Latest news with #motivationalspeaker
BBC News
18-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
University of Essex awards honorary doctorate to blind athlete
A man who lost his sight after stepping on an explosive device while working as an interpreter for the British Army has received an honorary Noori was 20 years old at the time of the blast, having started his role two years 36, he has won multiple medals in athletics, represented the UK at the Invictus Games, and shared his story as a motivational said being recognised by the University of Essex felt "incredible". "It was my goal to study at Essex university, but it wasn't possible… I achieved the same dream, the same goal, in a different way with an honorary doctorate," he told the BBC at his graduation ceremony in Colchester on Thursday."I have overcome many obstacles, challenges and adversities in my life, but I have never surrendered to my blindness." Mr Noori, who grew up in the Afghan capital Kabul, said he "never looked back" after moving to Colchester with his wife Mazhgan and their family in already completed the London Marathon with a guide runner he met after joining the local athletics club, he hoped to one day tick off the rest of the World Marathon Majors, starting with Berlin. Peter Dutch, chief executive of Colchester Anti Loo Roll Brigade, also received an honorary organisation started life as a Facebook group in response to people stockpiling toilet roll when the pandemic hit in 2020, helping people in Colchester get hold of essentials."At the time I thought we'd do a few shopping deliveries and we'd all go back to normal, but we've come an awful long way since then," Mr Dutch years on, the organisation is now a community interest company and runs a community centre in the on being recognised by the university, Mr Dutch joked: "I can take unbearable to a whole new level by only answering to Dr Dutch." The university's chancellor, Sarah Perry, said both men "exemplify the Essex spirit"."All of our honorary graduates this year have achieved the most remarkable things, seemingly from nowhere," she among the university's honorary graduates this year were businessman Sir Nigel Wilson, TV producer Sarah-Jane Walsh, biopharmaceutical entrepreneur Patrick Ngiam, and data consultancy partner Natalie Cramp. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Symetra Benefits Division Partners with Paralympian and Author Chris Waddell
BELLEVUE, Wash., July 16, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Symetra Life Insurance Company today announced a new partnership with Paralympian Chris Waddell. The relationship positions the champion athlete, author and motivational speaker as a Symetra Benefits Division "brand ambassador" and a key component of a new outreach program aimed at benefits brokers and consultants. Waddell's inspirational story of resilience and drive underscores what's possible — for brokers, employers and their employees — when you have great teammates by your side. Chris is a Hall of Fame athlete, a world champion in skiing and wheelchair track, and the first "nearly unassisted" paraplegic to summit Mount Kilimanjaro. While competing in college, Chris sustained a skiing injury that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Less than a year later, he had redirected his competitive spirit to monoskiing and soon became the fastest in the world in the sport. He has earned 13 Paralympic medals in both skiing and track and field and is the most decorated male skier in Paralympic history. "Symetra Benefits is incredibly proud to partner with Chris Waddell, who embodies integrity, determination and resilience, and uniquely understands the importance of having the right team in your corner," said David Schneeweis, vice president, head of Workforce Benefits Sales. "We recognize the resilience needed to support employer groups and the challenges they and their employees face in today's workplace. And we're pleased to be able to team up with Chris out in the marketplace, learn more about those challenges, and explore how our innovative workforce benefits and stop loss solutions can help." "For me, a great teammate is somebody who has your back. Symetra gets it. In conjunction with benefits brokers, they're doing it for employers and their employees by helping make it easier for people to recover from and reclaim their lives following a devastating illness or accident. That commitment, to me, is so important," said Chris Waddell. In support of the partnership, Symetra has introduced a new web-based resource, featuring Chris and his story, and launched a three-part social media marketing campaign that will run through early August: From adversity to achievement — After a life-changing ski accident, Chris Waddell saw the possible in the impossible. See how Symetra connects to his powerful message of resilience. From obstacles to opportunities — After a life-changing skiing accident, Chris Waddell didn't let disability define him. Now he's teaming up with Symetra to inspire what's possible. Your teammate for what's possible — As the first paraplegic to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro, Chris Waddell knows the value of teamwork–now he's teaming up with Symetra to help inspire others. In addition, Chris will be joining the Symetra sales team at broker meetings and events across the country — and participating in an upcoming segment of Working Forward, Symetra's own podcast series that explores workforce innovation and trends. Symetra offers group life, disability, absence management — including paid family medical leave (PFML) — and stop loss insurance coverage. Its suite of group supplemental health products includes critical illness, accident, hospital indemnity insurance, and Symetra Health. About Symetra Symetra Life Insurance Company is a subsidiary of Symetra Financial Corporation, a diversified financial services company based in Bellevue, Washington. In business since 1957, Symetra provides employee benefits, annuities and life insurance through a national network of benefit consultants, financial institutions, and independent financial professionals and insurance producers. For more information, visit View source version on Contacts Diana McSweeney(425) Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tony Robbins: Key Steps To Avoid Self-Sabotage and Breaking Free From Your Own Limitations
Public speaker and life coach Tony Robbins has spent decades convincing people to break out of their old patterns. He overcame incredible hardships himself, and he took those lessons and turned them into ways to help others, including with how they deal with money. One of the biggest hardships many people have to overcome is self-sabotage. Self-sabotage is when you place limitations on your own life or work that don't need to be there. These limitations or roadblocks stop you from becoming the person you want, achieving the goals you aim for and living the life of your dreams. Discover More: For You: This is not to say that there are not some very real barriers for people in life. Everything from poverty and mental illness to disability and a lack of support from friends or family can cause incredible hardship. The reality is that, while everyone has different abilities and resources, everyone can start from wherever they are and work to improve their life. But you cannot do that, no matter where your starting point is, if you're self-sabotaging. Here are the key steps Tony Robbins offers to get out of self-sabotage mode and break free from your own limitations. Have you ever gone from worrying about something into a full-blown panic attack? It's more common than you may realize. What many people don't realize is that, as Robbins said, 'where focus goes, energy flows.' Whatever your mind is focused on is where your energy will be. If you're stressed out about something, all of your energy will turn into stress. Your body will react, you'll start to hunch your shoulders, your jaw will clench, and your personality may even change. You feel tense and maybe even angry. From that state, you'll start to believe that your situation is hopeless. You'll make unnecessary mistakes. You'll sabotage yourself. Try This: Robbins recommends you change or manage your state. When you notice that you're not in a positive state of mind, take action to start shifting it. The best way to do that is to change your state physically. Why? Because where focus goes, energy flows. So, if you're sitting, stand up. If you're standing, start walking. If you're hunched, stand up straight. Get your body moving, bouncing, stretching, and you'll feel positive energy come into your muscles, lungs and mind. Take deep, relaxing breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth. Relax your jaw, roll your head on your neck. You can manage your state in as little as five minutes, and from that positive, powerful place, you can take positive, powerful action. You've likely heard people talk about the voices in your head, and how detrimental they can be to your progress in life. Everyone has an inner jerk, and it's up to us to change that voice into one that's supportive and encouraging. So, when the mean voice asks questions like, 'How could I be so stupid?' You can reframe that question to 'What can I learn from this?' It's important to create a realistic, level playing field in your head that helps you realize everyone makes mistakes, everyone fails and that failure is actually a pathway to success. Every great leader, manager and entrepreneur will tell you that they've had to overcome intense failure. In fact, this overcoming is Robbins' claim to fame. Behind every single 'overnight success' are at least ten years of hard work and hard lessons. So, remember that when you're asking pointless, painful questions of yourself. Take every negative and flip it to its positive version. Come up with questions that get your brain thinking about how to move forward with new information. 'Your brain will find answers to whatever you ask — so ask empowering questions,' Robbins said in his blog post. Robbins calls this one the '2-millimeter rule.' He said people often think they can make changes overnight or in big, grand gestures. As Bill Gates said, 'Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.' A version of this quote has also been attributed to Robbins, which makes sense based on this rule. He wants you to change something small, five minutes a day, one hour a week and watch the transformation shift. A big part of self-sabotage is that it's habitual. You're used to getting in your own way. In fact, it's your comfort zone. When you make small changes, you move out of your comfort zone at a comfortable pace, so it becomes your new comfort zone. For example, you can start to take a walk every morning when you wake up, just around the block. You could meditate for five minutes before bed. Maybe you set boundaries around screen time and turn off your phone an hour before bed. You might call three warm leads for sales calls before you do anything else at work. Or you could write one page of your novel in the morning with your first cup of coffee, before everyone wakes up. The last, and perhaps most difficult step of avoiding self-sabotage, is to rewire your belief. You cannot win if you think you're a loser. Tony Robbins likes to think positive thoughts like, 'I am resourceful. I can figure this out,' instead of 'I can't do this,' according to his article. When you're sitting around thinking about how much of a loser you are, challenge those thoughts by thinking about times when you have been successful. Revisit memories of a time when you did something good, when you helped someone else, when you made progress. Let those memories overpower the negative ones. Then, take a small action to prove your strength, your goodness, your power. Volunteer with a local community organization, participate in a local networking event, or take an internship under someone you admire. With every strong memory you hold, you can reshape who you are as a person, so that you start to see yourself in a positive light, and from there, anything is possible. More From GOBankingRates Here's the Minimum Salary Required To Be Considered Upper Class in 2025 This article originally appeared on Tony Robbins: Key Steps To Avoid Self-Sabotage and Breaking Free From Your Own Limitations
Washington Post
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Tim Strachan, star DeMatha quarterback turned Maryland broadcaster, dies at 49
Tim Strachan's No. 13 jersey already hangs at DeMatha, the Hyattsville athletic power where he was a star quarterback. A community service award bears his name. So there was never any doubt that Strachan, who died on Tuesday at 49, would be remembered. Strachan, who suffered from cancer, was an alum of Maryland, where he served as a football broadcaster alongside Johnny Holliday for 22 years. He became a motivational speaker and earned a law degree from Georgetown before working as Counsel to the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary and later joining the Federal Communications Commission.
