Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary

"Gratitude is a muscle we have to continue to build." Mike Robbins is the author of three books with a fourth out later this year. He has been featured in Forbes,  the Wallstreet Journal,  the  Washington Post, Oprah  radio network ,   ABC News  and is a frequent contributor to the  Huffington Post.  Mike also has a successful podcast and speaks to clients which include: Google, the NBA, State Far...

"Don't wait for others to join you. Because you might wait forever." Gretchen Rubin has sold nearly 3 million books worldwide and perhaps is best known for her books The Happiness Project & The Four Tendencies . She is a thought-provoking observer of human nature and happiness, or as her sister likes to describe her "a happiness bully." She has an incredibly interesting story to tell; a graduate o...

"Giving up is NEVER an option & it NEVER should be." Amberley Snyder lived in southern California with her five siblings during her father's career in Major League Baseball with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Her passion for riding horses manifested early in life when at the age of 3 she began riding lessons. When her father retired from baseball the family moved to Utah where her love for horses contin...

"Don't forget what you learned in the light." Matt Manzari was a professional athlete sponsored by NIKE and traveling the world all by the age of 15. It seemed like everything was going according to plan and he had his path laid out before him. Until Matt felt a calling to ministry and suffered a horrible accident while competing. But his biggest challenge still laid ahead of him.  While trimming...

"The first step is to believe you are this thing you want to be." Jeff Goins is a blogger, writer, musician, teacher, husband, father, and pursuer of dreams. He was the Communications Director for Adventures in Missions , a nonprofit organization. Yet, his true passion and calling was that of a writer.  He grew up in a small rural farming community and enjoyed playing in his band and acting. Alway...

"You shattered my darkness... I'm alive again." These are lyrics from  Alive Again by Matt Maher. When clients ask Matt what "walk-on song" he wants playing when he goes on stage to speak, this is the song he picks. Matt is an internationally acclaimed Christian singer; earlier this year he performed at World Youth Day in Rio in front of 3 million people. Matt teaches us that faith exists so you c...

"What you put out in the world is what you get back." Becky James Hatter grew up in a small Louisiana town where she was surrounded by family, freedom and unconditional love.  "That was an extraordinary gift to be given as a young person." Her entire career has been creating the same environment for underserved youth through the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program. Today, Becky will share what it's l...

" I. YOU. WE. MATTER." To the outside world, Matt Emerzian was living the "American Dream". He was a gifted athlete, successful in the entertainment industry, hung out with famous people, and was living the "Hollywood lifestyle". Until one Monday morning when it fell apart and his life changed forever. The author of  Every Monday Matters,  Matt tells his story of brokenness and the long process of...

"Pay attention to the movements in your soul." Fr. Jim Martin is an author, speaker, editor for American Magazine , contributor to the New York Times,  Jesuit priest and consultant to the Vatican. SO MUCH in the marketplace is secular so I know this may feel unfamiliar. Actually, question #13 on the survey I give clients to help me prepare my presentation is this: "What topic do you not want me to...

"I wanted the same opportunities as the next person. I was no different, other than skin color." In 1954, the Supreme Court decided with Brown vs. Board of Education that separate schools for black and white students were unconstitutional. In the spring of 1957, Little Rock, Arkansas was the epicenter of racial tension as Little Rock Central High School prepared for the integration of its first ni...

"Success leaves a blueprint." My friends success leaves a blueprint and we are lucky to have 10 amazing guests who shared their blueprint - trials, errors, challenges, wins, successes, joys - with us this season. Learning from their model, we will become more inspired in the way we lead our lives. I can't believe we get to hang out with these amazing friends. II'll recap my favorite lessons, so yo...

"We are so much more than mortals suffering on this planet." Each of the 50+ episodes of the Live Inspired Podcast I end by asking our guest the "Live Inspired 7 Questions." The first - What is your favorite book? - has been answered SO MANY times with: Johnathan Livingston Seagull.  So intrigued by the impact this little book had on so many of our amazing guests (and from a little research quickl...

"Hard work and applying yourself to be the very best you can be everyday: That is what life is all about." Today my boyhood hero joins us. Introducing him as a friend is a dream come true. Ozzie Smith is a 13-time, MLB Gold-Glove-winning short stop for the St. Louis Cardinals. When I was burned as a 9-year-old, Cardinals' announcer Jack Buck promised me John O'Leary Day at the Ballpark when I reco...

"Are you sewing seeds for 50-year relationships or 5-minute relationships?" John Ruhlin grew up 1 of 6 kids on a farm in Ohio. He learned first hand that, when you're poor - generosity does not go unnoticed. When working his way through college, he met a mentor who shaped the trajectory of his life.   The foundation for success in his mentor's relationships, business and life was: Generosity . Tod...

"I'd rather die on a mule in Mexico then on a bed at home." Edie Littlefield Sundby had just mortgaged her home to start a new business when she received a diagnosis of stage 4 gallbladder cancer. After months of treatment, she decided she needed to take a walk to "pour out her overflowing emotions." She set out on the impossible: Walking the entire 1,600 miles of El Camino Real "Mission" trail fr...

Every 6 minutes people check their phones. Married adults spend more time online than with their spouse. People spend 1 - 4 hours loafing on the internet during a work day. Wow --  it's easy to see the problem! But today, we're talking about solutions so you can live inspired in this tech-centered world. Curt Steinhorst shares hacks to better focus and communicate regardless of tech distractions a...

"Profits are the applause you get for taking care of your employees and customers." Dina Dwyer-Owens learned this lesson early when she took her first job working at her father's car wash at age 13. Years later, she took her lessons from the car wash and a leap of faith to drop out of college and join her dad at his new company: The Dwyer Group. She has never looked back.  Today, Dina is co-chairw...

"It was out of abject failure that I learned to speak." My friends, today we get to hang out with a legendary speaker. Mark Sanborn has spoken around the world 2,500+ times, authored the wildly popular  Fred Factor  and just released The Potential Principle .  Mark will share his story about being a boy in 4H Club who failed at presenting a 5-minute speech... and how he transformed that failure in...

So many of us are experts at identifying what is wrong in the world, aren't we? What sets today's guest apart is that he didn't just identify what was wrong in his industry, he created a solution to the problem... and built a business around it. I am so inspired by Daniel Silverstein, who you'll know as "Zero Waste Daniel" after our conversation today. I'm thrilled to share with you, during New Yo...

Today is a special episode of the Live Inspired podcast in light of September being Suicide Prevention Month 2017. Dennis Gillan joins us to share his story on a topic that affects us all: Mental health. He's committed his life to reducing the number of completed suicides and removing the stigma around mental health after losing his own two brothers to suicide. Today's episode will help us break d...

What are your qualities that people are most attracted to? What makes you intrinsically you ? Sally Hogshead, author of  Fascinate: How to Make Your Brand Impossible to Resist ,  was in a car accident as a girl. The resulting damage to her face left her feeling that her "smile had turned into a grimace." As an extrovert who connected through her smile, this left her insecure and unsure how to conn...

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." - Robert Frost   I love this quote from Robert Frost. Each of our guests from Season 4, though very different from each other (from co-founder of eHarmony to a super model and ESPN host to my personal business coach), chose the path less travelled... and it "truly made all the difference."...

"Take a breath and focus on what is important right now . Don't get too far ahead and miss what you need to do now." This advice comes from Chris Norton. You've likely "met" him through the viral video of him walking across the stage at his graduation. Why was this so meaningful? Chris was paralyzed while playing NCAA football. Accomplishing this walk became his biggest goal. His walk, story and d...

"Our job on this planet is to perpetuate love." Today's guest is the host of ESPN's  Sports Science show,  has won 6-emmies and wrote the New York Times  bestseller  The Perfection Point . John Brenkus realized early in his college career that he wanted to be in the entertainment industry. With this as his singular focus - and without any connections in the field - he took a personal oath to learn...

Born on a farm in Oklahoma, the first 15 years of Leah's life allowed her quiet space to and hope and dream about what life could be. When her family moved when she was 15, Leah found herself scrambling to fit in and willing to bend and conform to societal pressures to ensure she did. This ultimately led her to have the prestigious role of "America's Next Top Model." Until one day - she couldn't d...