John O’Leary | Speaker and Coach| Inspiring Change Through Personal Struggle
Release Date: 10/25/2023
Honoring John Ruhlin | Founder of The Ruhlin Group | Creating Positive Experiences to Build Business Relationships
The Wow Factor
John Ruhlin is the late founder of The Ruhlin Group, a gift logistics company that helps clients like the Chicago Cubs, Wells Fargo, Caesar’s Entertainment, Miami Dolphins, Morgan Stanley, and The John Maxwell Company execute year-round gifting strategies. John’s unique approach to relationships led him to become the #1 salesman for a $250 Million direct sales company by the time he was 23 (out of 1.5 Million reps). Prior to his passing, he spoke widely about strategic gifting and relationship building and helps CEOs and sales teams drive referrals and open doors to elusive...
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Dr. John Stahl-Wert |Founder of the Center for Serving Leadership | The Joy and Responsibility of Serving Leadership
The Wow Factor
Dr. John Stahl-Wert is the Founder of the Center for Serving Leadership. He has pioneered training solutions for thirty years, working with organizations worldwide that want to produce outstanding results by investing in their people. He has written eight books, including the international best-sellers The Serving Leader and Ten Thousand Horses. John has coached executives in hundreds of other businesses in the U.S., Singapore, and Hong Kong. John has been married to Milonica, his business partner, for 44 years. They enjoy designing and building things, traveling, going to church, and...
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Gov. Scott Walker | President of Young America’s Foundation | Serving with a Generous Heart
The Wow Factor
Scott Walker is an American public servant who served as the 45th Governor of Wisconsin from 2011 to 2019. He now serves as President of Young Americas Foundation. A Republican, he was first elected Governor in 2010, defeating an attempted recall in 2012 and winning election for a second term in 2014. He formerly served as Milwaukee County Executive and in the Wisconsin State Assembly. One of his first reforms, Act 10, helped eliminate the state’s $3.6 billion budget deficit without raising taxes or cutting health care for those in need. It gave schools and local governments the tools to...
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Gregg Kunes |Founder of Kunes Auto Group | Faith, Family, and Giving Back
The Wow Factor
Kunes Auto Group was founded in 1996 when Gregg Kunes opened his first dealership in Delavan, Wisconsin. Since then, the Kunes family of dealerships has grown to over 40 locations across the Midwest. Kunes Auto Group's slogan of ‘Faith, Family, and Giving Back’ is vitally important to Gregg, and these four words embody what Kunes Auto Group is all about. They strive to build people's lives and live up to that by employing over 2,000 people and donating 10% of their yearly net profits to charities in local communities. Gregg joins me on the podcast to discuss the significance of family,...
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Martin Dingman |Founder & Creative Director at Martin Dingman | Building a Business with Integrity
The Wow Factor
Martin and his wife, Gay, started Martin Dingman in 1990 to build a company on the foundation of quality, integrity, and the "Refined Country Life." They have created World Class Leathergoods for the stylish man and enjoyed the honor of being recognized by nationally known publications, including the Robb Report as "America's Best Of The Best, and Forbes magazine as one of "America's 50 Best Companies.” Martin and his son and Sales Manager, Avery Dingman, join us on The Wow Factor podcast to discuss the importance of kindness, quality, and faith in business. We dig into the challenges of...
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Bruce Johnston | Founder of JH Ranch | Instilling Leadership Skill in Our Youth & The “4 C’s” - Part 2
The Wow Factor
Bruce Johnston is the founder and executive director of and is responsible for developing the ranch curriculum and stewarding the legacy of over 30 years positively impacting families through their leadership programs. Bruce Johnson’s father, Gene, purchased the 300-acre hunting lodge in Northern California to fulfill a promise he made as a young man to invest the resources God provided in a manner that would have eternal value. JH Ranch opened in 1980 with a leadership program for high schoolers and subsequently opened , which focuses on providing a unique opportunity for...
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Bruce Johnston | Founder of JH Ranch | Instilling Leadership Skill in Our Youth & The “4 C’s”
The Wow Factor
In 1979, Gene Johnston, father of Bruce Johnson, purchased a 300-acre hunting lodge in Northern California to fulfill a promise he made to the Lord as a young man to invest the resources God provided in a manner that would have eternal value. JH Ranch opened in 1980 with a leadership program for high schoolers named , which has subsequently been recognized as one of the most effective youth leadership programs in America. Bruce Johnston is the founder and executive director of JH Ranch and is responsible for developing the JH Ranch curriculum and the stewardship of the legacy of over 30...
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Jim Daly |President of Focus on the Family | Focusing on Family
The Wow Factor
Jim Daly is President of Focus on the Family and hosts its daily radio program, Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, heard by over 6 million weekly listeners on nearly 2,000 radio stations across the U.S. The show has been honored as Program of the Year by the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB). In March, Jim celebrated his 35th anniversary with the ministry. Jim’s past awards include: World Children’s Center Humanitarian Award (2008), the Children’s Hunger Fund Children’s Champion Award (2009), and the HomeWord Family Ministry Award (2010). Newsweek named him one of the Top 10...
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Tammie Jo Shults| Author, Naval Aviator and Retired Southwest Airlines Captain: Habits, Hope, and Heroes
The Wow Factor
Captain Tammie Jo Shults, author of , is a Naval aviator and retired Southwest Airlines Captain who received nationwide acclaim when she and her Southwest Airlines crew successfully landed a passenger-filled Boeing 737 that suffered catastrophic engine failure mid-flight. Tammie Jo’s previous career in the US Navy as one of the first female F/A-18 Hornet pilots gave her plenty of experience in aviation and leadership, which she took to Southwest Airlines when she left the Navy in 1995. Tammie Jo joins me today to discuss how she came to be interested in pursuing a career as a...
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Tom Monaghan | Founder of Domino’s Pizza and Founder, Chancellor and Member of the Board of Trustees for Ave Maria University | Finding Your Purpose as a Leader
The Wow Factor
Tom Monaghan is the Founder of Domino’s Pizza and Founder, Chancellor and Member of the Board of Trustees for Ave Maria University. He is known as a wildly successful entrepreneur, the founder of Domino’s Pizza, an avid collector of Frank Lloyd Wright items and the former owner of the Detroit Tigers. If his story stopped there, he might seem to fit in with other savvy entrepreneurs whose hard work and ingenuity paid off. But his greatest personal achievements came later in life, when Tom decided to fully immerse himself in charitable works, Catholic philanthropy and the call to help...
info_outlineIn 1987, John O’Leary was a curious nine-year-old boy. Playing with fire and gasoline, John created a massive explosion in his home and was burned on 100% of his body. He was given a 1% chance to live.
This epic story of survival was first showcased in his parents’ book, Overwhelming Odds, in 2006. It was this book that first invited John to embrace his miraculous recovery and share it with the world. John inspires nearly 75,000 people at 100+ events each year. John’s first book, ON FIRE: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life, was an instant #1 National Bestseller; his Live Inspired Podcast is a top 20 for business on iTunes & Inc. Magazine. His online community is 200,000 strong. John considers his greatest success to be his marriage to his wife, Beth, their four children, and his relationships with friends and family.
I’m so honored to welcome John to the show to share his journey from near death to striving to multiply his talents and repay the generosity of others. He discusses his path to becoming a speaker and how saying yes to opportunities led to speaking in 50 states, dozens of countries, and at over 2,500 events. John also shares lessons from his own life to encourage leaders to be grounded and not worry too much about life's setbacks, as they will inevitably pass.
“Generosity is not only about money. It's about time and attention.” - John O’Leary
“Seeds are taking deeper root, the right next steps are happening, and God's Will be lived out.” - John O’Leary
“The cool thing about generosity is it's never one plus one is two, it's a multiple.” - John O’Leary
This Week on The Wow Factor:
- The shocking fire that burned 100% of 9-year-old John’s body and his long process of recovery
- John’s memory of lying in a hospital bed wrapped in bandages and hearing the voice of his hero Jack Buck and how his daily visits inspired John in his recovery
- How Jack, by speaking life and challenge over John, helped support his wider family
- How John managed to earn 60 signed baseballs and learn how to write again from his hospital bed
- The importance of being interruptible in life and making time for people who need us
- How John became a speaker, and he shares his experience of his first speaking engagement for an audience of three Girl Scouts
- John discusses the upcoming movie production for the film inspired by his story, with director Sean McNamara
- How John was able to finally help his parents in return when they suffered a second fire in their home
John O’Leary’s Words of Wisdom:
My reminder to you is that this too shall pass. Almost everything on this side of eternity, the good and the bad, will eventually pass.
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