care of business...and ourselves...with leaders of @Bridgestone Law Department later today. Let's get ready to #LiveInspired!

17 May

Can't wait to join hundreds of safety leaders at @necanet 2022 Safety Professionals Conference later today! Who's ready to #LiveInspired? #seeyousoon

16 May

Fired up to join my friends from @FocusMarines tonight. Let's get ready to #LiveInspired! #SemperFi

Have you ever looked in the mirror and wished ther

16 May

In today's #MondayMotivation, Augie Nieto reminds us all that in spite of the challenges we face, there is still reason for hope and joy. https://johnolearyinspires.com/2022/05/being-understood/

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johnoleary.inspires

Live + virtual speaker. 2x bestselling author. Live Inspired Podcast Host. Best last: Husband. Dad.

As a speaker, I enjoy the wonderful opportunity of

How do you respond when someone cuts you off on th

Do you ever feel powerless in the presence of stru

Yesterday, I took a day to celebrate my remarkable

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6 hours ago

Have you ever looked in the mirror and wished there was something different staring back at you? Have you ever sat on the side of the pool to avoid a swimsuit, or thought twice about posting a photo of a wonderful memory on social media because of how the photo made you look? Listen to my conversation with motocross athlete and professional snowboarder Kiana Clay, who refused to let insecurity upend her dream. At 12 years old, Kiana suffered a traumatic brachial plexus injury on a motocross practice run, leaving her right arm paralyzed. While recovering, she was hit by a drunk driver, reversing any strength she was recovering and leaving her dominant arm permanently paralyzed.Listen to Live Inspired Podcast ep. 464 now:My website: bit.ly/KianaClayApple Podcasts: apple.co/2TEUEKTSpotify: spoti.fi/32hYoJkBurton Adaptive Action Sports Paralympic Games ... See MoreSee Less

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3 days ago

“Being heard is so close to being loved that they are almost indistinguishable.” – David AugsburgerAs a speaker, I enjoy the wonderful opportunity of meeting with thousands of individuals after events. Each individual with unique struggles, hopes, experiences and stories. And while speaking at the University of Southern California several years ago, I had the opportunity of meeting a most amazing man.At the time I met him, Augie Nieto had lived with the brutal realities of ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, for more than 10 years. Knowing the trajectory of the disease and the certainty of losing everything, shortly after the diagnosis Augie tried to take his own life.Against overwhelming odds, he survived the attempt. More than that, the experience ignited within him a deep desire to not just refuse surrendering to the disease, but to become a masterful example of abundant life in spite of it.We connected after my talk and spoke for almost an hour. I asked what the most difficult aspect of this brutal disease was. He responded:“I”He sat motionless in a motorized wheelchair and unable to move any muscle other than his big toe on his right foot. Augie typed his conversation with me.“Don’t”Using technology he helped design, he was able to use his toe to slowly type letters and communicate with friends. He had a wicked sense of humor, a beautiful heart, and a gorgeous bride named Lynne.“Want”The man had been a pioneer and global leader in the fitness industry. He founded, grew and eventually sold the hugely successful brand “Life Fitness.” For Augie, fitness wasn’t just work, it was life. He epitomized health and was a world-class athlete before his ALS diagnosis.“To”This one sentence had already taken him more than a minute to type. It was laborious, requiring all his mental effort and physical strength. He occasionally glanced over to make sure I was paying attention – and to let me know he was enjoying being heard.“Be”At this moment someone approached thanking me for speaking earlier. I hugged him, thanked him and asked if he’d ever met Augie. He’d not. The gentleman then stuck out his hand to shake Augie’s. Unable to move anything other than his eyelids and big toe, Augie stared back. After an awkward silence, the gentleman pointed at Augie, told him he looked great, turned and walked away. It was a painful moment for the gentleman, certainly, but something that Augie experiences frequently.“Ignored.”And that was it.What terrified Augie, what he said was the hardest part of the disease, was not losing everything physically, the painful progression of ALS, or even the inevitable loss of life, but that in almost every room he was in, people looked past him, they ignored him, or they felt sorry for him.And yet, the point of this story isn’t really about the agony and anxiety of a man, physically bound, grasping onto the gift of life.The real point is that too frequently we are the timid, awkward gentleman who would rather point, smile, tell others they look great, and then quickly walk away, than risk leaning in, crying with, understanding, and wholeheartedly sitting in the mysterious complexity of how challenging, agonizing, and beautiful life actually is.My friends, in a world that is so overwhelmed with busyness, preoccupied with self-interests, and motivated by fear, we are invited daily to uncross our arms to the challenges, hopes, dreams, and lives of those with whom we come into contact. We are free to wake up from accidental living, and choose instead to be radically alive.Now’s the time to lower your voice, drop the sarcasm, and turn off the phone. This is the day to pull up a chair, open your heart and step into the one thing individuals around us are clamoring for more than anything else: being fully seen, truly heard and actually understood.No, it likely won’t cure a man of his diagnosis. And it’s improbable to make all the issues of the day fade.But your presence and love, shared boldly and vulnerably with those you encounter, may do something ultimately even more important: provide a light in the midst of great darkness. And that glimmer will remind them that they are not alone, that there is reason for hope, and that the best is yet to come.Today is your day. Live Inspired. ... See MoreSee Less

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5 days ago

How do you respond when someone cuts you off on the highway? What about when they rudely step in front of you in line? How do you feel when you’re excluded from a party? Or not brought into an important work meeting? Or simply when something unexpected or hard happens in life? Well, if you’re like me (or just about any ordinary human!) your blood pressure rises, self-esteem falls and it all feels a bit unfair. And that feeling remains. A difficult moment in time easily shifts into an echo chamber of negativity. What happened in the past now impacts what happens next. Isn’t there a better way? A way to free ourselves from the undue burden and instead pivot forward and actually be inspired and propelled because of it? My friends, I try to remember that life happens and will never be perfect this side of eternity. But while you can’t always choose the path you walk in life, you can always choose the manner in which you walk it. Let’s walk into this day clear on what matters, free of what doesn’t and certain that the best is yet to come. J ... See MoreSee Less

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1 week ago

Do you ever feel powerless in the presence of struggle? Or helpless in the face of suffering? Small actions matter. To change the world, you just have to take the first step. Hear practical ways to take the next right step for a cause that’s meaningful to you from Maggie Doyne. At age nineteen, Maggie used $5,000 of her babysitting money to co-found BlinkNow which helped to build the Kopila Valley Children’s Home and School, a safe place for orphaned children in war-torn Nepal.Since 2010, Maggie + her team opened the school for 500 of the region’s most impoverished children and throughout the past decade, have worked to deepen and grow the organization through grassroots community development efforts. Listen to Maggie Doyne on Live Inspired Podcast ep. 462 now.My website: johnolearyinspires.com/podcast/archive/maggie-doyne/Apple or Google Podcasts: link.chtbl.com/tOmM9ExS ... See MoreSee Less

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1 week ago

Two years ago, when we were told to shelter in place, there was a group of individuals for whom that luxury was not an option.Day after day, knowing little more than the need was enormous, the virus contagious and the outcome sometimes deadly, healthcare providers left the safety of their home to take care of others -- usually strangers -- during the pandemic. The pandemic ultimately sickened more than 80 million and took the lives of nearly 1 million Americans. Regardless our political leanings, we can universally agree our healthcare providers put themselves at risk, served others and saved lives. And their mission of serving the sick, striving to heal their patients, and guiding families through profoundly stressful times continues.So frequently, we forget to thank those whose very lives are about taking care of others. On International Nurses Day, let's take a moment to honor those whose vocation demands a blend of compassion, intellect, and endurance. Let's thank those who often race to the next patient without a moment to reflect on the impact they have on all their patients. Our family certainly understands the impact of their work. During a five-month hospital stay and for years afterword, my life was profoundly affected by countless nurses, doctors, and healthcare workers of all sorts. There was one in particular who changed my life forever: Nurse Roy. Although he made a massive impact in my life and is the reason I am able to walk today, I never thanked him for his efforts. And he never knew the difference he made. Until Alabama Power reunited us. My friends, here is a short video video celebrating the amazing Nurse Roy. It's tells the story of all he did for me, how decades later we were reunited, how deeply he touched all of our lives, and how meaningful it was for him to finally know that impact. Tonight, take a few minutes and watch this video [bring tissues]. Then take a minute to thank a nurse for the impact they make through their lives. www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzwZeXL5IN0 This is your day. Live Inspired. ... See MoreSee Less