In 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 less than a 1% chance to live.
This epic story of survival was first showcased in Overwhelming Odds, the book his parents wrote in 2006. It was this book that first invited John to embrace his miraculous recovery and share it with the world.
Today, John inspires tens of thousands of people at more than 100 live and virtual events each year. He partners with companies and organizations across fields, such as: sales, healthcare, safety, marketing, finance, faith, education and insurance.
Consistently described as “the best speaker we’ve ever had,” John’s tireless schedule is a testament to the power of his message. His emotional storytelling, unexpected humor and authenticity make each presentation unforgettable.
John is a two-time bestselling author of On Fire: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life and In Awe: Rediscover Your Childlike Wonder to Unleash Inspiration, Meaning and Joy.
John’s award-winning Live Inspired Podcast has more than seven million downloads and enjoys world-class guests such as Brené Brown, Mitch Albom, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Bob Costas.
Amazingly, John’s story is taking on a new form: a full-length feature film starring Joel Courtney, John Corbett, and William H. Macy. SOUL ON FIRE will be released in theaters nationwide on October 10, 2025.
Regardless of his professional accomplishments, John considers his greatest success to be his marriage to his wife Beth, their four children and his relationships with friends and family.
Joel Courtney most recently starred in the Netflix romantic comedy Players opposite Gina Rodriguez, released earlier this year. He just wrapped leading roles in 40 Dates & 40 Nights alongside Bailee Madison, and U.A.P. opposite Celeste O’Connor, both filmed in Spain. In 2023, Joel played the lead opposite Kelsey Grammer in Lionsgate’s Jesus Revolution, which became the studio’s highest-grossing film since 2019.
Joel first captured attention with his breakout performance in J.J. Abrams’ Super 8 (2011) and went on to star in numerous films, most notably as the leading man in Netflix’s global hit The Kissing Booth trilogy alongside Joey King and Jacob Elordi.
Additional credits include the Blumhouse thriller Sick (2022), directed by John Hyams; Fox’s supernatural horror The Empty Man (2020), directed by David Prior; Mercy, directed by Peter Cornwell; Dear Eleanor, directed by Kevin Connolly; and Sins of Our Youth, directed by Gary Entin.
Masey McLain is an actress, screenwriter, and producer best known for her leading roles in I’m Not Ashamed and the hit Amazon Prime series, The Baxters, where her performances have been praised for their emotional depth.
She’s also one half of a powerhouse creative team alongside her writing and producing partner, Taylor Kalupa. Together, their projects include the award-winning film A Christmas Less Traveled, starring Candace Cameron Bure, as well as their work on the action-packed TV series Blue Ridge. They are currently developing a television series with Jon Erwin’s The Wonder Project (I Can Only Imagine, House of David). They’re also set to adapt and produce a #1 New York Times bestselling novel alongside producer Roma Downey.
Off-screen, Masey is a sought-after speaker known for inspiring women to step boldly into their purpose. Whether on set, in a writers’ room, or on stage, she’s committed to telling stories that matter and make an impact that lasts far beyond the screen.
John will next be seen in the third season of the Max hit AND JUST LIKE THAT reprising his iconic role of ‘Aidan Shaw.’ He starred in MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING. John also appeared in all three films of the TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE franchise on Netflix.
On the television side John has had starring roles in FX’s critically acclaimed series LUCKY, Showtime's UNITED STATES OF TARA, and CBS’s NORTHERN EXPOSURE.
William H. Macy is an Oscar and Golden Globe nominee, an Emmy and SAG Award winning actor, and a writer in theater, film, and television. Most recently he was in Disney’s KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, Amazon’s RICKY STANICKY directed by Peter Farrelly,, the independent feature film MAYBE I DO, the Hulu mini-series THE DROPOUT, and starred in the Showtime series SHAMELESS, for which he was nominated twice for a Best Actor Emmy Award and has won twice for the SAG Award. Macy's film credits include SEABISCUIT, THE COOLER, MAGNOLIA, BOOGIE NIGHTS, JURASSIC PARK III, FARGO, TNT'S DOOR TO DOOR, WILD HOGS, and ROOM. William H. Macy made his feature directorial debut with RUDDERLESS, the closing film at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. THE LAYOVER, his second film, was released in 2017 followed by his third film, KRYSTAL, in April of 2018. Macy can next be seen in the highly anticipated Netflix feature, Train Dreams. In addition, Macy is a founding member of the Atlantic Theater Company.
French-American actress Stephanie Szostak will next be seen as one of the leads in the upcoming feature SOUL ON FIRE starring alongside William H. Macy and John Corbett. Other credits include the ABC Hit Series A MILLION LITTLE THINGS, IRON MAN 3, and THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, amongst others.
Ten years into her career, Szostak suffered from imposter syndrome, which pushed her to address her mindset and develop a personal Playbook as a daily practice of mental fitness. Her book, “SELF!SH: Step Into a Journey of Self-Discovery to Revive Confidence, Joy, and Meaning,” offers a template for others to create their unique Playbook to live with authenticity and thrive through adversity.
Knowing she is where she is only thanks to the help of many, Stephanie thrives to support others on their lifelong journey of discovery, learning, and growth. As part of her commitment to mental health, she donates half of her proceeds from her book SELF!SH to the mental health organization, Give an Hour and is actively working on expanding the reach of the SELF!SH app, currently in beta.
Stephanie has been featured in Vanity Fair, Oprah, Forbes, US Weekly, People Magazine, Glamour and Marie Claire just to name a few. She has also appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The John O’Leary Podcast, Off The Beat with Brian Baumgartner, and Whine Down with Jana Kramer, amongst others.
Named by Variety as one of the "Top 10 Producers to Watch,” by Oprah as “a different kind of Spiritual Teacher,” and by Ebony Magazine as one of “Top 100 African-Americans in America,” DeVon Franklin is a successful and thriving multi-hyphenate. As an award-winning Hollywood producer, actor, New York Times best-selling author, and spiritual guru whose unique career bridges the worlds of entertainment, spirituality, and personal development.
Some of his most notable projects include the inspirational hit movies FLAMIN’ HOT (Disney/Hulu) which won the SXSW Audience Award 2023 and was the highest streaming debut in the history of Searchlight Pictures, BREAKTHROUGH (Disney/Fox), THE STAR (Sony) and MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN (Sony) one of the highest-grossing faith-based movies of all time.
DeVon recently wrapped production on the movie R&B, the first movie from his newly formed partnership with media mogul Tyler Perry to produce faith-based and inspirational movies for Netflix. He’s currently in pre-production on the romantic comedy RELATIONSHIP GOALS for Amazon.
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