Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week, and in honor of those heroes AND in celebration of the 2nd anniversary of IN AWE, I wanted to share one of my favorite stories from the book. It will remind you we all need someone cheering us forward and it will encourage you to embrace that role. In doing so we change the world one life at a time. Starting with our own.   Learn more about today's episode at JohnOLearyInspires.com.

Stephen M. R. Covey, former CEO of Covey Leadership Center, discusses the power of trust, leadership, and unleashing greatness in others. He shares lessons learned from his parents, the importance of self-trust, and building a culture of trust in organizations. Whether leading a family or a Fortune 100 company, this conversation is insightful for all.

So often we recognize a need in a family, a struggle in a friend, or a challenge in our community and wonder what we can even do to help. While it’s easy to assume there is little we can do, be reminded of the power in simply showing up for others.

Mental health challenges and broken relationships are a part of life, yet they don’t have to define us. Dr. John Delony is a mental health expert, bestselling author of Redefining Anxiety and host of The Dr. John Delony Show, a caller-driven show that gives you real talk on relationships and mental health challenges. Armed with not one, but two PhDs and more two decades of experience in counseling and crisis response, John’s goal is to help others navigate tough decisions, improve relationships, and remind others they're worthy of being well.   Today, John unpacks what we can learn by honestly embracing our past and the practical steps in order to take a proactive role in finding freedom in new beginnings.   If you or someone you love is navigating something challenging, this episode is for you.

What would you do if you knew today was your last? As a nine-year-old, this wasn’t just a hypothetical question to consider, but a reality I faced daily.   Because of my weakened condition, the additional stress of surgery and blood loss presented the very real prospect that the next surgery could be my last. With this in mind, my parents would make the evening before surgeries extremely special. They’d bring me a gift, my siblings would visit, we’d eat pizza, down milkshakes, and stay up late. We’d do our very best to ignore the painful reality before us. The focus was on me.   That’s how I spent my nights when I thought they might be my last.   How would you want to spend yours?   Learn more about today's episode at JohnOLearyInspires.com/podcast.

To celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month, I’m honored to welcome Kevin Eubanks, one of the most accomplished jazz musicians of his or any generation.   As a prolific guitarist and composer, Kevin is frequently recognized for his role as former Music Director of The Tonight Show band, appearing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno for 18 years.   Yet it’s what led up to this iconic role that is most intriguing.   Today, Kevin shares about growing up with a strong musical influence, what it was like to hitchhike to gigs around Philadelphia at 13 years old and how he was able to overcome his shyness.   And I can’t forget to mention…Kevin shares a fantastic impersonation of Jay Leno that you don’t want to miss.   Learn more about this episode at JohnOLearyInspires.com/podcast.

For three decades, Parkinson’s disease has robbed my dad of his ability to work, type, write, drive, walk and speak... and yet every day he chooses gratitude.   Today, on World Parkinson’s Awareness Day and in honor of my dad and the millions of others impacted by Parkinson’s, I challenge you to make the choice to fill your heart with gratitude.   Learn more about the Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary at JohnOLearyInspires.com.

David Sipress is an iconic cartoonist for The New Yorker. Since 1998, he’s published nearly 700 cartoons largely based on perceptions of shared human experience, rooted in his life-long love of history.   With humor, creativity and vulnerability, David shares stories about his complicated family, the day he decided to pursue cartooning professionally and the 25 years of rejection that followed.   Don’t miss today’s intimate and engaging conversation with an artist who understands that personal thoughts and feelings often lead to remarkable ideas.   Learn more about this episode and more at JohnOLearyInspires.com.

Join me as I share the most powerful five-word lessons I've learned after more than 400 episodes of the Live Inspired Podcast.   To get links to each episode I mention, visit JohnOLearyInspires.com.

Six-time Olympic medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee is regarded by many as the greatest female athlete of all time. After retiring, Jackie chose to return to her impoverished hometown with a greater purpose: empower youth in her community to dream, and have the drive and determination to succeed.   Today, hear Jackie share the pivotal moments in her life when she chose to never give up, why she refuses to let her environment define who she is and what that means for you.