PARALYMPIC MEDALIST - HEAD COACH - KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Paralyze Fear
Assess your S.E.L.F.
Champion your Choices
My Story:
Finding Purpose Beyond Paralysis
Growing up immersed in sports, I was a three-sport athlete throughout high school and went on to play Division II football at Winona State University. My dream was to become the starting tight end for the Warriors. However, everything changed on July 10, 2004, when a boating trip with friends left me paralyzed at 19. After a long hospital stay and facing the reality of life in a wheelchair, I had to rediscover my identity. Through faith, love, education, and sports, I found purpose beyond athletics. Today, as a husband, father, rugby player, coach, and counselor, I've learned that life is about choices, and I choose to live with passion and purpose, inspiring others to do the same.
PARTNERS
Testimonials
Natalie Tollefson
Gundersen Health System
"Joe was the keynote for Legacy Event. Our expectations were more than met both in Joe’s responsiveness leading up to our event, as well as in the overall message he shared with our guests. You know it’s a “slam dunk” when guests are jotting down takeaways from his journey that can be applied to their own life post-event! Joe has a special gift of being truly relatable, surprisingly humorous and very effective at helping to connect the dots between personal circumstance. Just a remarkable night…"
Keynote
​Opportunity
in the
Obstacle
Paralyzed by Fear? Stuck in the Blame Game? What's your "Wheelchair?" Where is the Opportunity? Joe has firsthand experience in how tragedy interrupted his life. Learn 4 key ways to find the opportunity in the obstacles we are faced with.
Thought
Leadership
Head Coach. Keynote Speaker.
2x Paralympic Medalist. 8x Captain.
What do all these have in common? Joe believes that great leaders have a serve-first mentality, and a striving to build culture first, and success second. This keynote has 4 key ingredients to creating a championship culture.
Assess your S.E.L.F.
We all go through losing our identity through experiences we probably didn't want to happen. How do we get to the other side? Joe shares stories about identity loss that help us understand the need to keep our S.E.L.F. in check.