Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary

To celebrate World Down Syndrome Day today I wanted to share a story of a family who received a diagnosis they didn't desire…and ultimately a gift far greater than they could have imagined.   Learn more about today's episode at JohnOLearyInspires.com.

Michelle Hord is no stranger to tragedy. She started her professional career as a producer on America's Most Wanted, where she came face to face with the unthinkable on a daily basis.   But when her own beloved 7-year-old daughter Gabrielle Eileen was murdered by her ex-husband, Michelle's entire life crashed down around her.   Today, with compassion + insight, Michelle joins us for a raw and powe...

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." -William James   As we race through this day, and read about tragedies overseas, challenges in our nation, difficulties in our region, and feel discouragement that there is little we can do to influence positive change, be reminded that your one life is a sacred gift.   While big numbers might grab headlines, the most important number recognizes...

Mark Victor Hansen co-founded Chicken Soup for the Soul in hopes of sharing motivational stories with people all over the world. But it wasn't always the successful publishing franchise we know today.   Despite originally being turned down 144 times by publishers, Mark persisted. To date, Chicken Soup for the Soul has now sold more than 500 million books and had 57 different titles on the New York...

In a world filled with many individuals concerned primarily with taking care of themselves, the courage of the Ukrainian people to fight for their home, their neighbors and their freedom has been humbling and inspiring to observe. To be reminded of the beauty of showing up for others- even when our commitment to doing so is tested beyond imagination- look no further than Ukrainian First Lady Olena...

Celeste Headlee is an award-winning journalist who has appeared on PBS, the BBC and NPR's Tell Me More ,  Talk of the Nation , and  All Things Considered . With over 25 years of on-air radio experience, Celeste has a unique perspective on what makes for a good conversation.   Today, Celeste joins us to illuminate the path forward in having conversations ( even difficult ones! ) that actually matte...

"I've discovered that a person begins aging only when they stop learning and stop loving." For nearly a century, Pat Hyndman showed us how we could live our lives with childlike awe. He knew that life was a gift, that every person matters, and that each day was packed with limitless possibilities. My friends, in the midst of the chaos in our journey forward, the foundation is firm, the headwind ma...

Top career adviser Laurie Ruettimann has spent more than 20 years advocating for better employment experiences to increase retention rates and improve job satisfaction.   After a season as a young professional, Laurie was uninspired and blaming others for her unhappiness, until she decided to take hold of life—the good, the bad, and the downright ugly—in order to transform her future.   Today, Lau...

My sweet Mom passed out in the shower last Friday evening. After fainting, she fell backwards, landed hard on the floor, and broke her wrist. As it turns out, she collapsed as the result of anemia and low hemoglobin, which required a few days of observation in the hospital to elevate.    In a surreal coincidence, her room is on the exact same floor as --and stunningly just three doors away from--...

Did you know... Two-thirds of Americans report feeling lonely, and that's even before the pandemic. The average American hasn't made a new friend in the last five years. Loneliness is as toxic as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Today, psychologist and friendship expert Dr. Marisa Franco shares her research in the science of friendship and the powerful benefits platonic friendships have on our overall...

What can we gain in living from a place of unconditional love? On this Valentine's Day, whether you are going on a hot date with your special someone, heading out with dear friends, or longingly waiting for the phone to ring, be reminded of the overwhelming demands true love requires and the profound blessing it delivers in return. Ultimately, the way we discover the love we seek is to let go of o...

Three-time Olympian Devon Harris has achieved his greatness. Starting as a barefoot boy trying to win a track race, Devon became a member of Jamaica's first Olympic bobsled team. SHOW NOTES: As a young boy living in the slums of Kingston, Jamaica, Devon would stand near a light post to see the people living well-off in the distance and it motivated him to see a brighter future. Your biography is n...

After our region was dumped with as much as a foot of ice and snow, I was surprised when a client moved forward with a live, in-person event last week -- although I shouldn't have been. The name of this fearless organization derives its name from a fearless dog that raced through a blizzard to save lives. My friends, too often we ignore our potential for significance. Because we don't have the sam...

For 18 years, Daniel Jones' mission has been to publish honest personal essays about contemporary relationships in his popular  New York Times  column  Modern Love. It has spawned a podcast and a TV series by the same name, all focused on love. Love lost, love found and love reclaimed. Love that's romantic, familial, platonic and unexpected. Most of all, stories celebrating love as it exists in re...

When we've experienced the sharp disappointment of being let down by others, when is the right time to accept what happened, embrace what is and move forward into what could be? Although debating exactly how long holding onto righteous anger is understandable, the example of Hiroo Onoda demonstrates the dangers of clutching it for too long. What do we do with the sharp disappointment of being let...

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a Harvard-trained and published neuroanatomist and author of the  New York Times  bestselling book  My Stroke of Insight .  As irony would have it, at 37 years old, Dr. Jill experienced a severe hemorrhage in the left hemisphere of her brain. Within hours, she lost the ability to walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life. Today, Dr. Jill passionately shares her 8-...

What if the very thing we worry about making us somehow unattractive or unworthy is in reality the very thing that makes us most beautiful and loveable? In a marketplace that celebrates physical perfection and individual accomplishment, one of the last lessons taught by Mother Teresa reminds us what matters most. Learn more about Bill McKendry on Live Inspired Podcast ep. 430 here .

Growing up with parents who were deaf, Bill McKendry has a unique perspective on communication and the power it holds.  In fact, it's what ignited his passion to be a voice and communicator for those who need help.  At the height of his successful 35-year career in advertising and marketing, Bill left a large advertising agency to launch non-profit DO MORE GOOD. Using his expertise from iconic bra...

"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty." - Maya Angelou Birthdays, anniversaries and holidays are obvious dates to celebrate. Bake a cake, light the candles, sing a song, gather together, toast to life. But what do we do with the dates that remind us not of what we have, but of all we lost? How should we treat those anniv...

Mattie Jackson Selecman dreamt of being an author, yet she never expected her first book Lemons On Friday would be about the tragic + unexpected loss of her beloved husband of 11 months. Daughter of country megastar Alan Jackson and New York Times bestselling author Denise Jackson, Mattie became a widow at 28 years old and was forced to navigate a future drastically different from the one she had...

When I was just nine-years-old laying on what was expected to be my deathbed after a house fire, my mother guided me with a question that changed the trajectory of my life: John, do you want to die? That day we made a commitment to faithfully, courageously and collectively fight on. We had no idea of what tomorrow might hold. All we knew was the fight was on.

After narrowly escaping the devastation of 9/11, Kushal Choksi recognized he had been so consumed in pursuing the "American dream" that he had forgotten to pursue his own. From being a Wall Street trader immersed in the material world, Kushal embarked on a quest to find answers to life's biggest questions. Today, hear Kushal share how he explored his doubts with spirituality, the peace he ultimate...

"Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out." - John Wooden   Life will happen, challenges will mount, headwind will blow, difficulties will arise and the year ahead will become far different than the one you currently imagine. And yet, the power of one reminds us that although we cannot always choose the path we walk in life, we are always free to choose the manner in...

In 2021, we've encountered challenges, experienced cheerfulness and witnessed change, together. As we celebrate over four million downloads, I'm incredibly grateful for our Live Inspired community. Whether subscribing to the show on Apple Podcasts , Spotify or another listening platform, sharing episodes with friends + family or engaging with us on Facebook , Instagram , Twitter or LinkedIn , this...

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." - Helen Keller What can a basketball team in southwest Texas teach us about real victory? It turns out real victory isn't merely about what we can do for ourselves and get for our team, but ultimately what we can invest into others and achieve together. Watch the video of Coronado High School's Marcus Mitchell here .