Jim MacLaren
The Strength to Engage Life Inspirational Speaker

Speaking Fee: $17,500.00

Appearances can be deceiving. Jim MacLaren is living proof. Confined to a high-tech wheelchair, his left leg missing below the knee, Jim’s condition is the result of two devastating accidents, eight years apart, which reduced him from a handsome collegiate football star and aspiring actor to an amputee and then a quadriplegic. Yet this man, one who doctors predicted would never move below the neck, has shocked the medical world with his physical recoveries. Jim has fostered a remarkable inner strength that has developed into a cathartic giving back; which has inspired millions. His near-death experience has opened up a deep insight and accessibility for his effectiveness as a public and keynote speaker. Jim understands how to read an audience inherently, customizing their needs instinctually.

“I never wanted to be taken for granted, as that guy with the fake leg. So I just kept pushing myself." Jim proves the American Dream is still alive and well and waiting for us to awaken it within ourselves. Renewing focus everyday encourages perspective and a call to action.

Jim’s story is so compelling and relevant because it is not just about his story. It’s about the dreams we all live with every day, but usually never see come true. Jim’s story is the example - and the excuse - we all need to wade out into the current of our own dreams no matter how deeply personal, quirky or outrageous. Jim’s presentation is a huge hit for individuals of all ages as well as businesses and organizations with an eye on productivity and self-motivation. In the corporate sector, he is highly sought after for his refreshing and proven approach to vision, teamwork, and innovation. There's no learning curve involved. His hear it now, do it today process works, delivering measurable results.

Do you view your setback as the "end" of the road or just a “bend in the road’? Believing passionately that each of us is born with a purpose; Jim illustrates the power that purpose brings. Jim inspires people to expect the best and take responsibility for getting it! He entertains and energizes audiences with personal stories and focused examples that translate into quantifiable wisdom that works.

This cutting edge and multi-faceted messenger shines with hope, empowerment, encouragement and educational insights. Jim is an emotional and motivational compass directing countless men, women and youth toward their potential and possibilities for personal growth, success and inner peace. He’s helped move millions of people to lives of courageous and caring citizenship. Just a regular guy…..that's why his larger than life story is so enormously appealing to everyone who hears it. He immediately revives your deepest desires, reconnects you to your own biggest dreams, then gets you on your feet and out to door to start making the best things in life happen to you - now.

A dynamic speaker who specializes in changing behaviors through a positive attitude, Jim MacLaren understands better than most how to unlock and increase human potential leaving every audience ready to take action! Find new energy and fulfillment; live your own vision of success and create meaningful dialogues with colleagues, family and friends.

"It took two years of self study, going deep, and then deeper again," he says. "And, sometime in 2000-2001, I chose life." His speaking schedule allows him to impart those lessons. He's grateful for the exposure that came his way when he received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2005 ESPY Awards, and the ensuing widespread media attention, including televised appearances with Oprah Winfrey and Jim Rome.

MacLaren became a media sensation in the fledgling sport of triathlons, paving the way for a new generation of disabled athletes. He competed and set scores of records in some of the toughest races on the planet, including the New York City Marathon and the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii, and routinely finished ahead of 80 percent of the able-bodied athletes.

MacLaren's Choose Living Foundation, which he launched in 2005, and his ongoing speaking engagements are a distillation of those experiences that have shaped and changed Jim’s every day. While it sounds simple, even simplistic, MacLaren doesn't shy from the no-nonsense challenge that such a straightforward moniker entails. MacLaren also understands the opportunity he's been given to motivate others, and readily accepts that responsibility, offering his own experience as example.

Jim refuses to cast himself as a victim and has earned two masters' degrees, and is currently working toward his Ph. D. in mythology and depth psychology.

Jim is a long time member of NSA national speakers association.