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Experience a Transformational Hero’s Journey

VISION-MINDSET-GRIT

How to Stand Up to ANY Challenge

Inspirational Keynote Speaker Scott Burrows’ unforgettable story of turning a paralyzing setback into a powerful comeback motivates audiences to take action! As audiences worldwide have discovered, Scott Burrows’ compelling story of grit and resilience provides an unforgettable and lasting memory to inspire your audience to stand up to any challenge.

Scott is a top motivational change speaker who brings the concepts of Vision, Mindset and Grit to life using his transformative personal story as the backdrop for sustainable business success. He teaches listeners how to push the limits of what’s possible and set goals that stretch the mind—even during challenging market conditions, leadership changes or company mergers, limited bench support, resistance, doubt and fears.

Using his physical paralysis as a visual metaphor, Scott reveals how to drive results using the same mental focus that helped him reinvent his life after a catastrophic accident left him paralyzed from the chest down. He will demonstrate there are no barriers or stop signs in life, just detours and workarounds.

Through the power of storytelling, Scott will teach attendees how to apply the same timeless principles of Vision-Mindset-Grit that have had a profound impact in his life. Three simple, yet powerful words, that when put into action can help teams conquer adversity and master change. Scott sets the stage for developing cutting-edge ideas and empowers attendees with leadership strategies that will benefit your entire organization.

This is the perfect Inspirational Keynote Presentation to open or close your conference to challenge your audience to be resilient, adaptable and set goals that stretch the mind. As a motivational business speaker, his message of Vision-Mindset-Grit will literally transform the way you look at industry challenges, your competition, business and life goals.

   

“I wanted to finish on a high note that would tie an inspirational message together with some of the business themes we have been experiencing. Scott, quickly understood the nature of our business and some of the opportunities and challenges we were facing and was able relate that back to his experience recovering from his accident. We had a great conference, but Scott was undoubtedly the highlight as he absolutely captivated the audience and got several standing ovations. I can’t recommend Scott highly enough if you are looking for someone who can motivate your team and help relate your company’s challenges with those he has faced. Truly one of the best speakers I have had the pleasure of working with or listening to.”

James Ford,
VP of Category Strategic Advisory,
The Coca-Cola Company

VISION-MINDSET-GRIT is Scott’s best-selling book detailing his engrossing life story, laying out the roadmap for companies and organizations dealing with catastrophic change and uncertainty. Scott’s book details how to face seemingly unconquerable setbacks by providing readers with practical tools they can put into immediate action to help push them toward exponential growth and personal success.

“I’ve been sourcing speakers for our annual leadership meeting for several years, and this year I believe Scott’s message was one of the most powerful and resonating keynotes witnessed by our attendees. There is a turning point in Scott’s message where I can guarantee your audience will all rise to their feet in thunderous applause, emotionally thunderstruck by the moment. His personal story of tragedy would ultimately prove to be no match for his will to triumph through Vision, Mindset & Grit. I don’t think there is another person out there that truly “walks the talk” as a keynote speaker. If you want to be reassured and inspired that the human will is stronger than life’s setbacks and there really are no limits to your dreams, let it happen with Scott Burrows.”

Ryan MacAfee,
VP Strategic Sourcing,
Smile Brands

About SCOTT

Scott Burrows is an in-demand Keynote Motivational Speaker who brings the concepts of Vision, Mindset and Grit to life using his life-changing story as the backdrop for organizational success. Three simple, yet powerful words that when put into action can help you and your organization stand up to any challenge, push the limits of what is possible and set goals that stretch the mind—even during times of change, uncertainty and fear.

By the age of 19, Scott was a star athlete and fierce competitor. He excelled in golf and track, was a college wide receiver at Florida State University for legendary coach Bobby Bowden, and a top-ranked kick-boxing Black Belt champion whose last fight was broadcast by ESPN.


During the height of his collegiate career, his life changed dramatically. On November 3rd, 1984, he survived a catastrophic automobile accident as a passenger in a friend’s car and broke two vertebrae in his neck that left him paralyzed from the chest down and diagnosed a quadriplegic. Told he would be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, Scott realized his split-second decision to not wear a seat belt altered his course forever.

Despite his grim diagnosis, Scott astounded his doctors and refused to be sidelined. After six months of intense physical therapy at Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado, he fought to stay alive while battling numerous life-threatening complications, including a pulmonary embolism. With the support of his family, friends and his Christian faith, Scott turned an impossible goal into a reality. He returned to college and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance and had some fun along the way—competing again, this time, in a completely different sport. They call it full-contact wheelchair rugby, otherwise known as Murderball, a Paralympic sport that allowed him to compete with the best physically challenged athletes from around the world. Working as one, these people came together to expand their Vision and prevent their Mindset from becoming their biggest handicap.

After graduating from college, Scott’s served as a Financial Advisor in the Insurance and Financial Industry for Northwestern Mutual. He specialized in life and disability insurance planning as well as retirement, estate and wealth planning. In his 5th year, he hit a huge goal and qualified for the prestigious Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), the Premiere Association of Financial Professionals, which is a 100% commission-driven sales production award that fewer than 8% of his peers qualify for annually from more than 500 companies in 70 countries around the world.

At the pinnacle of his career, Scott experienced yet another setback, a second automobile accident. Although he was buckled in this time, new injuries forced him to Re-evaluate, RE-invent and once again RE-ignite his life by practicing and executing what he preaches.

During his nine-month recovery, Scott reminisced about the overcoming adversity speakers he heard at sales and leadership conferences. Their life-changing stories inspire others to chase their dreams regardless of obstacles or barriers. That’s when Scott decided he would make the tough decision to leave an industry he had so much passion and success in to pursue a speaking career that has taken him around the world.

Scott also took advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help expand his brother’s golf course fertilizer, chemical and equipment company into Southeast Asia by disrupting an industry and doing what the competition was unwilling to do — offer custom-blended fertilizers designed specifically to meet the needs of golf course fairways and greens based on individual soil tests. This expansion brought in an excess of 1.6 million the first year.

Scott’s programs are CUSTOMIZED EXCLUSIVELY FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION. With a personal touch, he seamlessly weaves in your company’s challenges, terminology, core values and objectives—while lending his own personal story and business insights that will complement your overall theme and product messaging.

Scott's PROGRAMS

Resiliency & Overcoming Adversity

With the immense disruptions experienced during the pandemic, companies must find a new way to keep employees engaged and motivated to push against challenges and remain resilient in the wake of the storm. This inspirational program excites, inspires and leaves the audiences with a lasting message that will bolster team spirit and teach practical tools for managing change. Scott will rally employees to challenge not only themselves, but also effectively manage adversity with the mindset of a champion.

Motivational Sales/Business Growth

Sales Leaders RAVE about Scott’s insider knowledge of the sales arena and the self-mastery techniques he teaches teams in order to gain a true competitive advantage over their business rivals. Scott will share how to apply the same timeless principles of Vision-Mindset-Grit that have had a profound impact in his life. This popular program helps listeners master change and sets the stage for developing cutting-edge ideas and leadership strategies that will benefit your entire organization.

Insurance & Financial Services

Get ready to experience a powerful, life-changing sales presentation that will push your insurance and financial teams to new heights. With a corporate background as top-producing insurance and financial advisor and former member of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), Scott Burrows teaches sales teams the key drivers to becoming number one in their industry. Scott knows firsthand what it’s like to be in the field—generating activity, making scheduled calls, prospecting, facing rejection, overcoming objections, all while listening to clients’ needs to determine recommendations and solutions

Education

In today’s changing Educational System, many schools and districts around our country are trying to maintain a winning and optimistic attitude after a long season of disruption, fear, hybrid learning and new teaching challenges returning to the classroom. Perhaps today your school district is dealing with high poverty and literacy levels, changing testing or technology standards, and student behavioral changes. Or maybe you are feeling burnt-out, overwhelmed and paralyzed?

Healthcare & Medical

Inspirational Healthcare Speaker Scott Burrows ignites teams with a life-changing presentation that will help your team learn practical tools to Stand Up to Any Challenge. With the rapidly changing healthcare environment, healthcare workers, nurses, leaders and support teams need help navigating the extreme challenges and burnout of COVID-19, in addition to the overwhelming trials of budget cuts, equipment shortages and economic uncertainty. Scott will encourage healthcare professionals to find more passion and fulfilment in their work while teaching them day-to-day resiliency while encouraging their patients to Never Give Up Hope!

Pharmaceutical

Are you searching for a Motivational Speaker who can INFLUENCE your sales team to be resilient, adaptable and set goals that stretch the mind? As Pharmaceutical audiences have discovered, Scott Burrows’ thought-provoking presentation and compelling story is the hero’s journey, providing what will be an unforgettable and lasting memory to inspire your attendees to stand up to any challenge. Using his physical paralysis as a visual metaphor, Scott reveals how to drive results using the same mental focus that helped him reinvent his life after a catastrophic accident left him paralyzed from the chest down. He will demonstrate there are no barriers or stop signs in life, or the pharmaceutical marketplace, just detours and workarounds

Workplace Safety

With the alarming predominance of workplace accidents caused by human error, the importance for engaging teams with safety procedures in a way that is meaningful and can promote significant change is crucial. Motivational Safety Speaker Scott Burrows details his unforgettable, life-changing inspirational story of turning a paralyzing setback caused by a poor split-second decision into a powerful comeback that will inspire your team to develop a true safety MINDSET. Scott details how easy it is to become desensitized to common safety routines, and how ‘just this once’ can tragically impact the rest of their lives

KEY PROGRAM Takeaways

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VISION

  • Learn how to create a visionary game plan that entices you to take action
  • Examine the benefits of dreaming in full color and setting goals that stretch the mind
  • Discover the impact of connecting your organization to a shared company vision
  • Find out how conscious visualization can give you that competitive advantag

MINDSET

  • Learn how breaking the fall line can help you create an unstoppable mindset
  • Examine the mindset of poise and execution and releasing resistance around change
  • Discover how to not let your mindset become your biggest handicap to increase productivity
  • Understand how forgiveness, a leadership trait, increases employee engagement and leads to greater team adherence
  • Find out how asking the “what” questions can get you thinking differently and help you navigate change

GRIT

  • Learn what it takes to stretch yourself beyond your paralysed state to reach unimaginable goals and up your game
  • Examine why your willingness to fail but your unwillingness to quit is a leadership trait that can keep you focused
  • Discover adaptive strategies to help you stand up to any challenge
  • Understand the winning impact of going with what scares you
  • Cultivate ways to unlock your grit that can improve your performance

Video Testimonials

“The Carestream experience with Scott Burrows was nothing short of extraordinary. He transformed the way we think, and challenged us to reframe and purposefully examine where we are and where we want to be. Scott connected with our group at a deep and meaningful level. From my 40 years of experience in this business, I place Scott among the giants in this field. Tactically, Scott was diligent and invested in preparing for our group, professional and proactive in all communications with us, genuine and personal in his delivery, and masterful in working our reality into his message. We are better people and professionals having experienced his presence.”

NEIL BRYANT, Vice President, Sales Development, US&C

“If living with success is easy and overcoming adversity is the true test of the human spirit, Scott Burrows passed the test with flying colors and went right to the head of the class.  Scott’s presentation on Vision, Mindset and Grit is an extremely powerful, warm, enlightening and inspirational chronicle of an amazing man with a very active and passionate heart and soul. Scott exemplifies WILL and HUMANITY. Beyond the fundamental message of never giving up, Scott Burrows delivers multiple messages in his presentation that stimulate deep thought, raw emotion and bold energy to dig a little deeper and be a lot stronger. In 20+ years of hand-picking speakers to create very substantive impact with large and diverse audiences, Scott Burrows was hands-down, heads-up, eyes-welling and hearts-pounding one of the very best.”

JOEL DANDREA, CEO, Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association

“We hired Scott to be the Keynote speaker for an event with over 250 Employees. Scott was not only motivating and inspiring, but also extremely professional. We had multiple conversations before the event because Scott wanted to make sure he personalized his message. He did a phenomenal job of connecting with the audience because he spoke their language. Many of the attendees came up to me after the presentation with tears in their eyes telling me that was the best speaker they have ever seen. Scott’s message of Vision, Mindset, and Grit is a powerful message that has lasted well beyond the day of our meeting in 2022. I saw Scott present over 10 years ago and I enjoyed it even more the second time!”

ED BROGLIE, Sr. Regional VP, Bank Division, Equitable

“We recently launched a new division and were facing challenges and growing pains common in the start-up phase of many organizations; basic operational and support challenges as well as the challenge of being ‘first’ and having to establish a successful culture and foundation with limited bench strength to draw upon. Scott Burrows was definitely the right choice, and his personal story touched everyone. Scott worked with my management team and me to understand our business goals and challenges, and effectively paralleled these with his own experiences to illustrate how his approach could be applied to their personal challenges. He was effective in his delivery, and he provided them with the inspiration and motivation to continue breaking new ground, while establishing a winning culture in the process.”

“Sometimes the last speaker at a conference is faced with everyone looking at their watches and wondering about their flights to get back home. Scott Burrows changes that equation in every way. Not only are people glued to their seats, they are hanging on every word. His passionate story about overcoming the most difficult of life’s challenges is a must-see and must-hear for anyone that believes in ascending to the highest of mountains or reaching for the moon and the stars. There were few dry eyes in our audience when Scott was done, but there were many hearts and minds opened to the possibilities of what perseverance and belief in oneself can achieve. Scott Burrows delivers more than a speech about what he has overcome in his life, he brings a mindset that can change your life.”

“This keynote sets the tone and stage for the entire convention. We look for someone who can inspire us, has a message that ties to our convention theme & industry, and who would motivate us. Scott delivered on these three key points and more! Scott was able to weave his personal story with lessons learned, strategies to overcome obstacles that come your way, and encourage all to never to quit because success can be just around the corner. Our audience was clearly captivated. A measure of success was that he received two standing ovations. Standing ovations rarely happen in our keynotes, and two have never happened before Scott. Working with Scott was a pleasure. He was available, communicative and generous with his time. He made sure he delivered what we were looking for in a keynote. I highly recommend him as a keynote speaker and would be happy to talk with you personally about our experience.”

LIZ WHITNEY, Director, Education & Meetings,
International Warehouse Logistics Association

“I could say that Scott Burrows simply ‘spoke’ to our buying group organization’s owners and senior partners, but actually, it would be better stated that Scott mesmerized this group of hard-to-impress folks on these topics that day! By diligently researching SMA before his speech, learning in-depth our purpose, practices, challenges and opportunities, and precisely aligning these with the myriad relevant aspects of his amazing life’s story, Scott drove home to all a message of seeing what is possible and good, overcoming all obstacles to get there, and winning! He left our audience standing, clapping and deeply wishing that he would stay with us a whole lot longer!”

CHRIS ROWE, Director of Marketing Services,
Strategic Marketing Alliance

“Scott did wonderful job serving as the keynote speaker for our 2022 Annual Sales Conference. His presentation impacted our employees in such a positive and emotionally stirring manner that we have continued to hear comments such as ‘Best meeting yet!’ and ‘What an awesome event!’ Scott’s buildup and delivery grip the attention of the audience and pull them in by captivating their attention. We provided Scott with descriptive information about our company, and he took the time and effort to customize it by weaving it throughout his presentation, allowing our employees to relate to the message he was were sharing. This included using the D&M Leasing language and lingo our sales team utilize everyday while on the job. It was energizing, captivating, relatable, and astounding! We have booked many speakers over the years. Scott raised the bar and delivered the impact we were looking for.”

GREG BUELL, CFO, HERNCO (D&M Leasing Family of Companies)

“Scott Burrows is one of the best motivational speakers I have seen. He is dynamic, motivating, and inspiring. He has a way of telling his story that draws you in yet makes you reflect on your own life and career. He makes you think about the limitations you may be putting on yourself and may not even realize it. He is personable, relatable and can put things in perspective like no one else. He truly does make people want to reach for their highest goals and aspirations and not to let anything get in their way. Anyone, no matter what age or stage of life, would be blessed to hear Scott Burrows speak and hear his touching story.” 

AMANDA MONTES, Divisional VP, Equitable

“Scott Burrows did an excellent job delivering a very powerful and motivating keynote presentation at our global Finance & Operations team meeting in Bermuda.  His message of Vision, Mindset and Grit resonated with our team in a tremendous way as Scott did an excellent job at not only speaking from his heart but also personalizing his message to touch on various challenges and initiatives that our team has been facing or focusing on. Scott’s story about how he has overcome tremendous challenges in life to achieve enormous success is relevant at both a personal and professional level and we all walked away with a greater sense of belief in ourselves as individuals and as a team.”

JAMIE FRASER, Chief Accounting Officer,
RENAISSANCE RE SERVICES, Ltd

“Scott Burrows has a story to tell. A moving story, one that will make your eyes well up, will make you come to your feet in support and will leave you with a message forever implanted in your brain. I had the pleasure of spending a few hours with Scott in the hours leading up to his presentations to two different groups that we were hosting over a weekend conference. Both groups have a slightly different vision and purpose. This is where he has exceeded any speaker I have ever dealt with. He “listened” to me over the conversations that we had and wove our message, our story into his presentation with a masterful way that one would have thought it was the only message he ever presents. The following day to a different cohort, he accomplished the same feat. It was a joy to listen to him, a greater joy to get to know him.”

HARVEY WEINGARTEN, DDS
The Commission on Dental, Competency Assessments

“Scott Burrows delivered one of the most talked-about sessions in Gordian history. His keynote presentation, which was based on his book Vision, Mindset, Grit – How to Stand Up When Life Paralyzes You, resonated with the over 450 people that were in the room. He inspired everyone through his incredible story of conquering life’s challenges and adapting to change. He encouraged us ALL that we too can make positive changes when faced with unforeseen obstacles that could change our lives forever. Scott will make you laugh, cry and applaud in deep appreciation for sharing his story and how we can all maintain positive momentum in this thing called life.”

SENIOR EXECUTIVE OFFICER

“Scott Burrows has the ability to deliver what few speakers can—a story that goes deeper than merely creating an emotional response and instead reaches deep into the soul. His life story teaches vision with grit determination. His presentation of the story has the ability to not only inspire but also forever change those whose soul can absorb the message. You may begin the event seated firmly in your own convictions, fears and ways, but you walk away filled with hope and vision, both personally and professionally!”

MICHAEL J. MUNGENAST, CEO and President of ProEquities

“We chose to use Scott to kick off our annual Conference, hoping to get our attendees motivated – and our expectations were more than exceeded. GWN has been holding our annual Conference for nearly 20 years, and Scott is the first speaker to get two standing ovations in a singular presentation. His story was both inspiring and easily communicated. Perhaps the most valuable thing I could say about his presentation is that for the remaining three days of our Conference, attendees could not stop talking about him. That’s the kind of excitement that leads to a successful event! Thank you, Scott, for blowing away our audience and making us look good for having you up on stage.”

TIM ASKIN, Director of Marketing, GWN Securities

“Scott was amazing and had our participants on the edge of their seats. After a long day of meetings and presentations, Scott was able to capture their hearts and minds with his incredible storytelling and relatable style. We appreciated that Scott could tailor his presentation to our meeting themes and bring to life the mindset that we wanted to cultivate through his unique life story and the grit he used to overcome seemingly impossible circumstances.”

NORA GLAUBERMAN, Marketing Communications Manager, Construction Chemicals, Americas

“Scott’s appearance was nothing less than the perfect commencement to energize, inspire and re-launch a company’s vision in such a very impressive way. His personal experience, coupled with his distinctive presentation, was a custom fit for our client and deeply touched the audience. Scott tailored his presentation around our client’s company, their core values and objectives at hand, while lending his very personal story and anecdotes that complimented the overall meeting theme and messaging of the product. After Scott’s presentation, he maintained a very approachable nature, indulging our group with his time and one-on-one conversations with true class and kindness.”

MEG BENSON, Account Manager

“As one of the world’s leading transporter of oil and petroleum products, we recognize that our current and future success is attributed to our skilled and motivated workforce. Every year we look for ways to inspire our employees to reach their goals. We engaged Scott and he quickly connected to our employees and spouses and shared his personal story in a way that made us all rethink our choices and attitudes in life. Scott exceeded our expectations in both his messages and impact.”

LEON ZUPAN, Vice President Operations

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“Scott Burrows’ impact on our agency is still being felt a month after our conference. Our team continues to talk about his presentation, which has led to consistent and documented growth. Our agents were able to take his life lessons and put them to work, which resulted in our agency’s largest month ever. The ‘ah-ha’ moment when he gets out of his chair left our attendees speechless. There was not a dry eye in the room.”

“Scott Burrows delivered one of the most talked-about sessions in Gordian history. His keynote presentation resonated with the over 450 people that were in the room. He inspired everyone through his incredible story of conquering life’s challenges and adapting to change. Scott will make you laugh, cry and applaud in deep appreciation for sharing his story and how we can all maintain positive momentum in this thing called life.”

“Spellbound, entertained and inspired are just a few of the words that immediately come to mind when thinking of Scott Burrows and the impact he has with audiences. Focused on making sure his message is received to positively influence, challenge and add value to each audience member. I’ve had the privilege of hearing most of the domestic and international’s best and Scott Burrows is among the elite, he delivers with incredible style.”