First blind college football player, Jake Olson inspires organizations to overcome adversity, embrace change, and achieve peak performance through resilience and optimism.
5.00 of 5
Top rated!5 of 5
Excellent! Jake was an amazing and dynamic speaker. He was undoubtedly a draw for our event. He spent the entire day with us - speaking, golfing, interacting with our guests - truly generous with his time. Such a wonderful person!
John Argue
VerityPoint
From making NCAA history as the first blind college football player to inspiring Fortune 500 audiences, Jake Olson delivers transformative keynotes that turn adversity into advantage. Blending humor, powerful storytelling, and actionable strategies, he helps organizations boost resilience, break limitations, and inspire peak performance. Trusted by Google, Microsoft, and SpaceX, Jake customizes every talk to your goals, leaving audiences motivated, united, and ready to win. Book Jake to ignite your team’s mindset and create lasting impact beyond the event.
Keynote Speaker Jake Olson is an extraordinary example of resilience, adaptability, and peak performance. Known worldwide as the first completely blind player in college football history, Jake made NCAA headlines when he successfully long-snapped for USC in a nationally celebrated moment. His story has been featured by ESPN, CNN, FOX, The New York Times, and countless other outlets, giving his message unparalleled credibility.
Far beyond his historic achievement, Jake has built a reputation as a transformational voice for organizations seeking to inspire their teams. His keynote presentations combine humor, powerful storytelling, and actionable strategies that help audiences reframe adversity, strengthen resilience, and break through self-imposed limitations. Companies like Google, Microsoft, SpaceX, and Bank of America have trusted him to energize their people, drive engagement, and spark lasting cultural change.
Jake’s expertise lies in connecting deeply with every audience, customizing each keynote to align with the client’s goals and event theme. Whether addressing leadership, change management, or personal performance, his message empowers professionals to tackle challenges with courage and confidence.
When you book Jake Olson for your event, you bring in a proven motivator who transforms setbacks into lessons for growth, inspires optimism in the face of uncertainty, and leaves attendees equipped with tools to perform at their highest potential. His keynote is more than a speech, it is a catalyst for measurable impact in your organization.
5 of 5
Excellent! Jake was an amazing and dynamic speaker. He was undoubtedly a draw for our event. He spent the entire day with us - speaking, golfing, interacting with our guests - truly generous with his time. Such a wonderful person!
John Argue VerityPoint
5 of 5
Jake was a huge success, and everyone loved his message, from the CEO to the newest sales professional in the room. Patterson Dental is an organization that has been going through a transformation of people and systems for the last 5 years and this year's meeting was about coming together, embracing the change in our market (customers and others,) and getting back to growth through an offensive position. Jake's message supported all of this perfectly. You won't be disappointed.
Josh Killian Patterson Dental
5 of 5
I’ve worked with many external speakers for large corporate conferences and meetings for many years and highly recommend Jake Olson as a motivational speaker. He has a fresh and inspiring story and is authentic in his mission to help others, both through his speaking engagements and in his not-for-profit work. He is articulate, has a great sense of humor, and will customize his remarks to fit your audience. He received the highest rating of any of our speakers at a recent conference and, as a result, is receiving requests for more speaking engagements from the attendees.
Cindy Weites AIG
5 of 5
Jake, you are a rockstar! You are hilarious, humble, open, optimistic, and motivational. I can speak on behalf of all our attendees today- they took so much away from your speech and are motivated to help create a culture of inclusion. As you said, start with humility, compassion, sympathy, and, most importantly, love one another!
AbbVie
5 of 5
Jake’s presentation was a HUGE success. He is so humble, has a great sense of humor, and truly a light for those with disabilities. Some of the comments in the chat were: “is there anything you can’t do Jake?” and “I wish he could speak with us every month!” and many more about what an inspiration he is. Compassion to help anyone who is suffering is a message that should be echoed, especially now.
Cambridge Associates
Keynote by Jake Olson:
Jake’s flagship talk shares his incredible life journey of battling cancer eight times, going blind at the age of 12, making history in college football, and winning the USGA Adaptive Open golf tournament. Using a mix of personal stories (including encounters with Kobe Bryant and Tuger Woods), a lot of humor, and some unique life philosophies, Jake helps audience members change how they perceive adversity. He helps audiences realize that often, what feels like a significant setback can be a setup for something much greater in life if they take the right approach to confronting their adversity. During this talk, the audience will laugh, think, and maybe even cry a little bit. They will leave more grateful and with an entirely new way to perceive and tackle adversity. This talk is a great fit for any event planner trying to help their audience develop more grit, level up their productivity, or improve their perspective and accountability.
Keynote by Jake Olson:
Blindness reshaped Jake Olson's life at age twelve, but his determination to succeed remained unshaken. In this talk, Jake reveals how his will to achieve inspired those around him to innovate and adapt, creating extraordinary possibilities. From a math teacher devising methods to teach Jake calculus, to teammates crafting a unique system for him to play football, to his father guiding him to excel in golf, Jake’s journey highlights the transformative power of teamwork, creativity, and inclusion.
Ideal for leaders, managers, and teams seeking to foster collaboration, spark innovation, and embrace diverse perspectives, this talk delivers actionable strategies to inspire resilience and adaptability. Attendees will leave energized and equipped to recognize potential, overcome obstacles, and unlock the power of possibility within their own teams.
