Famous Male Motivational Speakers
- Born as Laurence Tureaud on May 21, 1952, Mr. T is a multi-talented American icon known for his distinctive mohawk hairstyle, gold jewelry, and robust catchphrase, "I pity the fool". Raised in a humble environment in Chicago's housing project, Mr. T's journey from being one of twelve children to becoming an international star is a testament to his resilience and determination. His early life was marked by personal challenges, including expulsion from school, but he turned things around with a football scholarship to Prairie View A&M University. However, his academic journey was cut short due to personal issues, leading him to serve in the U.S. Army before becoming a bouncer. Mr. T's career took a dramatic turn when he was discovered by Sylvester Stallone while winning NBC's America's Toughest Bouncer competition. This led to his breakout role as Clubber Lang in the 1982 blockbuster Rocky III. His portrayal of the tough-talking boxer catapulted him to fame and solidified his position as a cultural figure. From there, he moved to television, starring as B.A. Baracus in the hit series The A-Team. The character's fear of flying and love for milk became iconic traits, further cementing Mr. T's place in pop culture. Despite his tough exterior, Mr. T has a heart for philanthropy. After being diagnosed with cancer in the mid-90s, he became an advocate for health awareness. He also worked with organizations like Make-A-Wish Foundation and became a motivational speaker, spreading positive messages to young people. His autobiography, Mr. T: The Man with the Gold, gives readers an intimate look at his life, highlighting his struggles and victories.
- Birthplace: USA, Chicago, Illinois
- César Felipe Millán Favela (; Spanish: [ˈsesaɾ miˈʝan]; born August 27, 1969) is a Mexican-American dog trainer with over 25 years of canine experience. He is widely known for his Emmy-nominated television series Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, which was produced from 2004 to 2012 and is broadcast in more than 80 countries worldwide.Millan is a New York Times best-selling author and has his own line of dog products and instructional DVDs. Prior to The Dog Whisperer series, Millan focused on rehabilitating severely aggressive dogs and founded a rehab complex, the Dog Psychology Center, in South Los Angeles (2002–2008). In 2009, the Dog Psychology Center moved to Santa Clarita, California. Millan also opened an East Coast clinic at the Country Inn Pet Resort in Davie, Florida, near Fort Lauderdale.Millan's first three books, including Cesar's Way, all became New York Times best sellers, have cumulatively sold two million copies in the United States, and are available in 14 other countries.In 2009, in conjunction with IMG, Millan introduced a monthly magazine also titled Cesar's Way, with The Wall Street Journal reporting at that time that half of American consumers recognized Millan. The magazine ceased publication after its November/December 2014 issue. With Ilusión Millan, his former wife, he founded the Millan Foundation – later renamed the Cesar Millan Foundation and currently called the Cesar Millan PACK Project. The foundation was established to provide financial support to animal shelters and organizations engaged in the rescuing, rehabilitating, and re-homing of abused and abandoned animals, and to fund spay/neuter programs to help reduce dog overpopulation. It aims to "improve the health, happiness, and harmony of dogs and people — while helping both species learn from and support each other." Among other projects, the Foundation worked with Yale University to create a children's curriculum based on his work.
- Birthplace: Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
- A rugged British adventurer and handsome TV host, Bear Grylls grew up immersed in extreme sports and physical activity, encouraged by his aristocratic parents, and served a stint in the British Special Forces after finishing school. Although he broke his back in a parachuting accident in Africa, Grylls recovered and achieved his dream of climbing Mount Everest at age 23, which helped transform him into a media darling. Appearing in commercials and writing best-selling books, the attractive, confident Grylls became a worldwide phenomenon as host of the reality show "Man vs. Wild" (Discovery Channel, 2006-2011), which showcased his ability to survive in various hostile terrains. Although immensely popular, the show and Grylls came under fire when it was revealed certain elements of production were staged or enhanced, casting some doubt on Grylls' survival credentials, which he unwaveringly defended. Nevertheless, Grylls continued his real-life adventures around the globe to benefit various charities, was named the U.K.'s Chief Scout, and hosted the shows "Worst-Case Scenario" (Discovery Channel, 2010), "Bear Grylls: Wild Weekends" (Channel 4, 2011- ) and "Get Out Alive" (NBC, 2013). Celebrated for his questing, good-hearted nature, Bear Grylls not only earned countless fans around the world, but also inspired many would-be adventurers to follow in his courageous footsteps, if only from the comfort of their own living rooms.
- Birthplace: Isle of Wight, England, UK
- Hilary Hinton "Zig" Ziglar (November 6, 1926 – November 28, 2012) was an American author, salesman, and motivational speaker.
- Birthplace: Alabama
- Norman Vincent Peale (May 31, 1898 – December 24, 1993) was an American minister and author known for his work in popularizing the concept of positive thinking, especially through his best-selling book The Power of Positive Thinking. He served as the pastor of Marble Collegiate Church, New York, from 1932 until his death, leading a Reformed Church in America congregation. Peale was a personal friend of President Richard Nixon. Donald Trump attended Peale's church while growing up, as well as marrying his first wife Ivana there. Peale's ideas and techniques were controversial, and he received frequent criticism both from church figures and from the psychiatric profession.
- Birthplace: Bowersville, Ohio
- Stephen Richards Covey (October 24, 1932 – July 16, 2012) was an American educator, author, businessman, and keynote speaker. His most popular book is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. His other books include First Things First, Principle-Centered Leadership, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families, The 8th Habit, and The Leader In Me — How Schools and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time. In 1996, Times magazine named him one of the 25 most influential people. He was a professor at the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University at the time of his death.
- Birthplace: USA, Salt Lake City, Utah
- Aron Lee Ralston (born October 27, 1975) is an American outdoorsman, mechanical engineer and motivational speaker known for surviving a canyoneering accident by cutting off his own arm. During a solo descent of Bluejohn Canyon in southeastern Utah he dislodged a boulder which pinned his right wrist to the side of the canyon wall. After five days he was able to amputate his forearm with a dull pocketknife, make his way through the rest of the canyon, rappel down a 65-foot (20 m) drop, and hike 7 miles (11 km) to safety.The incident is documented in Ralston's autobiography Between a Rock and a Hard Place and is the subject of the 2010 film 127 Hours where he is portrayed by James Franco. After the accident he continued mountaineering and became the first person to ascend all of Colorado's fourteeners solo in winter.
- Birthplace: Marion, Ohio
- Dr. Gary P. Hamel (born 1954) is an American management consultant. He is a founder of Strategos, an international management consulting firm based in Chicago.
- Chetan Bhagat (born 22 April 1974) is an Indian author, columnist, screenwriter and motivational speaker, known for his Indian-English novels about young middle class Indians. Bhagat writes columns on youth, career development and current affairs for The Times of India (in English) and Dainik Bhaskar (in Hindi). Bhagat's novels have sold over seven million copies. In 2008, The New York Times cited Bhagat as "the biggest selling English language novelist in India’s history". Bhagat was included in Time magazine's list of World's 100 Most Influential People in 2010. He moved to Amazon Publishing on April 27, 2018 from Rupa Publications as per the news resources, and his first novel with Westland is The Girl In Room 105.
- Birthplace: New Delhi, India
- Morris Cerullo (born October 2, 1931) is an American pentecostal evangelist. He has traveled extensively around the world for his ministry. He hosts Victory Today, a daily television program, and has published more than 80 books.
- Birthplace: Passaic, New Jersey
Bruce L. Tulgan is an American writer specializing in business topics. His books include It's Okay to Manage Your Boss, Not Everyone Gets a Trophy, It's Okay to be the Boss, and Managing Generation X. He founded the management training firm RainmakerThinking, Inc. in 1993 and is a keynote speaker and seminar leader.- Birthplace: Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Barry Farber
Age: 95Barry Farber is an American sales consultant,speaker, radio and TV personality and author.- Dan Poynter is an American author, consultant, publisher, professional speaker and parachute designer. Since 1969, he has written more than 130 books, many reports, and more than 800 magazine articles, most of them on book publishing. The writing and publishing of The Self-Publishing Manual in 1979 propelled him to notoriety in the publishing industry. Each year he addresses scores of groups on the subject of publishing. He is the founder of Para Publishing and has been featured in many major media outlets, including Entrepreneur, U.S. News and World Report, Christian Science Monitor, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Writer's Digest and The New York Times.
- Robert Toru Kiyosaki (清崎 徹, Kiyosaki Tooru, born April 8, 1947) is an American businessman and author. Kiyosaki is the founder of Rich Global LLC and the Rich Dad Company, a private financial education company that provides personal finance and business education to people through books and videos. The company's main revenues come from franchisees of the Rich Dad seminars that are conducted by independent people using Kiyosaki's brand name for a fee. He is also the creator of the Cashflow board and software games to educate adults and children about business and financial concepts.Kiyosaki's seminars in the US and Canada are conducted in collaboration with a company called Whitney Information Network and are contracted out to local companies as franchisees in other countries. However, some attendees have sued Kiyosaki on claims that his high-priced seminars did not deliver anything special.Kiyosaki is the author of more than 26 books, including the international self-published personal finance Rich Dad Poor Dad series of books which has been translated into 51 languages and sold over 27 million copies worldwide. He has been criticized for advocating the practices of debatable legality perceived as "get rich quick" philosophy. Kiyosaki is the subject of a class action suit against him by people who attended his seminars and has been the subject of two investigative documentaries by CBC Canada and WTAE USA. Kiyosaki's company filed for bankruptcy in 2012.
- Birthplace: Hilo, Hawaii
- Nicholas James Vujicic ( VOY-chitch; born 4 December 1982) is an Australian Christian evangelist and motivational speaker born with tetra-amelia syndrome, a rare disorder (called phocomelia) characterized by the absence of arms and legs.
- Birthplace: Melbourne, Australia
- Andrew W.K. worked on a variety of projects during his entertainment career. At the beginning of his Hollywood career, 's music was mostly featured in comedies like the Johnny Knoxville film "Jackass: The Movie" (2002), the Jamie Lee Curtis hit "Freaky Friday" (2003) and "Old School" (2003). In the early 2000s, devoted his time to various credits, such as "I Love the Holidays" (VH1, 2005-06), "I Love the New Millennium" and "Destroy Build Destroy" (Cartoon Network, 2008-2011). He also worked on "Food Party" (IFC, 2008-2010). He held additional roles in television including a part on "Let's Big Happy" (Myspace, 2011-12). Additionally, he could be seen on a variety of television specials like "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" (VH1, 2010-11) and "Lil Bub's Special Special" (Animal Planet, 2013-14). Most recently, appeared on "The Pete Holmes Show" (TBS, 2013-14).
- Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA
- Jesse Duplantis (born July 9, 1949) is a prosperity gospel preacher from the Christian Evangelical Charismatic tradition based in New Orleans, Louisiana, US, and the founder of Jesse Duplantis Ministries.
- Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana
- Steve K. Munsey is the pastor of the Family Christian Center in Munster, Indiana.
- Coimbatore Krishnarao Prahalad (8 August 1941 – 16 April 2010) was the Paul and Ruth McCracken Distinguished University Professor of Corporate Strategy at University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business. He was the co-author of "Core Competence of the Corporation" (with Gary Hamel) and "The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid" (with Stuart L. Hart), about the business opportunity in serving the Bottom of the Pyramid. On 16 April 2010, Prahalad died at the age of 68 of a previously undiagnosed lung illness in San Diego, California.
- Birthplace: Coimbatore, India
- Tony Robbins is an actor and producer who appeared in "Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru," "Shallow Hal," and "Transcendent Man."
- Birthplace: Glendora, California, USA
- Mark E. Sackett has no plans to sit still anytime soon, he lives in 2 cities and on a plane, he owns 11 related creative businesses and thrives on being inventive daily as he works in Branding, Advertising, Print, Packaging, Identity, Graphic Design, Interactive/ On-Line and Website Design, Film Production, Music, Concert Production/Events and Television. He has been an award winning Designer/Director/Producer for over 31 years with more than 1000 awards to his credit. As a Director/Producer/Art Director, award-winning Graphic Designer and President of Reflectur, he is widely published and has his own radio show called BrainfoodUSA – Living a Creative Life! As the founder of Brainfood Creative Programs, he is a public speaker and thought leader who helps people live more creative lives by teaching them about what he calls “Left of Center Thinking”, through his one-to-one and team ‘Brainfood’ trainings and seminars worldwide. As Creator and Founder of THE BOX SF back in 2000, he produces social networking events, speakers series, seminars, concerts, food and wine events, and brings artists and businesses together into a collaborative engaging space in his San Francisco studios and in unique venues across the country. His film studio Articulation Films produces films with 2–10 Million Dollar budgets and his recording label, Republic of Sound, helps singers and songwriters get their music to the masses. Mark believes that best-of-class branding and marketing, paired with ethical business practices and out of the box creative solutions, are the keys to sustained business. Mark serves as a board member or advisory board member to multiple non-profits, and believes in giving back to the community. He thrives on meeting and doing business with those who do things right, by caring about people, animals and our planet! He understands well that money is not always the primary driver to success and that relationship and reputation are. Mark knows his stuff and can navigate complex problems and help clients arrive at workable and creative solutions. He loves wine, plays the drums, is an avid collector of books, antique paper, photography and life experience! He loves sitting with folks, learning about them, and sharing his creative life and ideas by wandering around, dipping his toe in something new so he can constantly learn new things and absorb new images, tastes, sounds and experiences. Mark is the consummate social networker and connector. You can find him on over 30 networks including Google as “Mark E. Sackett”. He welcomes you to add him on Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, or any of the networks you use. You can also add his Facebook fan pages or follow any of his four Twitters as: MarkESackett, Reflectur, TheBoxSF, and BrainfoodUSA. Most of all, Mark hopes to connect with you and more importantly to energize you toward the notion that you too can live a more creative, passionate, exciting life!
- Birthplace: Kansas City, Missouri
- Shiv Khera is an Indian author of self-help books and an activist. He launched a movement against caste-based reservation in India, founded an organization called Country First Foundation, and started the Bhartiya Rashtravadi Samanta Party. In 2004, he lost in a bid as an independent candidate for the South Delhi constituency in India's general election. He also filed several public interest lawsuits in the Indian Supreme Court and unsuccessfully contested the country's 2009 general election.
- Birthplace: Dhanbad, India
- David Lawrence Ramsey III (born September 3, 1960) is an American radio show host, author and businessman.
- Birthplace: Antioch, Tennessee
- Eckhart Tolle ( EK-art TOL-ə; German pronunciation: [ˈɛkhaʁt ˈtɔlə], born Ulrich Leonard Tölle, February 16, 1948) is a spiritual teacher. He is a German-born resident of Canada best known as the author of The Power of Now and A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose. In 2008, The New York Times called Tolle "the most popular spiritual author in the United States". In 2011, he was listed by Watkins Review as the most spiritually influential person in the world. Tolle is not identified with any particular religion, but he has been influenced by a wide range of spiritual works.Tolle said he was depressed for much of his life until age 29 when he underwent an "inner transformation". He then spent several years wandering "in a state of deep bliss" before becoming a spiritual teacher. He moved to Vancouver, British Columbia in 1995 and currently divides his time between Canada and California. He began writing his first book, The Power of Now, in 1997 and it reached The New York Times Best Seller list in 2000.The Power of Now and A New Earth sold an estimated three million and five million copies respectively in North America by 2009. In 2008, approximately 35 million people participated in a series of 10 live webinars with Tolle and television talk show host Oprah Winfrey. In 2016, Tolle was named in Oprah's SuperSoul 100 list of visionaries and influential leaders.
- Birthplace: Lünen, Germany
Ken Blanchard
Age: 85Kenneth Hartley Blanchard (born May 6, 1939) is an American author. His extensive writing career includes over 60 published books, most of which are co-authored books. His most successful book, The One Minute Manager, has sold over 13 million copies and been translated into many languages.Blanchard is also the Chief Spiritual Officer of The Ken Blanchard Companies, an international management training and consulting firm that he and his wife, Marjorie Blanchard, co-founded in 1979 in San Diego, California. Blanchard is known for the quote "None of us is as smart as all of us."- Birthplace: Orange, New Jersey
- Eskild Balschmidt Ebbesen (born 27 May 1972, in Silkeborg, Midtjylland) is a Danish lightweight rower, who as part of the Gold Four has won a total number of five Olympic medals (three gold) and six World Championship gold medals. Ebbesen was the flag bearer of the Danish team at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Ebbesen and his crew took an alternative approach to racing and is quoted saying: Our strategy, for every race, was always to be first, to be number one from the beginning of the race. A fast start was important. It became natural for us to do a high stroke rate. It then escalated. I don't think we have many strokes under 40. Ebbesen retired from competitive rowing at the age of 40 after the 2012 London Olympics. In the following year, he won the Thomas Keller Medal, the highest honour in rowing.
- Birthplace: Silkeborg, Denmark
- Ruben Gonzalez is a motivational speaker, luger and an actor.
- Birthplace: Argentina
- Christian Claudio, (born on 17 June 1973 in San Juan, Puerto Rico) was a two-time member of the Puerto Rican national taekwondo Olympic team.Although born in Puerto Rico, Christian Claudio was raised in Oklahoma, where he attended Putnam City High School and then University of Oklahoma, where he was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, and from where he graduated in 1995. He was Oklahoma State Taekwondo Champion in the Middle or Heavy weight division from 1988 until 1994. Christian also was on the Puerto Rican National Olympic Team as an alternate for 1996 Games in Atlanta and was the team Heavy Weight for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Unfortunately, Christian was forced to resign from the team due to injury and retired from International Competition soon after.Currently, Christian Claudio is the Director of the Physical Therapy and Sports Performance Practice at Kaye/Bassman International. He was named Kaye/Bassman’s Rookie of the Year in 2009. Furthermore, he completed the year as the highest billing non-partner consultant within the organization. Christian is one of the most sought after retained consultant for the nation's leading Healthcare Systems and Sports Performance Facilities.He currently resides in McKinney, Texas with his wife and his two children.
- Birthplace: San Juan, Puerto Rico
- George Kourounis (born 22 May 1970), is a Canadian adventurer and storm chaser who specializes in documenting extreme weather and worldwide natural disasters. He presents the television series Angry Planet.
- Birthplace: Hull, Gatineau, Canada
- Lars Mullback is an award-winning Swedish entrepreneur, author, journalist, businessman, motivational speaker, film director, theatre director, radio producer, restaurateur and self-described "Christian folk-educator". Though the bulk of his work deals with his struggles to overcome the physical, psychological, and social limitations imposed on him by his light case of cerebral palsy, in later years he has been known to partake in other debates as well: For example, exposing "reverse sexism" discrimination against men in Swedish custody battles, and taking sides in Sweden's so-called "meat debate" in the mid-2000s. According to Mullback, most of these journalistic endeavours have been blocked from reaching a mass audience by the Swedish mass media establishment, thereby forcing him to retaliate by launching his own free, internet-based TV channel, named Café-TV. On a statement on the homepage of his now-bankrupt restaurant Mullback Café, he proclaims that with the launch of the channel, popular hard-hitting journalistic TV shows like "Uppdrag Granskning" and "Kalla Fakta" will "no longer have a monopoly on public debate".
- Birthplace: Karlsborg, Sweden
- Brian Sterling-Vete (aka Brian Sterling, Brian Vete) (born 22 August 1958) is an English author, Guinness World Record Holder, motivational speaker, TV broadcaster, Director, Stage, Film and Television actor, stunt performer, martial arts expert, fitness expert and entrepreneur.
- Birthplace: Rusholme, United Kingdom
- Jason Edward Lezak (born November 12, 1975) is an American former competition swimmer and a four-time Olympic gold medalist. He swam for Rose Bowl Aquatics. He graduated from Irvine High School in 1994, and then from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1999. Lezak was a specialist in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle races. He also owns long-course world records in the 400 m freestyle and medley relays, and is a former American record holder in the 100-meter freestyle. Lezak was one of the few elite swimmers not to have a personal coach. Despite this, Lezak enjoys team sports and fellow American Gary Hall Jr. dubbed Lezak as a "professional relay swimmer" at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials before their match-up in the 100-meter freestyle.
- Birthplace: Irvine, California, USA
- Dewitt Jones is an American professional photographer, writer, film director and public speaker, who is known for his work as a freelance photojournalist for National Geographic and his column in Outdoor Photographer Magazine. He produced and directed two films nominated for Academy Awards: Climb (1974), nominated for Best Live Action Short Film, and John Muir's High Sierra (1974), nominated for Best Short Subject Documentary. He has published several books.
- Cullen Andrew Jones (born February 29, 1984) is an American competition swimmer and Olympic gold medalist who specializes in freestyle sprint events. As part of the American team, he holds the world record in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay (long course). At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he won silver medals in the 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay and the 50-meter freestyle, as well as the gold in the 4 x 100-metre medley.
- Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
- Wesley Eric Weston Jr. (born March 3, 1981), better known by his stage name Lil' Flip, is an American rapper. He embarked on his musical career as a freestyle and battle rapper before earning a record deal with Suckafree Records in 1999. Lil' Flip is best known for his singles "The Way We Ball", "Game Over" and "Sunshine".
- Birthplace: Texas, USA, Cloverland, Houston
- Patrick Spencer Johnson (November 24, 1938 – July 3, 2017) was an American physician and author, known for the ValueTales series of children's books, and for his 1998 motivational book Who Moved My Cheese?, which recurred on the New York Times Bestseller list, on the Publishers Weekly Hardcover nonfiction list. Johnson was chairman of Spencer Johnson Partners.Johnson also wrote the book "Yes" or "No": The Guide to Better Decisions (1992). He co-authored the One Minute Manager series of books with management writer Ken Blanchard, though each author has added their own books to the series. His latest book is Peaks And Valleys. Johnson's books have been translated into twenty-six languages.
- Birthplace: South Dakota
Matt Lohr
Age: 53Matthew J. "Matt" Lohr (born August 28, 1971) is an American politician. On December 3, 2018 he was appointed by Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue as the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Lohr served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2006–2010, representing the 26th district in the Shenandoah Valley, made up of the city of Harrisonburg and part of Rockingham County. From May 1, 2010 until December 16, 2013, he served as the 14th Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services under Governor Robert F. McDonnell. From December 2013 until June 2017, Lohr worked for Farm Credit of the Virginias as director of the Knowledge Center. In this position he facilitated the sharing of knowledge and resources for the betterment of all farmers. Today, Lohr divides his time between his farming operation (LohrsFarm.com) and his motivational speaking business (LohrLeadership.com). Lohr is a member of the Republican Party.While in the House, Lohr served on the committees of Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources; Counties, Cities and Towns; and Finance. He also served as chairman of the Agriculture Subcommittee. During his time in office, he was presented "Legislator of the Year" awards from the Virginia Career and Technical Education Association and the Virginia Economic Development Association. In 2003 he won the American Farm Bureau "Excellence in Agriculture" Award as well as numerous farming and environmental stewardship honors.- Birthplace: Harrisonburg, Virginia
- Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland
- Alvin Law (born 1960 in Yorkton, Saskatchewan) is a motivational speaker and former radio broadcaster.Law was born without arms as a consequence of his mother's use of thalidomide while pregnant. His birth parents put him up for adoption, and he was raised by foster parents Hilda and Jack Law. Law learned to perform routine activities using his feet alone, including eating, dressing and grooming himself, driving, sewing, playing sports, and playing drums, piano, and trombone. He attended regular elementary and high schools, even though at the time handicapped children were usually placed in institutions or special education programs. After graduating from college, Law embarked on a successful career in radio broadcasting. He expressed an interest in moving to television, but network executives were unsure of how the public would react to an armless news anchor. Law began dabbling in motivational speaking in 1981. In 1988 he made this his full-time occupation with the founding of AJL Communications Ltd. He is the subject of two award-winning documentaries, and is the author of a book, Alvin's Laws of Life: 5 Steps To Successfully Overcome Anything. He has also dabbled in acting, his most notable role to date being a preacher in the X-Files episode "Humbug". In 1986, Law ran as a Saskatchewan Progressive Conservative Party candidate in the 1986 provincial election, losing to John Solomon in the constituency of Regina North West. Law served on the national board of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. For many years, Law was a mainstay on the annual telethon Telemiracle. In 2018, Law was inducted into the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame.
- Birthplace: Yorkton, Canada
- Steve Pavlina (born April 14, 1971) is an American self-help author, motivational speaker and entrepreneur. He is the author of the web site stevepavlina.com and the book Personal Development for Smart People.
- Birthplace: Santa Monica, California
- Geoffrey Moore (born 1946) is an American organizational theorist, management consultant and author, known for his work Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers.
- Birthplace: Portland, Oregon
Pierre-Alexandre Rousseau
Age: 45Pierre-Alexandre Rousseau is a freestyle skier.- Birthplace: Drummondville, Canada
- Damon Michael Denson (born February 8, 1975) is a former American football player. He played college football as a defensive tackle and offensive guard for the University of Michigan from 1993 to 1996. He played professional football as an offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the New England Patriots from 1997 to 1999.
- Birthplace: Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
- John Keister (born February 15, 1956) is a Seattle-based comedian, writer, commentator and motivational speaker, best known as the host of the local comedy program Almost Live! from 1988 to 1999. A native of Seattle, he grew up in the Seward Park neighborhood and graduated from Franklin High School in 1974. He was an editor for The Daily as a student at the University of Washington, graduating with a degree in communications in 1979. He wrote for The Rocket and initially joined KING-TV as a music reviewer on a program called REV in 1984. Shortly thereafter, he joined the cast of KING's local comedy program Almost Live! with his best friend Pat Cashman. Following the departure of original host Ross Shafer, Keister became the show's host and its format was reworked to emphasize the opening monologue, sketches, and parody news segments. He won a total of twelve local Emmy Awards for his work on the show. Almost Live! was canceled by KING in 1999. In 2000, Keister created a new sketch comedy show for competing station KIRO-TV, titled The John Report with Bob. Its format was similar to the news report segment he had done on Almost Live!, with additional sketch material from Bob Nelson and local comedy troupes. The new show was canceled after a year. Keister was a writer for the 2005 public television series The Eyes of Nye, starring fellow Almost Live! alumnus Bill Nye. Keister currently teaches Video Production classes at The Art Institute of Seattle. He has three sons, Elroy, Riley, and Arlo. Keister is also a staff writer and producer for the critically acclaimed children's PBS series Bizkid$ taped at Seattle's KCTS public television studios. He shows up occasionally in several of the series short vignettes playing various funny characters. On April 30, 2009, Keister appeared on The Brandon Ivey Show at the Historic University Theater in the U-District. He refuted rumors regarding his death. Also in 2009, Keister was the narrator for Sonicsgate, a documentary about the controversial relocation of the Seattle SuperSonics to Oklahoma City. In January 2013, Keister returned to KING-TV with a new comedy show called The 206, along with former Almost Live! costar Pat Cashman and his son Chris.In October, 2014, The 206 co-host Pat Cashman announced that Keister had departed the show to pursue other interests. When contacted by the Seattle Times, Keister explained that he was happy that he was able to help get The 206 up and running, "but everyone is working for almost nothing." He said at the time that he was putting together a one-man show called "The Keister Monologues".In September 2017 Keister gave what he called his last stand-up performances in Seattle at Benaroya Hall. The show was entitled "Living and Dying in Seattle".
- Birthplace: USA, Washington, Seattle
- Sean Clinch Stephenson is an American therapist, self-help author and motivational speaker. Because he was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, Stephenson stands just three feet tall, has fragile bones, and must use a wheelchair.
- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
George Durrant
Age: 93George Donald Durrant (born October 20, 1931) is a prominent member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He has written or co-authored more than 50 books, been a university professor, worked in several positions in the LDS Church Educational System, a motivational speaker, and an LDS Church employee (he served as Director of Priesthood Genealogy, and worked on the Family Home Evening improvement program). He has taught Religion at Brigham Young University (BYU), and his published books include "Love at Home, Starring Father" (1976).- Birthplace: American Fork, Utah
- Alireza Azmandian (born 1953) is an author, college professor, lecturer and motivational speaker from Iran. He received a Ph.D. in industrial and systems engineering at the University of Southern California. Azmandian established the cultural-scientific institute Padideh Fekr in 1997 in Iran to develop and teach the self-help system Technology of Thought.
- Birthplace: Tehran, Iran
- Eric Lee Shanteau (born October 1, 1983) is an American former competition swimmer who won two gold medals as a member of winning United States relay teams at the World Championships. He was a member of the 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympic teams, and earned a gold medal as a member of the winning U.S. team in the 4×100-meter medley relay at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Shanteau also holds the world record as a member of the U.S. 4×100-meter medley relay team that competed at the 2009 FINA World Championship in Rome.
- Birthplace: Snellville, Georgia
Mohanbir Sawhney
Age: 62Mohanbir Sawhney (born 1963) is a noted management consultant, author and academic. He is the McCormick Tribune Professor of Technology at the Kellogg School of Management. He is an adviser to several large organizations on e-commerce strategies.- Birthplace: Kalaikunda Air Force Station, India
- David Anthony "Dave" Rodney (born June 27, 1964) is a Canadian politician and was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the constituency of Calgary-Lougheed, first as a Progressive Conservative and then the United Conservative Party when it was formed in July 2017 by the merger of the PC Party merged with the Wildrose Party. He was first elected in the 2004 provincial election and re-elected three times. He resigned on November 1, 2017 in order to open a seat for new United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney. He was the first Canadian to ascend to the summit of Mount Everest twice.
- Birthplace: Mankota, Canada
- Brett Martin Alegre-Wood is an author, entrepreneur and property educator. He is the founder and Managing Director of YPC Group and author of The 3+1 Plan, winner of the 2010 People's Book Prize.
- Birthplace: Melbourne, Australia
Mohamed Mohamed
Age: 46Mohamed Mohamed is a Greco-Roman wrestler.- Birthplace: Suez, Egypt
- Robert X. Golphin (born February 2, 1982) is an American actor, writer/director, author, speaker and journalist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is best known for his role as Dunbar Reed in The Great Debaters.
- Birthplace: USA, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Judson Laipply (; born March 22, 1976) is an American motivational speaker and dancer from Bucyrus, Ohio. He served as the state president of The Ohio Association of Student Councils from 1993 to 1994. He is best known for his performance in the Evolution of Dance viral video clip. He has worked as a public speaker since 2000.
- Birthplace: Lakewood, Ohio
Bruce Sellery
Age: 54Bruce Sellery (born August 2, 1970) is a Canadian business journalist and television news anchor.. Sellery is one of the journalists who helped found CTV's Business News Network (BNN) in 1999. He worked there until 2008, covering the stock market and the economy in depth, both as an anchor in Toronto and as BNN's Bureau Chief in New York City. He interviewed thousands of CEOs, economists and analysts, produced a series of documentaries and hosted a primetime show about the workplace. In 2009, he founded Moolala, a company dedicated to "inspiring people to get a handle on their money so they can live the life they want." Sellery's first book, Moolala: why smart people do dumb things with their money (and what you can do about it), was published by McClelland & Stewart and became a Globe and Mail best seller. He followed with a second book called The Moolala Guide to Rockin' Your RRSP, published by Figure 1, which also became a bestseller. Sellery is also known as the personal finance expert and host of Million Dollar Neighbourhood on the Oprah Winfrey Network. Sellery is currently the Money Columnist for CBC Radio, MoneySense and Cityline, a lifestyle TV show that airs across Canada and the United States.- Birthplace: London, Canada
- Harold "Harry" Davies (born 1964 in Hampstead, London) is a philanthropist, retired Italian TV presenter and actor of Bermudian origins.
- Birthplace: Hampstead, London, England
Khoo Swee Chiow
Age: 60Khoo Swee Chiow (Chinese: 邱瑞昭; pinyin: Qiū Ruìzhāo; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Khu Suī-tsiau; born November 16, 1964 in Port Dickson, Malaysia) is a Singaporean adventurer, author and motivational speaker. Khoo is the 1st South East Asian and the 4th person in the world to complete The Explorers Grand Slam, that is, the South Pole, the North Pole and the Seven Summits.- Birthplace: Port Dickson, Malaysia
- David "Dave" Cornthwaite is an English adventurer, writer and filmmaker. He is best known for his Expedition1000 project, a plan to undertake 25 separate journeys of 1000 miles or more, each using a different form of non-motorised transport.
- Birthplace: Bembridge, United Kingdom
- Jordan Ross Belfort (; born July 9, 1962) is an American author, motivational speaker, and former stockbroker. In 1999, he pleaded guilty to fraud and related crimes in connection with stock-market manipulation and running a boiler room as part of a penny-stock scam. Belfort spent 22 months in prison as part of an agreement under which he gave testimony against numerous partners and subordinates in his fraud scheme. He published the memoir The Wolf of Wall Street in 2007, which was adapted into a film with the same name and released in 2013.
- Birthplace: New York City, New York
Robert Dilts
Age: 69Robert Dilts has been a developer, author, trainer and consultant in the field of neuro-linguistic programming since its creation in 1975 by John Grinder and Richard Bandler. Dilts has made many personal contributions to the field of NLP including the authorship of the Encyclopedia of Systemic NLP. He is best known for his work on beliefs and strategies. Dilts is the author of numerous books. He founded behavioral engineering – a software company with William Hanley as Director in 1981. There he developed numerous education software programs. Math and Spelling Strategy were licensed by Apple Computer as part of its Special Delivery Software. As of March 22, 2013, he lives in Paris with his wife. Very highly respected in the field of neuro-linguistic programming he presents workshops and seminars worldwide.- Charles Thompson (born May 28, 1968) is an American businessman, motivational speaker, and former football player, best known for his tenure and spectacular downfall as the quarterback of the Oklahoma Sooners.
- Birthplace: Lawton, Oklahoma
Bob Basso
Bob Basso is a motivational speaker and author that is known for advocating fun in the workplace.- Iztok Čop (born 17 June 1972 in Kranj, SR Slovenia) is a Slovenian rower and Olympic gold medalist.
- Birthplace: Kranj, Slovenia
- Mark Joseph Inglis (born 27 September 1959) is a New Zealand mountaineer, researcher, winemaker and motivational speaker. He holds a degree in Human Biochemistry from Lincoln University, New Zealand, and has conducted research on leukaemia. He is also an accomplished cyclist and, as a double leg amputee, won a silver medal in the 1 km time trial event at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney. He is the first double amputee to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world. In addition to being a goodwill ambassador for the Everest Rescue Trust, Inglis has created a New Zealand-based charitable trust Limbs4All. He has also created a range of sports drinks and energy gels named PeakFuel.
- Birthplace: New Zealand
- Dirk Van Tichelt (born 10 June 1984) is a Belgian judoka. His biggest achievement was his European title in Lisbon. In the same year, at the Beijing Olympics he came fifth after losing in the first round to gold-medallist Elnur Mammadli and later losing in the bronze medal match to Rasul Boqiev. At the 2009 World Championships, he reached the semi-finals but there he lost to Kim Chol-Su. In the bronze medal match he beat Sezer Huysuz to take his first bronze medal at a world championships. At the 2013 World Championships, he again won bronze, losing to eventual champion Shohei Ono in the semi-final and beating Dastan Ykybayev in his bronze medal match. In the 2016 Summer Olympics, Van Tichelt won the bronze medal against Miklos Ungvari.
- Birthplace: Turnhout, Belgium
- Deezer D (born 1965), whose real name is Dearon Thompson, is an American actor, rapper and motivational speaker. He is best known for his role as Nurse Malik McGrath in the US TV series ER, and for his roles in the films CB4 and Fear of a Black Hat. Deezer D's most recent album, Delayed, But Not Denied, was available on iTunes and from his website August 8, 2008. Previously, Thompson released Unpredictable (2002) and Living Up in a Down World (1999).
- Birthplace: Los Angeles, USA, California
- Louis Silvie Zamperini (January 26, 1917 – July 2, 2014) was an American World War II veteran, a Christian evangelist and an Olympic distance runner, best known for being a Japanese prisoner of war survivor. Zamperini took up running in high school and qualified for the US in the 5,000 m race for the 1936 Berlin Olympics. In 1941, he was commissioned into the United States Army Air Forces as a lieutenant. He served as a bombardier in B-24 Liberators in the Pacific. On a search and rescue mission, mechanical difficulties forced Zamperini's plane to crash in the ocean. After drifting at sea for 46–47 days (island spotted on the 46th, and arrived on 47th) he landed on the Japanese occupied Marshall Islands and was captured. He was taken to a prison camp in Japan where he was tortured. Following the war he initially struggled to overcome his ordeal. Later he became a Christian Evangelist with a strong belief in forgiveness. Since 1952 he devoted himself to at-risk youth which his family continues today. Zamperini is the subject of three biographical films: Unbroken (2014), Captured by Grace (2015), and Unbroken: Path to Redemption (2018 sequel to Unbroken, 2014).
- Birthplace: USA, New York, Olean
- James Gregory Henderson, also known as Big James Henderson and James "Hollywood" Henderson, (born April 9, 1965 in Roxbury, Massachusetts) is a former powerlifter from the United States, who specialized in the bench press. He competed in the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) and was five times Super Heavyweight World Bench Press Champion. He was the second man to bench press over 700 pounds [lb] (317.5 kg) and the first man to bench press over 700 lbs raw. James set numerous world records throughout his career, including the all-time world record in the raw (unassisted) bench press with 711 lb (323 kg).
- Birthplace: Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts
- Robert Holden (born 1965) is a British psychologist, author, and broadcaster, who works in the field of positive psychology and well-being, and is considered "Britain's foremost expert on happiness". He is the founder of the "Happiness Project", which runs an eight-week course annually, called "Happiness Now", and the author of 10 best-selling books such as, Happiness NOW!, Be Happy, Success Intelligence and Shift Happens!. He runs the National Health Service (NHS) Stress Buster clinic, established first NHS "laughter clinic", and runs regular happiness workshops and seminars, with clients including employees of the NHS, the BBC and British Telecom.Holden is a personal and professional coach, and the Director of The Happiness Project and Success Intelligence, through which he gives public lectures worldwide and holds public and corporate workshops and seminars for companies such as Dove, Virgin, The Body Shop and Unilever.The Happiness Project, founded in England, featured in on two BBC TV documentaries:The Happiness Formula and How to be Happy (Q.E.D.). Holden does a weekly talk radio show on Hay House Radio, and appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in April 2007.
- Birthplace: Melbourne, Australia
- Jeffrey Gitomer (born February 11, 1946 in West Palm Beach, Florida) is an American author, professional speaker, and business trainer, who writes and lectures internationally on sales, customer loyalty, and personal development. He lives with his wife Jennifer Gluckow in Charlotte, North Carolina.
- Birthplace: West Palm Beach, Florida
- Birthplace: Philippines, Manila
- James Arthur Ray (born November 22, 1957) is a leadership and performance advisor, life coach, and author who was found directly responsible for the deaths of three people and convicted of felony negligent homicide. He is the author of Harmonic Wealth: The Secret of Attracting the Life You Want, which was a New York Times bestseller.Ray taught Stephen Covey motivational seminars while employed at AT&T and claimed he later worked two years for the Covey foundation; however the company has no record of him as an employee or contractor. In 2006 he appeared on CNN's Larry King Live and was one of several narrators in the film The Secret. He also appeared on the Today Show and Oprah.In 2011 James Arthur Ray was convicted of three counts of negligent homicide, after his February 3, 2010 arrest for the deaths of three participants in one of his New Age retreats. He served two years in Arizona state prison and was released under supervision on July 12, 2013. As of 2016 Ray was attempting to relaunch his career as a motivational speaker.
- Birthplace: USA, Honolulu, Hawaii
Jim McLaren
Dec. at 113 (1897-2010)James McLaren (12 July 1897 – 16 November 1975), better known as Jim McLaren, was a Scottish professional footballer. He played as a goalkeeper.- Birthplace: Falkirk, United Kingdom
- NYOIL (pronounced N-Y Oil) (born April 29, 1971) is an American emcee from Staten Island, New York City. His name was formerly an acronym for New York's Original International Lover. He has been rapping since he was 12. In 1991, as Kool Kim, he released the first of two albums with Haas G as the group the U.M.C.'s. But around the same time that Nas released Hip Hop Is Dead, NYOIL put a video up on MySpace and YouTube for his song "Y'All Should All Get Lynched", which was produced by DJ Slice of The Cr8Kickers. The track calls for the lynching of a number of major-label rappers, and the video features pictures of current rap stars such as 50 Cent and Three 6 Mafia coupled with images of lynchings, slavery, and minstrelsy. The video was banned from YouTube after less than 48 hours, and attracted a large amount of media attention for its controversial content. NYOIL did not give much biographical detail, refusing even to be photographed without his sunglasses on. NYOIL released his solo debut full-length album, HoodTREASON, on June 26, 2007. Singles from the album include "Y'All Should All Get Lynched", "Purrrfect Beat", and "Hip Hop Ya Don't Stop". HoodTREASON was reissued by Babygrande Records in 2008. NYOIL has also received acclaim for his live shows.
- Birthplace: Stapleton, New York City, New York
- Kimmie Weeks (born December 6, 1981) is a Liberian human rights activist.
- Birthplace: Monrovia, Liberia
D-Naff
Age: 51Naftalie Shigwedha Amukwelele (born 1 January 1974) commonly known as D-Naff, is a Namibian multiple award-winning and top selling rapper /singer,actor and a former street gangster. D-Naff sings inspirational Gospel / religious music in the style of kwaito, hip hop, kizomba, dancehall and afro-pop. D-Naff is also a motivational and inspirational speaker and has visited more than 30 schools in Namibia including the University of Namibia, Windhoek College of Education, Ongwediva College of Education and the Polytechnic of Namibia now known as NUST.- Birthplace: Ongandjera
- Simon Oliver Sinek (born October 9, 1973) is a British-American author, motivational speaker and organizational consultant. He is the author of five books, including Start With Why (2009).
- Birthplace: Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom
The Scary Guy
Age: 71The Scary Guy (sometimes stylized THE SCARY GUY) (born (1953-12-29)December 29, 1953) is a United Kingdom-based American motivational speaker who campaigns worldwide to eliminate hate, violence, prejudice, and bullying in schools and corporations. In addition to being a tattoo shop owner, comic, entertainer, inspirational speaker, and performance artist, The Scary Guy has pierced nose, eyebrows, and ears and covers over 85 percent of his body with tattoos.- Birthplace: New Hope, Minnesota
Richard Bandler
Age: 74Richard Wayne Bandler (born February 24, 1950) is an American author and trainer in the field of self-help. He is best known as the co-creator (with John Grinder) of the pseudoscience Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), a methodology to understand and change human behavior-patterns. He also developed other systems named Design Human Engineering (DHE) and Neuro Hypnotic Repatterning (NHR).- Birthplace: New Jersey
Roger Rohatgi
Roger Rohatgi (born 19 May in Houston, Texas) is an American independent film producer and screenwriter, motivational speaker, actor and ordained minister focusing on youth and college-aged audiences. On April 24, 2004, he was fully ordained as a Christian nondenominational minister by Vision Ministries International based in Columbus, OH. He won his first independent film award on October 16, 2005, for the film Waterwalker, at the Bare Bones International Film Festival in Tulsa, OK. Waterwalker received top honors, winning "Best-of-Fest", for the mini-feature category of the festival. Roger was featured as a guest on Good Day Tulsa ABC on November 2, 2005. (Other notable guests on the show were Nicholas Sparks, author of The Notebook). The Atoka County Times reported on April 27, 2005 that "Waterwalker is a chapter in Rohatgi's career. A student of film-making, he is also an actor and director, with several independent careers to his credit. Rohatgi is an emerging force in Hollywood and New York, at the same time at home in Atoka." He has also been featured on many other TV and radio shows. He hosted/emceed the first two episodes of a national stand-up comedy TV show on American Life Network and FamilyNet TV called "LOL". Currently, Roger hosts the national show Trailerific on Youtoo TV. Roger's father was born in Delhi, India, and mother born in Monterrey, Mexico. Roger married his wife, Heather, on February 14, 2006 in Houston, TX at Minute Maid Park broadcast on Sunny 99.1fm KODA (Clear Channel Radio).- Birthplace: Houston, Texas
Jim MacLaren
Dec. at 47 (1963-2010)James E. MacLaren (April 13, 1963 – August 31, 2010) was a motivational speaker and author, noted for his record-breaking performances in the marathon and Ironman triathlon after having his left leg amputated below the knee. MacLaren was born on 13 April 1963. He was a standout athlete in football and lacrosse at Yale University. Moreover, even before matriculating at Yale he had been a leading athlete at Vermont Academy. In 1985, at the age of 22, MacLaren lost his left leg below the knee in a motorcycle accident, and had to be defibrillated. He recovered, and went on to run the marathon in 3 hours, 16 minutes, and to finish the Ironman Hawaii in 10 hours, 42 minutes. Then, in 1993, during the Orange County Triathlon, MacLaren was struck by a van during the bike portion of the race and collided with a signpost, rendering him a quadriplegic. MacLaren's accident inspired members of the running community to raise funds to allow him to purchase a van he could drive with his hands. The fundraiser rose above and beyond the amount of funds necessary, and the Challenged Athletes Foundation was founded in an effort to support other disabled athletes in their efforts. Again MacLaren recovered, and used a wheelchair. MacLaren then worked as a motivational speaker and author. He was awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2005 ESPY Awards presentation. He died August 31, 2010, in his sleep.- Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri
Carlos Carsolio
Age: 62Carlos Carsolio Larrea (born 4 October 1962 in Mexico City) is a Mexican mountain climber. Carsolio is known for being the fourth man (first non-European) and the second youngest to climb the world's 14 eight-thousander mountain peaks, all of them without supplementary oxygen (but he required emergency oxygen on his descent from Makalu in 1988).- Birthplace: Mexico City, Mexico
Emilio Scotto
Age: 69Emilio Scotto (Buenos Aires, September 27, 1954) is an Argentine adventurer, photojournalist, and writer. As of 2009 he holds the Guinness record for the world’s longest motorcycle ride, spanning 10 years, 279 countries and a total distance of 457,000 miles (735,000 km). The ride was done on a 1980 Honda Gold Wing GL1100 motorcycle Scotto calls “Black Princess." Scotto recounted his travels in a 224-page book illustrated with his photographs, The Longest Ride: My Ten-Year 500,000 Mile Motorcycle Journey, published in 2007.In interviews, Scotto is known to make hyperbolic boasts on the importance of his adventures, such as "This is more than a trip around the world, it's the biggest trip in the history of human beings."- Birthplace: Argentina
Jason Vale
Age: 55Jason Beau Vale (born 21 June 1969 in Kensington, London), also known as The Juice Master, is an English author, motivational speaker, and lifestyle coach.- Birthplace: London, England
H. Gil Ingles
H. Gil Ingles (born Hermenegildo Pereira Ingles) also known as Gil Ingles or Hermenegildo Ingles, is an independent record producer, television producer, television technical director, television host, and inspirational speaker. Ingles has won several Monty Awards for his Television Show Productions at AMTV (public-access television cable TV), respectively, two songs from the Angolan POP star on his roster Paul G, have been nominated for a 2010 MTV Base Video Music Awards and for a 2008 KORA Award.He was born in Angola, and grew up in Southern Maryland in the United States.- Birthplace: Angola
Marshall Ulrich
Age: 73Marshall Ulrich is an American ultramarathon runner, adventure racer and mountaineer. He holds various distinctions in several sports: he has completed 124 ultra marathons averaging over 100 miles each; has climbed the tallest summit on each continent (all on first attempts), a feat known as the seven summits; and has finished 12 expedition-length races in adventure racing. Arguably most famous for his exploits in the Badwater Ultramarathon across Death Valley, Ulrich has finished the race 18 times and crossed Death Valley a record 24 times, including a 586-mile 'Badwater Quad,' covering the course four times (twice up and back), and a self-contained, unaided solo, in which he pulled all supplies (food, ice, medical) in a cart that weighed more than 200 pounds at the start. He won the Badwater 146-mile race from the Badwater Basin at −279 feet (−85 m) to the summit of Mount Whitney at 14,505 feet (4,421 m) an unprecedented 4 times—and still holds the record to the summit. (The race is not run to the summit anymore.) In the summer of 2012, he and Dave Heckman completed the first-ever trek around the entire perimeter of Death Valley National Park, a total of about 425 miles covered in 16.5 days. Ulrich has raised over $850,000 for various charities, including the Religious Teachers Filippini, a small order with a major focus on serving children orphaned by AIDS in some of the poorest countries in the world. He provides his services as a speaker, trainer, and guide through Dreams in Action (DNA), encouraging others to "discover what you're made of: it's more than you think." In 1992, he had his toenails removed in order to avoid chronic problems he experienced due to the extreme number of miles he was racing and training.In the fall of 2008, he attempted to break the world record for a trans-American crossing (currently held by Pete Kostelnick ) and completed a 3,063.2-mile run from San Francisco to New York in 52.5 days, equal to 117 marathons, or two marathons plus a 10K each day. Ulrich succeeded in setting new Masters and Grand Masters records and recorded the third fastest crossing of the United States on foot. The effort, which included many injuries and obstacles, was chronicled in the 2010 movie, Running America. Ulrich's 2011 memoir, Running on Empty, gives more of the backstory of the transcontinental run, tells of his other extreme endurance adventures, and reveals his psychological drivers. Brian Metzler of Running Times called the book "a sincere original" with "candid tales about the loss of his first wife to cancer, his personal challenges of being a parent and rediscovering how to love later in life, as well as overcoming a mountain of self-doubt and insecurity."- Birthplace: USA, Colorado
Terry Kelly
Terry Kelly, CM (born 1955 in St. John's, Newfoundland) is a Canadian country/folk music artist, athlete and professional speaker. Kelly has released six studio albums and charted eleven singles on the RPM Canadian country singles chart. In addition to award nominations from the Juno Awards and the Canadian Country Music Association, Kelly has also won seven East Coast Music Awards. In 2003, Kelly was inducted into the Order of Canada, the highest civilian honour within the Canadian system of honours. He sang the Canadian National Anthem at the Opening Ceremonies for the 2010 Vancouver Paralympic Winter Games and also sang at the official installation ceremony of the 28th Governor General of Canada (David Lloyd Johnston) in 2010.- Birthplace: St. John's, Canada
William J. H. Boetcker
Dec. at 89 (1873-1962)William John Henry Boetcker (1873–1962) was an American religious leader and influential public speaker. Born in Hamburg, Germany, he was ordained a Presbyterian minister soon after his arrival in the United States as a young adult. The Rev. Boetcker was ordained in Brooklyn, New York. He quickly gained attention as an outspoken opponent of organized labor and was instrumental in the founding of the Citizens Industrial Association, later making a professional career of public speaking, and is sometimes considered the forerunner of such contemporary "success coaches" as Anthony Robbins.- Birthplace: Hamburg, Germany
Neal Petersen
Age: 58Neal Petersen is a South African world-class professional solo racing yachtsman, global investor, award-winning author of Journey of a Hope Merchant, and the subject of a PBS documentary. Petersen completed a nine month single-handed yacht race around the world alone in a small yacht, which he designed and built himself. "He became the first black sailor to race solo around the world."- Birthplace: Cape Town, South Africa
Frank Sontag
Age: 70Frank M. Sontag is an American radio personality having hosted programs for over a couple decades. In 2009, he began hosting an internet talk radio show. Sontag was a regular cast member on the Mark & Brian radio program. He also has had small acting parts in a few motion pictures.- Birthplace: USA, Cleveland, Ohio
Jim Bouchard
Age: 64- Birthplace: Willimantic, Connecticut
Scott Bolzan
Age: 62Scott Louis Bolzan (born July 25, 1962) is a motivational speaker, author, entrepreneur, former NFL and USFL football player, and the founder and CEO of Legendary Jets in Tempe, Arizona. In December 2008, he suffered a brain injury which has left him with profound retrograde amnesia. Scott, along with Joan Bolzan and Caitlin Rother, have written a book titled My Life: Deleted, which was published by Harper Collins and was released on October 4, 2011. My Life: Deleted appeared on The New York Times Best Seller List on October 8 at #16 for ebooks non-fiction and #29 for combined hardcover and ebooks non-fiction.- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
Dick Beardsley
Age: 68Dick Beardsley (born March 21, 1956) is an American long-distance runner best known for tying for first place with Inge Simonsen in the inaugural 1981 London Marathon and his close finish with Alberto Salazar in the 1982 Boston Marathon.- Birthplace: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Rich Christiansen
Age: 60- Birthplace: Cedar City, Utah
Omar Samra
Age: 46Omar Samra is an adventurer, entrepreneur, and speaker. He is the first Egyptian to climb Mount Everest, the 7 Summits and ski to both the Geographic South and North Pole (the Explorers Grand Slam). He is also the first Egyptian to complete the 7 Summits challenge on 31 May 2013, climbing the highest mountain on all 7 continents. Samra is one of 40 known people to accomplish the "Explorers Grand Slam" challenge, which include climbing the highest mountain on every continent, the 7 summits, and skiing to both the South and North Poles. Samra has also been selected for Nasa's PoSSUM (Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Mesosphere) program along with 2 other Egyptians, Abdelraouf El Waqad and Ahmed Farid- Birthplace: London, United Kingdom
Tim Storey
Age: 64Timothy Brian Storey is an American life coach, self-help author, motivational speaker, and entrepreneur. He is founder of Tim Storey Kids Foundation.- Birthplace: Lynwood, California, USA
- Benjamin John Saunders (born 5 August 1977 in Plymouth) is an English polar explorer, endurance athlete, and motivational speaker. He led the first return journey to the South Pole on foot via Shackleton and Scott's route in 2013–14, and skied solo to the North Pole in 2004. Saunders has skied more than 3,700 miles (6,000 km) on polar expeditions since 2001. He holds the record for the longest human-powered polar journey in history (2,888 km) and for the longest solo Arctic journey by a Briton (1,032 km).
- Birthplace: Plymouth, United Kingdom
Sam Cawthorn
Age: 45Samuel "Sam" Cawthorn (born 15 December 1979) is an Australian motivational speaker, success coach, self-help author and entrepreneur. Cawthorn is best known as the 2009 Young Australian of the Year for Tasmania and his work as a motivational speaker.- Birthplace: Perth, Australia
Guntmar Wolff
Age: 49- Birthplace: Bielefeld, Germany
Tommy Spaulding
Age: 55Thomas J. Spaulding Jr. (August 31, 1969) is an American author and president of Spaulding Companies LLC. His book It's Not Just Who You Know was released on August 10, 2010. Spaulding is also the former CEO and President of, Up with People, and founded Leader's Challenge, a high school civics program in the state of Colorado that shut down in 2009.- Birthplace: Suffern, New York
Ibrahim Elfiky
Dec. at 61 (1950-2012)- Birthplace: Giza Governorate, Egypt
Joel Sonnenberg
Age: 48Joel Sonnenberg (born November 1977) is a Christian motivational speaker. He is a graduate of Taylor University as well as Columbia International University's seminary program. On September 15, 1979, when Sonnenberg was 22 months old, he was involved in a devastating accident that left him with burns over 85% of his body. Sonnenberg was burned after a tractor trailer crashed into the car he was in, resulting in the rupturing of its fuel tank. Sonnenberg was rescued from the burning car by a stranger. The tissue damage suffered included the loss of the fingers on his right hand, his left hand entirely, his ears, and damage to his skull.It took Sonnenberg many years to recover from the burn injuries. He endured 45 surgeries and the emotional pain of dealing with disfigurement, but through the support of faith, family, and friends, he went on to become a student leader, all-conference athlete and internationally sought speaker.Sonnenberg completed studies toward a master of theology degree and has been on speaking tours throughout the United States and many other countries.Sonnenberg has become an active international speaking minister, with particular interest in persons with disabilities.Michael Solomon
Age: 80Michael Solomon (born March 30, 1944 in Bronx, New York) is an American author, motivational speaker, and political pundit.- Birthplace: Bronx, New York City, New York
Peter J. Daniels
Age: 93Peter J. Daniels, is an Australian life coach, writer, and professional speaker. Daniels has written thirteen books, including How to Reach Your Life Goals and How to be Happy Though Rich. Daniels came from a disadvantaged background and was illiterate in his early years. His family was third generation welfare recipients, he has two alcoholic brothers, 4 fathers and 2 mothers. Many of his relatives have been in jail. He failed at every grade in school and became a bricklayer. At 26 years of age he was hopelessly in debt, and attended a Billy Graham Crusade on 25 May 1959. Daniels went into business three times, failing each time, but without becoming bankrupt. He subsequently managed to build a large real estate business in Australia and South East Asia and serves as a director and chairman on a range of international boards. Daniels married his wife Robina in 1955 and has three children and eight grandchildren- Birthplace: Adelaide, Australia
William R. Patterson
Age: 49William R. Patterson is Chairman and CEO of The Warcoffer Capital Group, LLC. He leads the firm's corporate strategy and development consulting efforts. Patterson is the business and financial expert on XM Satellite Radio - The Power (XM). He is also co-author of the business and personal finance book, The Baron Son, which was featured in the Forbes Book Club and Black Enterprise magazine.In 2004, Patterson co-founded The Baron Solution Group, a coaching and consulting firm for executive leaders, entrepreneurs and investors. His website, The Baron Series, is ranked as the number one business motivational speaker website by Ranking.com and is winner of three 2008 Black Web Awards: Best Wealth-Building Site; Best Male Author Site; and Best Lecturer, Speaker and Workshop Site.Prior to winning three 2008 Black Web Awards, BaronSeries.com won the 2007 Black Web Award for Best Lecturer, Speaker and Workshop Site.- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
Reginald V. Johnson
An author, speaker, and entrepreneur, Reginald V. Johnson is the president of Success Tapes, Inc. as well as past president of International Sales Institute in Morrison, CO. His popular motivational book, "How To Be Happy, Successful And Rich" developed out of more than 3,000 interviews and 30 years of teaching, training, and motivating aspiring individuals around the world.- Birthplace: New York City, New York
Jim Smith Jr.
Jim Smith Jr. is an internationally known author, empowerment / motivational speaker, trainer and coach.Ujjwal Patni
Age: 51- Birthplace: Chhattisgarh, India
Jon Pritikin
Age: 51Jon Pritikin (born February 26, 1973) is an American strongman and motivational speaker.- Birthplace: Rockford, Illinois
Tarka L'Herpiniere
Age: 43Tarka Michel Bernard L'Herpiniere, born 19 September 1981, is a British explorer, ultra endurance athlete, motivational speaker and filmmaker who holds several endurance records. L'Herpiniere spent his early years climbing, skiing, skydiving, paragliding and BASE jumping before turning his hand to large-scale expeditions. Initially these were mountaineering expeditions to include Mt Blanc, Aconcagua and Cho Oyu before developing an interest in the polar regions. After several successful small scale expeditions to the Arctic, in 2004 he attempted to become the youngest person ever to reach the North and South Poles, unaided and in succession but due to sponsorship withdrawal the project could not be completed. In 2006 L'Herpiniere attempted to summit Mt Everest without oxygen. At the North Col (7,020 m) L'Herpiniere developed HACE and had to be evacuated. In 2007 he became the first person to walk the entire length of the Great Wall of China. In 2008 l'Herpiniere cycled over 8,000 km through Africa on a 30-year-old bicycle with no brakes or gears to promote the charity Re-Cycle. In 2009 he completed the longest crossing of the Southern Patagonian Ice Cap by a British team and is currently preparing for his next expedition to the ice cap in August 2010 to attempt the longest-ever unsupported crossing.- Birthplace: Yeovil, United Kingdom
Yossi Ghinsberg
Age: 66Yossi Ghinsberg is an Israeli adventurer, author and speaker based in Australia. He is most known for being lost and surviving alone in an uncharted part of the Bolivian Amazon for three weeks in 1981. Ghinsberg’s survival story was featured in a documentary in I Shouldn't Be Alive on Discovery Channel. He wrote his first book titled Back from Tuichi in 1993. The book became very popular in Israel and has been translated into 15 languages and published in several countries under different names - Heart of the Amazon Back from Tuichi and Lost in The Jungle. In 2008, he wrote his second book titled Laws of the Jungle: Jaguars Don't Need Self-Help Books.- Birthplace: Tel Aviv, Israel
Michael Heppell
- Birthplace: Consett, United Kingdom
Bert Oliva
Age: 56- Birthplace: Havana, Cuba
Al Duncan
Al Duncan is a youth advocate, educator and publisher. Recognized as an authority on the millennial generation, Duncan has spoken to more than one million youth around the world. Duncan has received the President's Volunteer Service Award, and the National PTA Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding service in the fields of youth development and youth empowerment.- Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Marshall Sylver
Age: 62Marshall Sylver (born Marshall Walter Sylwestrzak) is a motivational speaker, author, and performance hypnotist who works primarily in Las Vegas, Nevada. He has billed himself as "The World's Fastest Hypnotist".His Vegas shows have been at the Sahara Hotel, the Stratosphere, the Palms and Harrah’s. He has been on television shows including "Late Night with David Letterman" and "The Montel Williams Show". He hosts a radio show and starred in a 2010 movie, in addition to the book he wrote called “Passion, Profit & Power.”Greg Secker
Age: 49Greg Secker is an English trader and entrepreneur best known for motivational speaking, forex trading and his Knowledge to Action trading and training company, was one of the fastest growing companies in 2009 within Britain.- Birthplace: England
Corbin Billings
Age: 36Corbin Billings grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, attending Jenks Public Schools. At an early age, he became a notable motivational speaker, and his bumper sticker campaign of "Do Your Share To Get Clean Air" became a sensation. In less than four months he had commitments for 169,105 trees in Oklahoma. He met with the mayor of Tulsa, Governor of Oklahoma, and became the youngest professional speaker in the history of the National Speakers Association. At the age of 9, Corbin was made the youngest faculty member of The People's Network, a satellite success channel after speaking to 6,000 people in the Dallas convention center. He aligned with American Forests to reach their goal of planting 20 million trees as well as "Up With Trees" a local foresting agency in the Tulsa area. Currently Corbin's cause has led to the planting of 280,000,000 trees across the United States, France, & Canada. He was nicknamed the new Johnny Appleseed kid and also served as the model for Tree Bear, the American Forests Association's sequel to Smokey Bear.Michael Roby
- Birthplace: Coldwater, Michigan
