Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary

Anniversaries give us permission to do something we rarely allow ourselves to do: Stop racing forward, turn around and look back at the road we've traveled. They invite us to remember what once seemed impossible, recognize the people who helped make it happen, count blessings we often hurry past, give thanks for all that has been—and imagine with hope all that might still be. And as the one-year a...

Wayne Connell is the founder of Invisible Disabilities Association, an organization he launched 30 years ago after watching his wife, Sherri, navigate debilitating illnesses others couldn't see or understand. As her husband and caregiver for 32 years, Wayne has turned that deeply personal experience into a lifelong mission to help others living with invisible disabilities to feel seen, believed, a...

"Do you still believe in miracles?" A smattering of hands went up when I asked that question at a leadership conference last week. Surprised by how few, I tried a different approach. " How many of you saw the sun rise this morning? How many of you stopped to consider how incredibly unlikely it is that you are here at all? That your heart beats without being reminded. That your eyes capture light a...

Ron Johnson helped transform the way the world shops. As the creator of the Apple Store, he worked alongside Steve Jobs to build a welcoming retail experience centered on learning and human connection. Before Apple, he helped make good design accessible at Target, and he later served as CEO of J.C. Penney. In his new book, Shop Different, Ron shares the leadership lessons he gained through extraor...

Reading the headlines, there are plenty of reasons to lose hope for tomorrow and slip into anxiety today. Warring nations. Rising prices. Teetering financial markets. Political upheaval. And then there are the concerns closer to home. Caring for aging parents or grieving their loss. Wrestling with the difficulties of raising kids or the ache of being unable to have them. Enduring yet another fligh...

Lynda Gratton is a renowned professor at London Business School, a global authority on the future of work and longevity, and the author of 11 books, including her latest, Living the 100-Year Life . For decades, she has explored how longer lives are reshaping the way we learn, work, build relationships and find meaning. Today, Lynda Gratton shares how her mother and grandmother shaped her steady op...

Years ago, I sat in the back of church and heard a simple challenge:  Say 'yes' to opportunities where your life can be used for good. At the time, I had no idea where that yes might lead. I never imagined the following day I'd be invited to share my story with a small group of third-grade Girl Scouts. Or that in time, living the 'yes' would grow into a career speaking around the world, lead to bo...

Neil Taylor is the founder of Me and My Old Man, a project that helps families preserve the voices and life stories of their aging parents. After losing his dad, Patrick, to dementia just six days before welcoming his son, Neil began recording guided conversations and transforming them into keepsake audiobooks. He has now captured more than 350 hours of stories for 32 families across six countries...

The final day of filming SOUL ON FIRE began before 5 a.m. on Friday. It ended 19 hours later, getting home after midnight. It was a beautiful, exhausting, unforgettable day. We filmed some of the most iconic scenes in the movie, including my graduation from St. Louis University and Beth and I's wedding at the Shrine of Saint Joseph. After countless loops of Sweet Caroline, it eventually went silen...

Ben Kjar was born with Crouzon syndrome, a rare craniofacial condition, and has endured painful surgeries, relentless bullying and the weight of being underestimated. And yet Ben refused to let others define what was possible for his life. He became Utah Valley University's first NCAA Division I Wrestling All-American, a world champion wrestler and an international motivational speaker whose extra...

Eleven years ago, I stood in a swimming pool with my arms stretched toward my three-year-old daughter. Grace was learning to swim. She stood on the edge of the pool, blonde hair draped across her face, staring nervously down at the water. "Come on, Grace. Jump in. I've got you." She looked away from the water, glanced anxiously at me and said, "Dad, I don't think I can. What if it doesn't work? Wh...

Elizabeth Svoboda is an award-winning science journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post and Scientific American. In her latest book, The Art of Pacing, she explores how we can meet the demands of today without sacrificing our ability to thrive tomorrow. Today, Elizabeth shares why so many of us bounce between pushing too hard and pulling away completely, how ath...

With summer winding down and our two oldest boys preparing to leave for college, I could feel the familiar pull of time. The family dinners, random conversations and beautiful chaos of having four teenagers under one roof won't last forever. So, with three boys still home, still available and, somewhat remarkably, still willing to take an adventure with Dad, we did something impractical: We cashed...

Danny Bader is a near-death survivor and bestselling author who inspires others to live with greater joy and purpose. In 1992, a workplace accident sent 8,000 volts through his body, leaving him clinically dead for six minutes. Danny survived, but his friend Bruce did not. Grief and survivor's guilt followed before Danny began to see his second chance as a gift.   Today, Danny shares how he moved...

The first time I saw the Rocky Mountains, my dad looked over at me and asked, "What do you think?" We were standing along the Continental Divide in Colorado, watching the sun set after a 700-mile drive. The sky was glowing. The mountains seemed impossibly large. I was ten years old, had only recently learned to walk again after the fire and was surrounded by my siblings. I took it all in, searched...

Sandi E. Smith is remarkable proof that our past may shape us, but it does not have to define us. After enduring a nomadic childhood marked by poverty, abuse and unimaginable instability, Sandi put herself through college and law school, eventually rising to lead litigation at Apple. Her memoir, Chosen , recounts her journey from fighting to survive to opening her heart and home to eleven children...

As a child, I spent months in the hospital. The pain was constant and hopelessness sometimes crept in. But one of the things that broke through my fear and isolation was Mom arriving each afternoon with the mail. Inside those envelopes were drawings, prayers, and handwritten letters from people I had never met. They arrived from across the country and around the world. And although they were sent...

Coach Jim Johnson is an award-winning high school basketball coach who spent more than 30 years transforming struggling programs into winning teams. Yet of his 428 career victories, he is best known for one unforgettable game when he gave Jason "J-Mac" McElwain, his team manager with autism, the opportunity to step onto the court and realize a dream. Today, Jim shares how being cut from his colleg...

Somewhere between their first steps, the first day of kindergarten, and their first drive, we parents begin to realize something: The chapter of raising our children is slowly coming to a close. And with it come the questions. Will they make good decisions? Did we prepare them well enough? Will they find their people….and their way? I quietly wrestled with these questions a couple weeks ago as Bet...

Kathryn Nicolai is the creator and host of the beloved podcast Nothing Much Happens , where her soothing bedtime stories help millions of adults quiet their minds and find more restful sleep. A former yoga instructor and lifelong storyteller, Kathryn has transformed her childhood practice of creating stories before bed into books, audiobooks, and a comforting community for people seeking peace in...

There's a part of our family's story I've never shared before. Most people know about the fire in 1987. The gasoline explosion that nearly took my life and forever changed our family's story. It's been covered in newspaper articles, a couple of books and even a film. But there's another fire that most may not know about. Let me explain.

Lana Wilhelm is a nurse, case manager, and caregiver advocate. After her husband suffered a stroke in 2021, Lana found herself on the other side of the healthcare system and discovered how little support exists for those caring for the people they love. Now, as the founder of CarePower Connect and host of the Both Sides of the Bed podcast, she helps caregivers feel seen, supported, and less alone....

Looking at this old photo of my Grandpa Bob and me, I don't remember anything about the day it was taken. But what I do remember is the man beside me and the countless lessons I learned from him. When I got a little older, Grandpa Bob would pick me up from work every Tuesday and we'd head to lunch. It was always either Italian or Chinese. Without fail, he'd spill something on his tie, use language...

Paul Anleitner is a cultural theologian, author of Based on a True Story, and President & CEO of Goodmakers, where he helps people understand how culture and the stories we believe shape our search for meaning. Drawing from theology, philosophy, and science, Paul has become a leading voice on navigating today's cultural shifts with hope, wisdom, and purpose. Today, Paul shares how the stories we e...

They'll never make the news. The most joyful, most faithful, most humble people rarely do. Instead, the headlines seem to celebrate the loudest voices, the biggest scandals, and the worst of humanity. Last week, though, in a surprising location, I witnessed the kind of story that should make the news. Let me explain.