Live Inspired Podcast With John O'leary

When bad things happen, Dale Partridge no longer questions them. Instead, he thinks: "What will I learn from this moment?" After numerous pivots, failures and unmanageable businesses growth early in his career, Dale began "to hold less tight to things. I'm more open-handed because of these moments."   At one point his business was so successful, he couldn't grow fast enough to sustain it. On the outside he was successful and everyone was cheering him on. On the inside, he and his wife were experiencing panic attacks and a failing marriage. They knew they needed a change.  He was asked to step down - and he now sees it is the best thing that could have happened. He and his wife moved from city life in California to a farm in Oregon. They've healed their marriage, grown their family and Dale has re-established a thriving, sustainable business. You will get so much from the vulnerability with which Dales shares about his personal, professional and faith walk. My main take aways: Sometimes, a company can grow fa

Love of country was one of the most important tenants in Sergeant Rocky Sickmann's house the he was growing up. His father and brother were both in the army and Rocky joined the Marines. In October of 1979, Rocky was a guard at the US Embassy in Tehran, Iran. A few weeks later, he was taken hostage. He was held for the next 444 days. Rocky recounts the day he was taken hostage, gives unbelievable, historical context from his first-person experience and most importantly: Shares how faith, hope and simple, joy-filled memories are what got him through his darkest days. Key Takeaways:   Freedom is not free. Rocky is an epic reminder of the sacrifices made by men and women in the military. CHOOSING to be a victor, not a victim, is critical. When Rocky realized his health was deteriorating, he chose to not let the situation get the best of him. In doing so: He recommitted to eating despite having no appetite & doing push ups and pacing in his dark room. Everything you do has a consequence for someone else. A t

Discipline, toughness, enthusiasm and selflessness. If you combine these things, you have maximized what you can control in becoming a pro baseball player. Mike Matheny, manager and head coach of the St. Louis Cardinals, husband and father, observed this truth after playing for 17 years and coaching for five. On today's show, he shares what it's like to win a World Series, fall in love and how having a "consistent and God-honoring" father shaped him into the man he is today.  The highlight of his career? "Making it there. That first day...and just thinking about the millions of kids playing youth sports and hoping to one day defy the odds. I was told as a teen to change my dream because making the big leagues was less likely than winning the lottery. But that encouraged me. I figured, somebody had to make it, why not me?" Injuries resulting from concussions throughout his career as a catcher abruptly ended his career, but Mike saw it as an opportunity to spend more time with his kids and make real estate inve

“Parents are so much more worried today then they were 35 years ago. They so desperately want to be ‘good parents’ that they’re exhausting important energy on stuff that doesn’t matter.” This is a quote from today’s guest, Meg Meeker, MD. Meg is a pediatrician, author, parent, wife, grandmother and business owner. Her goal is to diffuse fear-based parenting.  I shared the stage with Meg at the Dave Ramsey SMART Conference and fell in love with her message around her book Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters.  I selfishly invited her on the show to grow as a father myself and help you in your journey as a parent, too. Meg’s insights are great for parents, but relate to all of us as aunts, uncles, sons and daughters, too. Subscribe & listen on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play or my website. MY MAIN TAKEAWAYS: 3 Ways to Shift from Fear-Based Parenting Shift your perspective of yourself in your kids eyes. If a child is with you, he doesn’t want anything other than knowing that you like being with him. Stop wo

Stay positive. Feed yourself so you can feed others. These are the key messages of Jon Gordon, author of bestselling book The Energy Bus and today's guest.  Jon and I met a few months back when we shared a stage at a client event. I've always loved the transformative fable he shares in The Energy Bus (about what happens when you change your mindset when entering "the bus of life" each day) and was excited to hear more about the man behind the story. Today, you're invited to hear this discussion!  Jon shares "stories even his closest friends haven't heard!" Many about the little known challenges leading up to his best-selling book career (the book was rejected 30 times before it was published; it had little reception for the first 5 years). Jon's story is about being positive and feeding yourself so you can feed others. Here are a few of my favorite takeaways:  "Sometimes you have to lose a goal to find your destiny." - Gordon "There is one song and we are part of the symphony." - Gordon "We are positive not

Almost a decade ago my life changed when I read Jinny Ditzler's book Your Best Year Yet. At the time I was struggling in my real estate development business and had not yet cracked into my speaking business. I read this book on the front side of a new year on the recommendation of a dear friend. Rather than quickly flip through, I read it like it was a workbook. Pen in hand, I took notes, answered her 10-Questions and in doing so created a one-page plan to attack that year.  I had great success and this year, I decided to walk through the same process with my team. We did so back in December and it was fantastic! So much so that we asked: How do we share this amazing, simple 10-Step process with the Live Inspired community? Friends, today, I am thrilled to have Jinny on the show, literally walking each of us through this life-changing plan step by step. Can you believe that? We are lucky! I am so touched that I get to share the gift of Jinny coaching us through how to make 2017 our best year yet. Jinny will r

Let's move our focus from the cold winter to where the sun is shining: Spring! One of my favorite parts of spring is March Madness. I love sports, I love baseball and I love the race to the final game (especially when the underdog wins).  Most importantly, after the final game, I love when they play the Luther Vandross song, One Shining Moment, while showing the highlights of the best plays from the entire tournament. They tie it all together and today, I am going to do something similar for you.  On today's episode, I'll recap each of my guests from Season 1 and my main takeaway from each. So many great tips on living inspired. Here we go! Susan O'Leary [my mom, author, speaker, mother, Christian leader] Mom  helped me kick off the season talking about life, the fire that change everything and her insights on resilience, faith, family and redemption.   Brian Buffini [business owner, speaker & author] He shared the question his grandfather asked when reviewing work for the family painting business: "Can

"You can have everything in life you want, as long as you just help enough other people get what they want." This is one of the most popular quotes from legendary speaker, Zig Ziglar and it is absolutely modeled through his son Tom's life today.  Tom Ziglar has influenced 250 million lives through his work. On today's show, Tom will  share about growing up with Zig as his father and how his dad walked the talk he shared with the world.  Tom shares about falling in love with sales, defines what "sales" really means and early failures he endured as a young president of his father's company. These were my main takeaways from our time together:  "Did you do everything you could? If yes, then you can sleep good tonight."  Zig didn't begin speaking until his late 30s; it's never too late to start a new path. The best advice Zig gave Tom (after he felt he was unfairly treated): "The only taste of success some people have is when they take a bite out of you." Tom defines sales as: Listening and helping people solve

Today’s guest will help you to stop managing life and start LIVING it. She is a bestselling author, blogger, mom, leader of the hands free revolution and my dear friend: Rachel Macy Stafford. Every conversation I’ve had with Rachel is one of the most authentic conversations I’ve ever had - and today’s episode is no different. You'll see yourself in Rachel’s struggles, triumphs and story and you’ll be inspired by her tools to live life to the fullest. We're nearing the end of Live Inspired Podcast Season 1 and I absolutely saved Rachel to be one of the last for a reason. Today’s conversation is going to be an inflection point for you! My favorite takeaways from our time together: Stop managing life and start LIVING it. Set "distraction free" time every day. "Only love today." Hands Free Living - [n.] leaving your phone and schedule to just be. Letting go of control and unrealistic standards. Redefine what success is for YOU. What do you want to measure success by TODAY? When we see each others' scars we love

Today we have on our show Pulitzer Nominated author of 25 books Don Yaeger. From Walter Payton - one of the most prolific running backs in the history of the NFL - who wanted his book to NOT be about football, but about leaving a legacy as an organ donor… To John Wooden, who many consider the greatest coach of all time as he led the UCLA Men’s basketball team to 10 national championships in 12 years. You are going to hear amazing examples of individuals living inspired through Don’s LIBRARY of books he’s written and subsequently, friends he’s made. He'll also share about the lessons he’s learned as a business owner, son of a preacher, husband and father. My Key Takeaways:  You'll never out perform your inner circle. Surround yourself with excellence and that's what you'll become. "Make it your goal to have every person be better for having spent time with you." Be present because tomorrow is promised to no one. Write your spouse a love letter often - because you can. In relationships we often look for things

Today's guest is a comedian, author, speaker, huge over-comer and a new, dear friend of mine. She has been through more challenges and misadventures than most, but exemplifies more grace, forgiveness, courage and perseverance than anyone I have ever met. You've likely never heard of her but after our time together, I am certain you will never forget her! Kathy Buckley will share her story in such a way that you will be ready to live more inspired than ever before! My favorite takeaways from our time together: Nobody is in this world with nothing to give. We all have something to give. You can learn more about someone by being fully present with them than by listening to the words they are speaking (she's learned this truth through her lifelong hearing loss). Appreciate who you are and forget about being defined by others. These truths were also shared in her book, If You Could See What I Hear. I loved this book and absolutely devoured it. Order Kathy's book If You Could See What I Hear here. Check out Kath

Today’s guest started his first business at 12 years old after asking his dad for money for an icee. His dad responded, "You don’t need money, you need a job!" He promptly started mowing lawns and has been a business owner since. This one-time lawn-mower is now a nationally syndicated radio shows host, #1 national bestselling author, personal finance guru and my friend, Dave Ramsey. Dave's show is aired on 578 stations, is the third largest talk radio show in the nation and enjoys nearly 13 million listeners a week. But, Dave's life hasn’t always been so bright. Today, Dave will share about what it was like building his first real estate business at 18, making $250k by 26 and going bankrupt at 28. He’ll share how his failures led in part to his successes in faith, marriage and gratitude today. You don't want to miss the amazing, simple insights from Dave on how to better manage your money, life and business. Most of all: Dave is so used to being on the other side of the microphone, you are going to love heari

"Discipline becomes dormant in the absence of a dream. So dream big." This quote is from today’s guest, Rory Vaden. Rory is an expert and a coach on self-discipline. He’s written books about it, built his business around it but most amazingly – has built a life inspired by it. Today he is a bestselling author, soon to be father, one-time impoverished young man who began making his financial way as a college student during his summers learning how to do what he has coined as “take the stairs.” This episode will inspire you to set goals, dream big and hold yourself accountable. You'll have actionable takeaways to begin living your life more inspired today than ever before. Don't miss it! Here are a few key takeaways:  Take the stairs - do the important work that needs to get done today so that you will be ahead in life tomorrow... most people live in an "escalator mentality" of doing what is easiest, fastest. Success is messy! It's something you figure out how to do along the way. Free yourself from perfection

No matter what you are going through, you will get through it. I met today’s guest, German-born, bestselling author, journalist and teacher of resilience Michaela Haas, earlier this year when she interviewed me for her column in the “New York Times of Germany.” Michaela wanted to share about my book ON FIRE because in her writing and research, she focuses on the topic of Post Traumatic Growth. I was so enamored with this topic that I immediately got a copy of her book Bouncing Forward and invited her to be on this podcast! Through the pages of her book and my time interviewing her, I met some of my new, favorite heroes; each of whom are amazing examples of Living Inspired. Michaela will give you so much to think about today! Most importantly: No matter what you’re going through, her research shows, you WILL get through it. But you have to work for it. You have to reach out. You have to speak out. And you have to make space to confront your pain. Learn more about the fascinating Coco Schumann here. If you'v

January 18th, 2017 will be the 30th anniversary of a very important day for me. I'd been laying in a hospital bed for a full day after being burned on 100% of my body. I couldn't move. My eyes were swollen shut. Into that darkness came my very special hero, the voice of the St. Louis Cardinals Cardinals, Jack Buck. He was told I'd die. But yet he came back day after day to encourage me to live. Then, he held "John O'Leary Day" at the Ballpark at Busch stadium to help me celebrate life. Next, he taught me to write again by giving me 60 very special gifts. And the story keeps going... To do justice to Jack's story and legacy I have a very special guest joining me on our show. Today, we're joined by Emmy-award-winning announcer, father, husband, leader, author and Jack Buck's son: Joe Buck. Joe will share about his life, his dad and things he can't share on air. From being bullied as a kid to dreaming about how to improve dialogue between inner cities and police enforcement, Joe doesn't hold anything back.  I'm

Addiction and cancer threatened her life, but grace and endurance gave it back to her. In a world where the media frequently loves to buy, sell, trade and speak in fear, Teri Griege realizes and honors that the human spirit is powered by hope and starved for inspiration. She has made it her life's work to be a pillar of hope and she has already done so by being: an iron man, author, triathlete, cancer survivor and sober for more than 20 years. From our time with Teri, you will be reminded that life is full of good people. Appearances are deceiving. Belief in self matters. Odds are over rated. "God winks" exist. God wink - [n.] a phrase Teri coined meaning, inspired moments in which God aligns your life in ways you could never imagine. Get your copy of Teri's book Powered by Hope here. See Teri's inspiring journey to Ironman Hawaii on this video. Check out Teri's nonprofit Powered by Hope. The LIVE INSPIRED 7 segment is a series of 7 questions, shared "rapid fire" and answered boldly (without prep!) by our g

I am so honored to have author, speaker and trainer, Brian Buffini, as my guest on the inaugural episode of the Live Inspired Podcast. A few years ago I shared a stage with Brian at his event, The Success Tour, where we spoke to a stadium with thousands of of real estate professionals. Little did I know that that day I would meet my mentor and a dear, dear friend.  Brian's direction has helped me to improve my speaking, business, faith, family life and led directly to me writing and releasing my bestselling book ON FIRE.  Brian is an expert in the real estate industry, but his vision applies well beyond and continues to inspire thousands of people each year. Today, you are among them! My favorite takeaway from this episode is the lesson Brian learned from his grandpa: The rule of asking yourself after everything you do: "Can you put your name on it?" On your days. Activities. Business. Faith journey. Life. It's a simple thing to remember and could profoundly impact your day! You can order Brian's books here

My mom has taught me more about resilience, faith, courage, redemption, family, love and life than ANYONE else in the world. I am so honored to have her as my guest on this very special, preview episode of the LIVE INSPIRED Podcast! If you've ever heard me speak, you've heard a lot about the impact my mom has had on my life. But for those of you who've not heard me speak, here is just one example. My mom and dad's unauthorized biography of my life, Overwhelming Odds, is what encouraged me to accept, own and celebrate my scars and my story.  As if that wasn't enough! The initial 200 copies they printed to share with friends and family has resulted in my becoming a professional speaker nearly 10 years ago and the subsequent sale of more than 60,000 copies... Get your copy of Overwhelming Odds here. (Save 15% with code Podcast)  Get your copy of my #1 National Bestseller ON FIRE here. ON FIRE Book Launch Party video - start at minute 58:25 to see me play my mom's favorite song on the piano. To close each inte

I created this episode to introduce myself to you. Share a bit about how and why I started the Live Inspired Movement -- and why you are meant to be a part of it! I also created it to share a bit about what you can expect through the Live Inspired Podcast:  A new episode released every Thursday One special guest each week will join me and share about his/her story, successes, challenges, LIFE so that we can learn from each other on how to better live ours If you ever have any questions or feedback, email me and my team at info@JohnOLearyInspires.com.