Ep. 57: John Register | We Don't Overcome Adversity; We Create New Normals

In this episode, we talk with, JOHN REGISTER, a Paralympic Games Silver Medalist, Persian Gulf War veteran, author, podcaster and TEDx Motivational Speaker.

THOUGHT #1

We Don't Overcome Adversity; We Create New Normals

THOUGHT #2

Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible. - St.Francis of Assisi

CONNECT:

Website: JohnRegister.comBook: 10 Power Stories to Impact Any Leader: Journal Your Way to Leadership SuccessPodcast: Life's New NormalYouTube: John RegisterFacebook: @TeamInspire10Twitter: @JFRegisterInstagram: @JFRegisterLinkedin: John Register

BRAND & RESOURCE MENTIONS:

Justin Timberlake (Sexy Back) - YouTubeLibsyn - Libsyn.comCastbox - Castbox.fmSimplecast - Simplecast.comTEDx - Ted.comPersian Gulf War - History.comUS Army - GoArmy.comDesert Storm - History.comDesert Shield - WikipediaUS Olympic Committee Military Sports Program - TeamUSA.orgOlympic Games 1996 - Wikipedia.comArmed Services Competition - ArmedForcesSports.comWorld Military Championships - MilSport.oneCOVID-19 (Coronavirus) - CDC.govGeorge Floyd - GeorgeFloyd.comOfficer Candidate School - GoArmy.comShrek - Dreamworks.comWalt Disney - TheWaltDisneyCompany.comPeter Pan - WikipediaCaptain Hook - WikipediaBLM Movement - BlackLivesMatter.comParalympic Games - Paralympic.orgCarl Lewis - CarlLewis.comMichael Johnson - MichaelJohnsonPerformance.comUniversity of Arkansas - UArk.eduUARK Track & Field - ArkansasRazorbacks.com2002 Mercedes Benz - KBB.comSt. Francis of Assisi - Catholic.orgDiabetes - Diabetes.orgSerah Morrissey - Linkedin.comHard Rock International – HardRock.comThoughts That Rock – ThoughtsThatRock.comCertified Rock Star - CertifiedRockStar.comCulture That Rocks: How to Revolutionize Your Company’s Culture (Jim Knight) – CultureThatRocks.comBlack Sheep: Unleash the Extraordinary, Awe-Inspiring, Undiscovered You (Brant Menswar) - FindYourBlackSheep.comRock ‘n Roll With It: Overcoming the Challenge of Change (Brant Menswar) – RocknRollWithIt.comCannonball Kids’ cancer – CannonballKidscancer.orgKeppler Speakers - KepplerSpeakers.comBig Kettle Drum - BigKettleDrum.comSpectacle Photography (Show/Website Photos) – SpectaclePhoto.comJeffrey Todd “JT” Keel (Show Music) - JT Keel

JOHN REGISTER'S BIO:

John Register of Colorado Springs is a two-time Paralympian, Paralympic Games Silver Medalist, Persian Gulf War veteran, podcaster and TEDx Motivational Speaker.  He embraced a “new normal” in becoming an amputee following a misstep over a hurdle while training for the 1996 Olympic Games, after participation in two consecutive Olympic trials.

An Oak Park, Ill. native, Register discovered how to “amputate his fear of disability” and founded the U.S. Olympic Committee Military Sport Program in the early 2000s.  

He has launched a book titled: 10 Stories to Impact Any Leader: Journal Your Way to Leadership Success, as business leaders return to work with their staff amid stressful circumstances surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic and the recent unrest in our urban cities.  

Register teaches others through his “Hurdling Adversity” speeches and podcasts to “amputate their fear and embrace their new normal” as they discover “stories within themselves.”  He finds that “it is the personal stories that inspire teams more profoundly with greater impact.”

Register is a four-time All-American graduate of University of Arkansas.  He served six years in the U.S. Army—including in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and in active-duty with the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program—winning nine gold medals in the Armed Services Competition and two World Military Championships.  

Register had his left leg amputated after a misstep over a hurdle changed his life.  Register hyperextended his knee and severed the popliteal artery.  He started swimming in his recovery, made the U.S. Paralympic Team in 1996, and later won a silver medal in the long jump—as he set an American record—and sprinted to fifth in the 100 meters and 200 meters at the U.S. Paralympic Games in Sydney.