Book Scott! Call Donna Buttice (630) 330-7533 or Fill Out Our Speaker Request Form
Book Scott! Call Donna Buttice (630) 330-7533 or Fill Out Our Speaker Request Form
At 19, Scott Burrows was a competitive athlete — a walk-on wide receiver at Florida State under head coach Bobby Bowden, and a kickboxer whose last fight was filmed for ESPN — until a car accident on St. George’s Island left him paralyzed from the chest down. Doctors told him he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
His father walked into the hospital room with a golf club and a sentence Scott still uses on stage: Let it happen. If you stand up to the challenge instead of resisting it, you will find a way through. It will take time.
Through Vision, Mindset, and Grit, Scott did what he was told he would not do. He walked out of Craig Hospital in Denver on forearm crutches six months later. He went back to college, earned a Bachelor of Science Degree, then joined Northwestern Mutual as a financial advisor — 100% commission, no leads — and in his fifth year qualified for the Million Dollar Round Table, earned by fewer than 8% of advisors worldwide.
After a second accident took him out of the business, he built a speaking career that has taken him around the world and, with his brother, a multimillion-dollar golf-course fertilizer company serving Southeast Asia. They disrupted that market through innovation — doing what the local suppliers would not: custom blends on demand, and a 40-foot container rebuilt to move 29 tons instead of 20. That change saved customers thousands a year and opened a second line — chemicals and supplies at 25% below the going price.
The adventures doctors said were off the table — golf, skydiving, scuba and spearfishing off Florida, skiing Vail’s China Bowl on his own two feet — became part of the story he now tells so other people will take the next 1/8 of an inch in their own work.
That is the mission now: help leaders and teams Stand Up to Any Challenge.
The stand. Midway through every keynote, Scott reaches for that golf club and stands up. Rooms go quiet. Then they work.
Business, not just a story. MDRT qualifier. 100% commission. A company built over 20 years. He has sat in the same pressure your producers and leaders sit in.
Cinematic hour. A 90-second open from kickboxing to the accident. A close on the mountain at China Bowl. What happens between those videos is live.
The 1/8 of an inch. Audiences don’t just hear grit defined. They feel the first wrist movement that made a handshake possible — then they grip the people next to them.
Built for the room you actually have. Sales. Finance. Leadership. Healthcare. Associations. Same spine. Different language. That is why planners reuse him.
Scott has delivered this keynote to hundreds of thousands of people for organizations including Hyatt, Oracle, Coca-Cola, SAP, Purina, Target, Allstate, Boeing, John Hancock, 3M, Henry Schein, J.P. Morgan, and hundreds more.
People do not leave with a quote. They leave knowing what they are fighting for — and that someone else’s belief does not get to decide the ending.
Ready to bring this transformative experience to your next event? Scott customizes every presentation to your industry, your challenges, and your goals.
Rare are those individuals who can truly inspire others to the core and move them to action. Scott Burrows is one of those people. His riveting story of overcoming adversity through sheer determination, will power, and goal setting is mesmerizing and uplifting.
Vision, Mindset and Grit: How to Stand Up When Life Paralyzes You is more than the story of Scott’s determination to overcome enormous obstacles and rebuild his life. It is a testament to his mission to inspire others to triumph over adversity as well. His message of hope and success resonates with audiences worldwide, motivating them to make positive changes in their own lives.