Steve Gleason: Inspirational Speaker

    Inspirational keynote speaker and former NFL player Steve Gleason empowers audiences with purpose-driven resilience after his ALS diagnosis and groundbreaking disability advocacy.

    Steve Gleason - Image 01 (February 17, 2026)

    Quick Facts:

    • Highlights:
      • Former NFL player
      • Diagnosed with ALS in 2011
      • Co-founder of Team Gleason
      • Namesake of The Steve Gleason Act
    • Formats: Inspirational Keynote Speaker on Resilience, Purpose, and Advocacy
    • Audiences: Healthcare organizations, corporate leadership teams, nonprofits, government institutions, advocacy groups, and audiences seeking inspiration through adversity and purpose-driven leadership.
    • Outcomes:
      1. Renewed perspective on resilience and personal purpose
      2. Inspiration to lead and advocate despite adversity
      3. Greater awareness of inclusion, accessibility, and assistive technology
    Reading time: 2 min
    Reviews: (0 reviews)
    • Travels from: New Orleans, LA
    • **Fee range: On Request

    Talent Services

    Keynote Topics:

    A Purposeful Life – Helping audiences unlock the extraordinary within themselves, Steve talks about finding deep meaningful work from within.

    He provides insights and tools to aim for boundless heights with relentless commitment, yet without attachment to the outcome. “The truth is that we all experience pain in our lives, but I believe that the problems we face are our opportunity to find our human purpose.

    Life is difficult. Not just for me or other ALS patients.

    Life is difficult for everyone. Finding ways to make life meaningful and purposeful and rewarding, doing the activities that you love and spending time with the people that you love – I think that’s the meaning of this human experience.”

    In this talk your audience will be inspired to look at their life differently, from a perspective of hope, positivity and purpose.

    Steve shares how life’s limitations cannot hold us back from achieving our full potential. Resilience becomes critical to our success and requires us to accept our powerlessness, revealing an unknown future which offers limitless potential.

    He’ll describe how to overcome personal difficulties, and your audience will take away three key lessons

    How to find the extraordinary within

    How to focus on lasting change

    Talent Short Bio

    Steve Gleason is a former NFL player, ALS advocate, and inspirational keynote speaker whose life demonstrates courage, purpose, and transformative leadership in the face of adversity. Diagnosed with ALS in 2011, a terminal neuromuscular disease, Steve made a defining decision: he would not simply endure the diagnosis, he would thrive through it.

    Together with his wife Michel, Steve co-founded Team Gleason, an organization dedicated to advancing awareness, technology, and quality of life for people living with ALS. Their mission is to bring ALS to the forefront of public consciousness while inspiring others to rise above life’s greatest challenges.

    Steve has shared his story across major global media platforms including ESPN, ABC, CBS, CNN, HBO, and the NFL Network. He was named Inspiration of the Year by Sports Illustrated and has addressed audiences at the United Nations Social Innovation Summit.

    Steve Gleason received an ALS diagnosis in 2011. He was determined to thrive after the terminal neuromuscular disease diagnosis. He spends his life encouraging others to life with purpose. He and Michel, his wife, formed Team Gleason, with the mission of bringing ALS to the forefront and inspiring others to overcome the challenges of the disease.

    Following his inner guidance, Steve has told his own story numerous times through the media, including ESPN, ABC, CBS, CNN, HBO, and the NFL Network. He has been the Inspiration of the Year for Sports Illustrated. Steve has also spoken at the United Nations Social Innovation Summit twice.

    In 2015, Congress passed “The Steve Gleason Act” unanimously to make communications devices available to those who need life-sustaining support. By 2018, after 3 years, the “Enduring Voices Act” passed in February, replacing the first law to ensure the availability of life-sustaining communication devices for those who are most in need.

    Steve Gleason’s enduring commitment to serving as a spokesperson to raise awareness about ALS has garnered national support. On an international level, the NFL player turned political activist has placed ALS on the forefront of Congressional and United Nations agendas. He travels the world encouraging those with ALS and all of humanity to find purpose in life’s challenges.

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