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3 days ago

“What advice would you give yourself at age 20?”It’s a question I’ve asked every single guest on the Live Inspired Podcast. And after 500 episodes, the answers always move me.I love asking it because it gives our listeners insight into what our guests were like at age 20 and what they’ve since learned matters most. It’s often hard-earned humility, or encouragement to slow down, or hope that things will get better.On episode six, Dave Ramsey said that he would go back and tell his 20-year-old self, “You’re not as important as you think you are!” Good advice for most of us at age 20… and many of us today!Another guest and friend, Sue Klebold, is the mother of one of the Columbine shooters. She has endured both unimaginable tragedy and revealed uncommon courage. In episode 73, she said to her younger version, “You are more courageous and stronger than you have any idea.”In episode 380, we met 12-time-Olympic medalist Dara Torres. She told us that she’d tell her self-conscious younger counterpart, “Don’t worry what other people think of you!”As the interviewer, I always learn something from the answer. But it wasn’t until the tables were turned and I was asked that question that I realized the true power of taking a moment to consider the answer in our own life. It forces us to take stock of both who we are today and revisit who we were.When people see me these days, they might see a guy who wrote two books, or speaks for a living, or hosts a podcast. They might see a guy whose life is incredibly easy or incredibly difficult. They might know me as Beth’s husband or dad to Jack, Patrick, Henry, and Grace. They may know me as a joyful, grateful man. But at age 20, I wasn’t any of those things. I didn’t feel like much of anything at all.I was a floundering student, struggling in class, with no future professional focus.I was drinking too much, using alcohol as a mask of fitting in more than a goal of having fun.I lacked purpose, confidence and conviction, had never had a girlfriend and the future wasn’t looking bright. Trust me!I was plagued with anxiety about what I’d do for a living, wondering if someone might eventually find beauty in me, or if I could ever even find beauty in myself.I had lived 20 years stuck chained to the past, living in fear and struggling to fit in.Until I finally let go of trying to be something for others and started loving my life exactly as it was.Until I stopped pursuing love for what I could get out of it and began simply savoring all that I could invest in others.Until a series of events that started with my parents’ (unauthorized, I might add) decision to tell the story of my accident in the book Overwhelming Odds led me to standing in the front of a room full of strangers telling my own story for the very first time.Until in doing so over time I realized that God had used something traumatic and painful for something redemptive and healing. Until I finally had real confidence and understanding of the truth that sometimes bad things must happen so that we may have room to grow relationally, professionally and personally.We’ve all been burned, dealt with struggle, endured storms in life. We’ve lost parents, children and friends. We’ve failed in businesses, marriages and dreams. We’ve stumbled spiritually, physically and financially. And yet what I didn’t know back then is that our scars from these experiences aren’t signs of weakness to be covered up, but symbols of strength to be celebrated.As we prepared to record our 500th Live Inspired Podcast episode and sought to bring a life-giving message to listeners all over the world, we thought it would be deeply meaningful for my very first guest - and one of my greatest inspirations – to take the microphone and interview me.That’s how I found myself seated across from Susan O’Leary last week as my mom asked me what I’d tell myself at age 20.As I looked at Mom, thoughts raced through my mind like, “John, it's from our scars and failings that our greatest successes originate” or “In every fire in our life we can choose to see: a life muted by pain, rejection and challenge or a life on fire with hope, perspective and the wisdom.” Or “Your life is a gift, you are loveable, your life matters. Act like it!”But the answer I shared with Mom last week, the one I needed to hear at 20, and still need to be reminded of today is more succinct, more aspirational, and possibly more needed today by all of us: THE BEST IS YET TO COME!This is the advice I wish I knew earlier in my life. It changes what we think possible for tomorrow and what we do to step toward that future today. And it’s the advice I hope you embrace regardless where you are in your life.It doesn't make today free of struggle. It doesn't take away past heartache. It doesn't promise that tomorrow will be easy. It just reminds us that there is reason for hope, that your life still matters, and that the best, truly, is yet to come. ... See MoreSee Less

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John O'Leary - Live Inspired

4 days ago

Several years ago, I was getting ready for work when my son, Jack, walked into the bathroom as I was shaving. As a five-year-old boy, he stood next to me for a while pretending he, too, was getting rid of the “stubble” on his cheeks. But then he stopped pretending and began gently touching the scars that cover my torso.These are the deep red scars, with ridges and lumps that traverse my stomach. These are the scars that even today I often avoid looking at because they’re just too painful. These are the scars that remind me of all I went through and would rather forget.But on this day Jack traced with his little finger the scars that are evidence of all I’ve gone through in my life. And he said:“Daddy?”“Yeah, bud?”There was a long pause as he continued tracing his finger along the scars and slowly said, “Your tummy is red… it’s bumpy… and it’s ridgy…”Little Jack stopped his sentence, but kept tracing the scars.During that pause, I prepared to let him know that Dad might be different, but that it was okay. That I was burned as a kid, but it was fine. I readied to explain away what I imagined to be his fear and anxiety. Before I assuaged his alarm, Jack added:“And Daddy, I love it! I just love your red, bumpy, ridgy tummy!”Yeah, I wasn’t expecting that.Jack somehow saw beauty, hope, and even joy in those scars. He saw what made me different, as something that didn't negatively define me. He saw something that could easily be perceived as ugly, as something that set me apart and somehow made me even more lovable.So, my friends, when you look at your life, what do see? When you read the headlines, what leaps off at you? While you visit with family, or work with colleagues or commute through life, what do you see?It turns out what we choose to see matters.If we look for negativity, divisiveness, ugliness and evidence of mean-spiritedness, we’ll find it everywhere. Conversely, when we seek opportunity, unity, beauty and evidence of people doing good, we find it everywhere.What we seek, we find.Choose today to be honest enough to identify brokenness within your life, but courageous enough to make it better. Choose to see intensifying wrinkles and a growing waistline not merely as evidence of advancing age, but as indication of greater wisdom and further validation of the miracle of your life.Choose to embrace the disappointments and setbacks as opportunities to learn important lessons, a chance to turn a page and the impetus to begin writing a new, even more beautiful chapter in your life.Choosing to see life like this doesn’t make challenges fade. It just ensures the next time you glance into a mirror, struggle in a relationship or feel discouraged by life you can honestly proclaim, “It may be red, it may be bumpy, it may be ridgy, it may be far from perfect…but I love it.”And that kind of perspective not only changes what you see, but also what happens next in life.This is your day. Live Inspired. J ... See MoreSee Less

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John O'Leary - Live Inspired

7 days ago

It’s been five years, 11 months and four days since the Live Inspired Podcast launched and 499 episodes later, I’m in awe that the Live Inspired movement has grown to hundreds of thousands of weekly listeners from all 50 states and more than 115 countries across the world.It’s been an honor to have you alongside me as I had some of the most life-giving and life-changing conversations with luminaries and thought-leaders including New York Times bestselling authors, Hall of Fame athletes, Grammy-winning recording artists and literally a man who traveled to the moon TWICE!When deciding how to celebrate this special occasion, my team and I had some pretty grandiose ideas yet nothing seemed as meaningful and full circle as handing the microphone over to the person who was there when it all got started.Join me as Susan O’Leary, my mom and our very first guest, takes the reins to interview me with unexpected and hard-hitting questions, including for the first time ever — the Live Inspired 7.Whether you’re brand new or helped build the community from the ground up, this episode is for you. ... See MoreSee Less

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John O'Leary - Live Inspired

2 weeks ago

The race to the MLB post-season is on… and it’s heating up as teams are looking for a path to victory.The players you know are on the teams you love because of those 30 individuals sitting in the General Manager’s office.Today, as my favorite team, the St. Louis Cardinals make their push to the postseason, I’m joined by their Vice President and General Manager, Mike Girsch.While visiting at Busch Stadium, Mike shares seldom-told stories about his journey from an Amateur Scouting Coordinator to one of the most coveted and elite jobs in professional sports.While today’s conversation may seemingly focus on baseball, it’s actually so much more. Hear Mike share how to…⚾️ Courageously take risks in pursuit of a dream⚾️ Manage a losing streak⚾️ Celebrate the relationships that matter most⚾️ Trust the timing of lifeMike is a dear friend, and while his team is closing in on another playoff birth, this conversation will remind all of us it’s never too late to pursue a dream.Watch Live Inspired Podcast eep. 498 here: youtu.be/WhuHBB68xFUOr, listen here:My website: bit.ly/MikeGirschYour favorite podcast app: link.chtbl.com/tOmM9ExS ... See MoreSee Less

Mike Girsch on Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary

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The race to the Major League Baseball post-season is on... and it’s heating up as teams are looking for a path to victory.The players you know are on the teams...

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John O'Leary - Live Inspired

2 weeks ago

We first heard about Ryan from a social media friend who read On Fire, knew our story and thought we could encourage his family.The following day, we got two additional emails from two additional friends in the community sharing the story of Ryan.Within a few weeks, dozens of emails and direct messages arrived from friends in his community, from neighboring communities and from strangers around the country sharing the story of this little boy named Ryan.So, who is Ryan?The messages introduced us to Ryan Jastrzembski, a vivacious, playful and joy-filled boy. Although he has three sisters who adore him at home, Ryan’s love is being outside and his favorite thing to do is fishing. All who know him share he’s an awesome kid that exudes life.Which made the tragedy he experienced the evening of January 24th even more difficult for Ryan and his family. He was burned on more than 90% of his body in a bonfire accident and flown 1,500 miles to the world-renowned Shriner’s Children’s Hospital in Galveston, TX for the grueling process of recovery to begin.So many people, desperate to do anything to help, thought we could assist. They believed the stunning similarities in what he was about to begin going through and what we formerly went through might bring comfort to Ryan’s family at the time.Imagining the pain that his parents faced away from their home, at the bedside of their extremely sick child, unsure of what tomorrow might have in store, as well as feeling utterly powerless to do anything for their child, I recorded a video of encouragement and texted it to Ryan’s mom, Kathleen. That first video sparked a friendship.We hopped on calls and spoke about her boy. We discussed the struggles ahead for Ryan and the difficulties ahead for her family. We texted frequently through the ups and downs of the journey. The more she shared about Ryan, the more we wanted to do for him.We sent 200 books to Ryan’s home community to be auctioned off with all money raised supporting his extended treatment. We collected letters and cards from our followers. Our coaching organization remained steadfast in support of Ryan’s parents, and we leveraged friendships in and around Galveston to support the family. For sweet Ryan, knowing his love of fishing, we reached out to celebrities in the fishing community and started a cadence of weekly videos from famous fishermen encouraging Ryan to keep fighting. Each angler promised to send gear or take Ry out fishing.And we at Live Inspired weren’t alone in our support. So many were pulling for Ryan, praying for Ryan, and hoping against hope that each passing week proved the amazing care he was getting at Shriner’s Hospital was paying off. In a world so often cold to the needs of others, it was humbling and encouraging to see all the fundraisers, all the messages and all the little things being done to ease the burden for Ryan, his sisters and his parents.And they desperately needed that encouragement. Over the past seven months, Ryan’s parents rarely left the hospital even as life persisted back in New Jersey. They learned about burn care, learned about the next steps in recovery, and managed the best they could during a period of profound difficulty for their family. They learned about the ferocious toughness of their son and were completely committed to seeing their little boy go home.And last week, on Friday September 2, 2022, Ryan Jastrzembski went home.Just not at all the home any of us had been praying for.You see, Ryan, the most remarkable little warrior we’ve ever met, after fighting through unimaginable agony for months, passed away. After dozens of surgeries and punishing procedures to foster healing, his pain has finally ended; he now lives in perfect peace.Friends, in moments like this one, when we are blindsided with the reality that sometimes our prayers go seemingly unanswered, it’s easy to justify doing—or caring—less the next time. To become hardened to hope, or to look back on our efforts as futile. After all, if we can spare ourselves the heartache that so many are feeling now over the loss of Ryan, why wouldn’t we? Why not at every turn opt for indifference instead of investment?I look no further for an answer to this than to the words shared by my friend Kathleen. Her son died in Texas last week and this week, after seven months, they finally take him home.“Life is too short.Don’t be unhappy. Don’t waste time. Tell those you love that you love them. Have fun. We all make mistakes, but it’s just a life lesson. From the bottom of our hearts, our family thanks each and every one of you for your continued prayers and support.Ryan didn't lose any battle at all. He won. He won peace and no more pain. As parents, siblings, cousins, nephew, grandchildren, friends and neighbors, loved ones, we lost a great little boy who has impacted so many lives.But so many signs Ryan has shown us, so many people he has brought into our lives, and so many people he has forever impacted.Today, we all wake up without him. But there is no rain. The sun is shining.Fish on in Peace.”Just as we prayed and supported together, so do we grieve, and so we benefit from the beautiful lessons that come from serving others.Godspeed, Ryan. And God bless you Kathleen and Scott.This is your day. Live Inspired. ... See MoreSee Less

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