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Scott Burrows

Motivational Keynote Speaker

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Biography

Scott Burrows is a motivational resilience 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 your organization stand up to any challenge. Read More >

By the age of 19, Scott played college football at Florida State University for legendary coach Bobby Bowden and was a top-ranked kick-boxing Black Belt champion whose last fight was broadcast by ESPN. Scott's life changed dramatically when he survived a catastrophic car accident 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 had altered his course forever.

Despite his grim diagnosis, Scott astounded his doctors and refused to be sidelined. After graduating with a degree in Finance, Scott served as a Financial Advisor in the Insurance and Financial Industry for Northwestern Mutual. He specialized in life and disability insurance, 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 buckled in this time, new injuries forced him to RE-evaluate, RE-invent and once again RE-ignite his life by practicing 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 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 based on individual soil tests. This expansion brought in an excess of 1.6 million the first year.

Scott is the author of Vision, Mindset, Grit! Vision refers to your goals and aspirations, the endpoint you are seeking. Mindset is the continual mental preparation and adjustment needed to meet oncoming challenges. Grit is the day-to-day determination to persevere when you are too tired, too sore or too beleaguered to press on. Read Less ^

Speaker Videos

Don't Ever Let Someone Else's Beliefs Paralyze You

Scott Burrows Speaker Reel

Breaking the Fall Line

Never Lose the Ability to Become a Student of Safety

See Fewer Videos

Speech Topics

VISION-MINDSET-GRIT: Success Strategies to Help You Stand Up to Any Challenge

In today's competitive marketplace, organizations are trying to maintain a winning culture as they deal with an array of business challenges. The true measure of success is how well teams respond to adversity, change, setbacks and fear. Whatever belief system is employed must be powerful enough to conquer these obstacles for personal and professional growth or your organization will be left behind. Read More >

Scott teaches listeners how to create a clear Vision to propel them to action, while helping leaders discover the impact of connecting their organization to a shared vision, and how to adapt business strategies to gain that important competitive advantage. How to create an unstoppable Mindset that revolves around poise and execution, and how asking the "What" questions can help teams navigate the chaos of adversity. Listeners learn the important principles of Grit to help stretch them beyond a paralyzed state of overwhelm and Stand Up to Any Challenge.

KEY PROGRAM TAKEAWAYS

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 organi¬zation to a shared company vision
Find out how conscious visualization can give you that competitive advantage

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 Read Less ^

Learn what it takes to stretch yourself beyond your paralyzed 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

Develop an Unstoppable Mindset: Success Strategies for Safety Teams & Supervisors

With the alarming predominance of workplace accidents caused by human error, the importance of engaging teams and individuals with safety procedures in a way that is meaningful to them and can promote significant change is crucial. Scott details his unforgettable, life-changing story of turning a paralyzing setback into a powerful comeback that inspires teams 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. Read More >

Told while using his own physical paralysis as a metaphor and blending eloquent storytelling with humor and crowd interaction, Scott leaves audiences captivated, inspired and ready to take action. Scott will impact your team by encouraging awareness, better day-to-day safety decisions and changing the way your employees view and approach their jobs. Listeners will walk away embracing workplace safety protocols as opposed to resisting or ignoring them. Read Less ^

VISION MINDSET GRIT: Success Strategies for Insurance & Financial Services Professionals

Insurance and Financial leaders RAVE about Scott’s knowledge and understanding of their industry, knowing that he, too, was a top sales producer. After his life-changing accident, Scott became an insurance and financial advisor and went on to qualify for the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT). 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. Read More >

Scott teaches listeners how to create a clear Vision to increase sales performance. He helps leaders discover the impact of connecting their organization to a shared vision of success, as well as how to adapt strategies during market fluctuations to gain important competitive advantages through creating an unstoppable Mindset that revolves around the principles of poise and execution. Listeners learn the important principles of Grit to outperform their competition and Stand Up to Any Challenge. Read Less ^

Pharmaceutical Sales

Pharmaceutical sales speaker Scott Burrows inspires audiences to adapt to change and develop the same kind of resilient mindset that helped him overcome impossible odds to move into success. Today, many pharmaceutical organizations are relying on organizational and operational structure indicators that could impact their success and willingness to compete. In addition, maybe you are dealing with an array of challenges that are reshaping your marketplace. Maybe today you are trying to implement a new marketing and sales system, adopt a more flexible approach to pricing or want to demonstrate that your brand adds value to patients in order to sustain future growth and sales performance. Pay-for-performance is also on the rise, regulators are becoming more risk adverse, and cost pressures continue to increase. Perhaps you’re looking to partner with new supply chains, be number one in customer choice, expand your distribution channels and improve your future sales and business model. Read More >

Whatever your Pharmaceutical challenges are, the true measure of success is how well you respond to adversity, change, setbacks and fear. Whatever belief system you employ must be powerful enough to conquer these obstacles and any other impediments to your personal and professional growth, or you—and your organization—will be left behind. Read Less ^

Rising to the Challenge: Keeping Healthcare Teams Cohesive & Motivated

Scott Burrows' thought-provoking presentation and compelling story is a 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 healthcare, just detours and workarounds. Read More >

Healthcare leaders appreciate Scott's knowledge of their industry, knowing he understands patient-centered care and how healthcare professionals have the gift and the power to influence and impact their patients' lives. As a former spinal cord injury patient and advocate for both patient and healthcare providers, he shares his impactful personal experience as a quadriplegic. Sharing Scott’s deeply personal experience encourages healthcare professionals to continue to find passion for what they do while teaching and inspiring them to encourage their patients to Never Give up Hope! Read Less ^

Testimonials

"Scott's Vision, Mindset and Grit keynote presentation powerfully underscored Seminole's commitment to diversity-celebrating and championing positive change for the individual through organizational levels. His dynamic presentation was overwhelmingly assessed by our employees as one of the very best and most inspirational that Seminole employees have ever heard!"

- Staff Development Specialist, Seminole Electric Cooperative, Inc.

"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 coming from him. 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—even if others are telling you that it cannot be done. 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."

- Senior Vice President, Suez North America

"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. Gordian Global Solutions

“Thank you for your contribution to a successful 2008 kick off for the GE Healthcare's IT business' Sales and Marketing organization. Your story was very inspirational and your message motivational. What really confirmed that you were the right choice for this meeting was your ability to take the information you gathered in our pre-meeting call and weave it seamlessly into your message, which made it relevant to each and every person in the room.”

- Sr. Vice President & GM, Sales & Marketing Americas GE Healthcare Integrated IT Solutions

"Scott’s presentation at our Annual Sales Meeting was outstanding. We couldn’t have asked for more! Scott’s Vision, Mindset & Grit message engaged and motivated the entire audience. He customized his message to incorporate our industry and products – something we’ve never had a speaker do for us in the past. This special touch made it even more meaningful to our organization. Scott’s stories were unforgettable and uplifting, and his passion inspired us all!"

- Executive Vice President, Commerce Bank

“Scott hits the sweet spot of sharing a story that is inspirational, but also one with lessons that can be readily applied in our personal and business lives—both delivered in a high-energy style that kept our audience thoroughly engaged.”

- Executive Director for Think and Canon