Chiseled Ep 59 Overwhelming Odds - John O'Leary

Chiseled with Rob Commodari

As a 9-year-old, Missouri native John O'Leary was nearly killed while playing with fire. Burned on 100 percent of his body with 89 percent covered in third-degree burns, John was not expected to live the first night.
But then something happened, call it a miracle. Through the power of countless people all striving to keep John alive, not to mention the well wishes from near and far, including President Ronald Reagan, Pope John Paul II, sports announcer Jack Buck, NHL star Gino Cavallini and the entire St. Louis Blues hockey team, John pulled through.
But that's just John's origin story. John survived, but he felt lost trying to fit in. Throughout his youth, he would try to be like everyone else by taking big risks, whether physical feats, drinking, or other extreme behavior.
"Anything someone else would do I would do even bigger and better to prove that I was ordinary," he said. "I wasn't chiseled, I was bandaged. I was just raft with lies and a mask."
At age 28 while working construction, John was asked to share the story of how he was burned — and he said "yes" for the first time. So, he spoke to a Girl Scout troop of three.
"I did a lousy job. I was not even paid with a box of Samoas," he joked.
But one of the girl's fathers asked John to speak at his Rotary Club. That grew to another speaking gig and then more and more speaking engagements, not to mention two books, including the Number 1 bestseller, "On Fire, The Seven Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life," which has sold 250,000 copies and been translated into 12 languages.
"I'm not afraid of the scars anymore," John said. "By saying 'yes' to others, I began to realize the dignity of my own story."
Over the years, John has spoken publicly 2,500 times and reached several million people to reveal "what happens when we allow ourselves to be used for something bigger than ourselves."
I am so inspired by John, not only because of the great baseball stories he shares about Jack Buck and the dozens of signed baseballs he received, but also because John embodies the principles of faith, healing, and dedication to purpose.
John shares his story and the lessons he's learned in this week's episode of Chiseled. If you'd like to reach John, you can do so on one of his two websites, JohnOLearyInspires.com and readinawe.com, which will also give you the opportunity to take the 21-day challenge to spark inspiration, meaning, and joy. Check it out and enjoy this week's podcast.