Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary

Kiana Clay is the first adaptive female motocross racer, top-ranked para-snowboarder and 2026 Paralympic hopeful.   At 12 years old, Kiana suffered a traumatic brachial plexus injury on a motocross practice run that left her right arm paralyzed. While recovering from this accident, she was hit by a drunk driver, reversing any strength she was recovering and leaving her dominant arm permanently paralyzed.    Although these circumstances certainly changed her life, Kiana is not letting them define her.    Today, Kiana shares how she learned to accept her body, her struggle with depression, how she’s learned to trust God and what led to her recent decision to have her injured arm amputated.    This conversation is a reminder that you can't always choose the path you walk (or race!) in life, but you can always choose the manner in which you walk (or race!) it.   Learn more about this Live Inspired Podcast episode and more at JohnOLearyInspires.com.

Being heard is so close to being loved that they are almost indistinguishable. – David Augsburger   Today, we celebrate Augie Nieto and his quest to cure ALS.   Learn more about the Live Inspired Podcast at JohnOLearyInspires.com.

Maggie Doyne's mission is to create a world where children are safe, educated and loved.   At age nineteen, Maggie used $5,000 of her babysitting money to co-found BlinkNow Foundation which helped to build the Kopila Valley Children’s Home and School, a safe place for orphaned children in war-torn Nepal.   Since 2010, Maggie + her team have served 500 of the region’s most impoverished children and worked to deepen and grow the organization’s impact through grassroots community development efforts.   Today, as you hear from a humanitarian, activist, CNN Hero of the Year and Forbes "Top 30 under 30" Social Entrepreneur, you'll learn just how tremendous + unlikely her work has been. Plus, Maggie shares specific and practical ways to take action for a cause that’s meaningful to you.   Learn more about the Live Inspired Podcast at JohnOLearyInspires.com

John O'Leary recognizes the mothers shepherding their children through tragedy.   Learn more about the Live Inspired Podcast at JohnOLearyInspires.com.

With Mother’s Day upon us, today’s guest is a marvelous example of what’s possible with the love from a powerful mom. As one of four boys raised by a single mother, Steve White’s life could easily have taken a different path. Instead, armed with his mother’s determination that her sons make a better life for themselves and his own refusal to be shaped by his circumstances, Steve forged a path to extraordinary professional and personal achievement. Today, Steve shares lessons from every stage of life, and the people who influenced him along the way to form this overarching message: An uncompromising life is one where you stay true to what is important to you, what you believe in, and what you love. You’ll leave this conversation ready to discover what matters most and where you can make the biggest difference. Did you enjoy this conversation? You'll love our curated playlist celebrating mothers. Listen to the Mother's Day playlist here. 

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.