No One is Promised Tomorrow (Monday Moment ep. 751)
Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary
Release Date: 02/17/2025
Sister Monica Clare: Leaving Behind Everything to Become a Nun (ep. 782)
Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary
Sister Monica Clare is a nun, author, and the Superior at the Community of St. John Baptist, an Episcopal convent in New Jersey. And yet, she didn’t answer the call to religious life until age 46, after a failed marriage, a successful career and years spent searching for where she truly belonged. Today, Sister Monica shares what it was like to grow up in chaos, endure a painful marriage to an atheist, and journey from comedy clubs and ad agencies to the quiet rhythms of convent life. With honesty and heart, she opens up about faith, imposter syndrome, resilience, and how even a moment in...
info_outline
Robert Irvine: World-Class Chef and Philanthropist (ep. 780)
Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary
Robert Irvine is a world-renowned chef, successful entrepreneur, and champion for our military and first responders. Perhaps most recognized from Food Network’s Dinner: Impossible and Restaurant: Impossible, Robert has helped transform over 300 failing restaurants, and more importantly, the lives of those behind them. Today, Robert shares how a childhood marked by poverty and homelessness shaped his view of leadership and service. He explains how food became his way to connect, serve and heal and how one unforgettable moment with a child on set changed everything. From peeling potatoes on...
info_outline
Let Us Not Forget (Monday Moment ep. 779)
Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary
Have you noticed it is frequently the people who say the least about themselves who have the most incredible stories to share? On this Memorial Day holiday, I wanted to share one such example of a heroic, humble servant who never needed to tell you how great he was.
info_outline
Dr. Henry Cloud (ep. 778)
Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary
Dr. Henry Cloud is an acclaimed leadership expert, clinical psychologist, and New York Times bestselling author of Boundaries, Necessary Endings, and more than 40 other life-changing books that have sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. For the past four decades, Henry has coached CEOs, guided families, and walked alongside everyday people in their most vulnerable moments to help them grow, heal, and lead. Today, Henry shares what it means to rise through pain, reframe failure and rewire the way we grow. You'll hear how his mother’s tough love (and a trusted friend named Emmet) gave...
info_outline
The Gift of Second Chances (Monday Moment ep. 777)
Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary
Thirteen years ago, I was invited to visit a critically ill man in a hospital. All I knew was the hospital where he was being treated, his room number, that his first name was David and that he was dying. What happened during that visit, and over the years since, impacted my life. In reading about it today, it’s my hope it impacts yours, too.
info_outline
Jessica Cox: Soaring Without Limits as the World's First Armless Pilot (ep. 776)
Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary
Jessica Cox was born without arms, but she’s never let that stop her from soaring. A certified pilot, fourth-degree black belt in Taekwondo, author, global speaker, and advocate for people with disabilities, Jessica is also the visionary behind The Impossible Airplane, a first-of-its-kind aircraft designed to be flown entirely by foot. Her life is a powerful reminder that our greatest limitations are often the ones we place on ourselves. Today, Jessica shares how she turned “Why me?” into “Why not me?” She opens up about her journey to becoming the world’s first armless pilot, the...
info_outline
One Bed at a Time (Monday Moment ep. 775)
Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary
A tent in Colorado A canoe in Georgia Friend’s couch Church pew Airplane seat ER waiting room Classroom desk This is a truncated list of places I dozed off as a child. Regardless of where I fell asleep, though, I always had the certainty of ultimately going back to my house, my room, my bed. But many children do not sleep with that same certainty. When Luke Mickelson learned this reality, he began to do something about it. And what he did changed not only his life, but his entire community. In learning about his story, I believe your life will be positively changed, too. Let me...
info_outline
Luke Mickelson: Founder of Sleep in Heavenly Peace (ep. 774)
Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary
Luke Mickelson is the founder of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a nonprofit that has built and delivered more than 300,000 beds to children in need across the world. With nothing but hope, hammers, and heart, Luke traded his corporate success for a movement rooted in dignity, compassion, and community. Today, Luke shares how one “tiny moment” changed everything. From witnessing a little girl named Haley receive her very first bed to walking away from a steady career to serve full time, Luke proves that a willing heart and a power drill can change lives... starting with your own. My friends, if...
info_outline
Say Yes to Being Used for Good (Monday Moment ep. 773)
Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary
A couple of years ago, I had the immense honor of delivering the commencement address for the Class of 2023 at my alma mater, . (Believe me, the only people more surprised than I that O’Leary was the commencement speaker…. were the professors who taught me back in the late 1990s!) As I watched the graduates cross the stage full of excitement, trepidation, nerves and ultimately hope, I couldn’t help but think back to the miracle that appeared the night of my own graduation. Let me explain.
info_outline
Kim Becking: Grace, Grit, and Getting Back Up (ep. 772)
Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary
Kim Becking is a New York Times bestselling author, founder of the Unstoppable Momentum Movement, cancer survivor and mom of three. A leading voice on navigating change, she’s on a mission to help people lead with purpose, build real resilience, and face life’s challenges with courage. Today, Kim shares how she went from growing up in a trailer in small-town Missouri to becoming a lawyer and public servant. Plus, she shares the bold choice to leave a high-powered career to prioritize family, the breast cancer diagnosis that rocked her world at 30, the life-changing advice from her late...
info_outlineLong before Steve Jobs put a device in our hands that lets us mindlessly tap away - giving the illusion of purpose while we wait and a tool to avoid any interaction whatsoever with strangers – I found myself seated alone at a lunch counter awkwardly waiting for my burger, fries and root beer.
While watching the cook throw burgers on the grill, I heard behind me the unmistakable and unparalleled voice of Jack Buck belt out: “I didn’t know you had such a refined palate.”
Jack was a Hall of Fame broadcaster, the voice of the St. Louis Cardinals and the biggest celebrity in our city. Additionally, he was a significant reason I survived a fire as a child, had been incredibly generous to me in the years since it and undoubtedly had altered the entire course of my life.
He walked over, patted me on the back, asked if the stool next to me was taken and sat down.
And so began this unexpected lunch with my hero. Let me explain.