Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary

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.

How do you respond when tragedy strikes?   As we face storms in life, we have a choice. We can choose anger, yell about it, and remain negative about what happened and all we’ve lost.   Or we can choose to accept it, make the best of it, grow from it and realize that in spite of those unwanted changes that the best of life remains in front of us.   Learn more at JohnOLearyInspires.com.

There are about 7,000 languages in the world, all with different vocabularies, sounds, and alphabets—but how do these structural differences influence how we interpret the world?   Lera Boroditsky is a cognitive scientist recognized for studying how the languages we speak shape the way we think.   After emigrating to America from Belarus, Lera learned English and began to recognize how differences in languages can shape an argument and exaggerate the differences between others.   Today, Lera shares how people view the world differently based on their linguistic backgrounds and how her research has provided influential insight in the fields of psychology, philosophy, and linguistics.   To learn more about today's episode, visit JohnOLearyInspires.com/podcast.

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 powerful conversation about resilience, hope, and defiant faith and how it can lead to powerful transformation even in the midst of our darkest hours.   You’ll leave this conversation with a compassionate blueprint on how to harness your inner strength and the tools you need to reclaim your story.   Plus, Michelle reads a short excerpt from her book The Other Side of Yet, released earlier this week, that is profoundly special.   Learn more about this episode at JohnOLearyInspires.com.

"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 that what you do matters, that the words you speak influence, that the dreams you cast impact the path you take, and that while your road forward may be difficult, your best is yet to come.   Let’s act as if what we do makes a difference. Let’s remember that indeed it does. And today, let’s choose to not just read about it, but to act like it.   Subscribe to the #LiveInspired Podcast + learn more at JohnOLearyInspires.com.