Episode 275: Resilient Leadership with Chad Foster, International Keynote Speaker and Author of Blind AmbitionTM; Marietta, Georgia, USA

Rarely do you meet people who you just know your life is richer because of that meeting - well, Chad Foster is one of those individuals. Author of Blind AmbitionTM, Chad is a globally recognized speaker and advocate for resilience, sharing his compelling journey from blindness at 21 to becoming a Fortune 500 corporate leader and motivational figure. Chad’s life story is the embodiment of living within disruption and staying grounded in purpose. Today, he is on a mission to help others thrive through challenge and change. Chad's framework, the Five Pillars of Resilience—choosing your response, telling empowering stories, visualizing greatness, embracing discomfort, and aligning mindset with action—reflects his belief that overcoming adversity is vital for character development. Drawing on his experiences in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and his upcoming PBS docu-series, Chad illustrates the importance of adaptability and self-care, urging others to find purpose in their work to successfully navigate life's challenges. Highlights of what we discussed: - Chad’s leadership journey through his blindness, successful business conquests and now navigating the world as a globally sought after speaker. - How resilience, choice, and mindset are key in overcoming adversity and achieving success. - That recognizing choice, telling empowering stories, visualizing greatness, embracing discomfort, and aligning mindset with action are crucial for resilience. - How embracing discomfort and pushing oneself out of the comfort zone is essential for personal growth and character development. - It is only through harnessing pure ambition he has conquered becoming a blind black diamond skier. - How navigating global travel challenges as a blind traveler with a service dog requires patience and adaptability. - Self-care and understanding the formula for peak performance are important for maintaining optimal productivity. Chad E. Foster is a billion-dollar revenue generator, job creator, and tech innovator—and he’s blind. Despite losing his eyesight as a young adult, Chad turned obstacles into opportunities, becoming the first blind executive to graduate from Harvard Business School's leadership program and pioneering CRM software for the visually impaired. A former Fortune 500 executive, Chad drove billions in revenue and industry-leading growth by embracing resilience and innovation. Now a globally sought-after speaker, he equips companies like Google, IBM, and Microsoft with actionable tools to transform challenges into opportunities. His dynamic keynotes combine heartfelt stories, practical strategies, and a direct, inspiring style to ignite change and unlock potential. Connect with Chad: Website: https://chadefoster.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadfoster/ Connect with Allison: Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/ Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/ Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO #CEO #brand #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices