About
Jonathan

You can read what’s below, but truth is, the image with the hearts on it, right under here, that’s all you really need to know in order to know me…

It was taken while I was on stage, presenting the final keynote at World Domination Summit in 2011. On that day, I was nervous. Though I’ve spoken around the world, in front of much bigger audiences since then, it was my first time standing before 500 people. Eyes and hearts staring back at me, yearning for something good. Something real.

I was the closing speaker, entrusted me to bring everyone home. I felt an immense sense of legacy and responsibility. Not just to do well, but to do good. Similar to the overwhelming call to deliver I’d experienced earlier that year when presenting at TEDxCMU in the same hall Randy Pausch gave his famed Last Lecture.

As I walked up onto the stage, I brought a small picture that had been hastily drawn by my then 10-year-old daughter and tucked into my backpack before I left. A series of colored hearts to wish me luck and remind me how much I was loved. That’s all I needed. I knew that at any given moment, no matter what happened on that stage, I could look down and know everything was going to be okay.

After my talk, a few of the speakers joined me for a final audience Q&A. Someone asked each of us “who inspires you?” As each person answered, I kept gazing back at the hearts. I went last. But, instead of speaking, I walked over picked up the piece of paper, held it in the air for all to see and said, “This. My daughter.” I couldn’t say more, or I’d have burst into tears.

NOW, THE FANCY, EXPANDED VERSION:

What if you saw chaos, disruption, and challenge as problems you get to solve, innovation you get to lead, and possibilities you get to create?

I call this being “wired for possibility™.”

Over the years, this “lens” on the dance between uncertainty and possibility has become a superpower. It’s helped me bring so much more richness into my life, and the lives of those I serve.

I’ve become a dad, husband, award-winning author, executive producer, and host of one of the most-popular podcasts in the world, Good Life Project®, boasting more than 100-million listens and views. I also produce and host a second, top-ranked, work-focused podcast, SPARKED, in partnership with LinkedIn®

I’ve founded a series of companies focused on human potential, some launched under “impossible circumstances.” I currently serve as CEO of Spark Endeavors, where I developed the groundbreaking Sparketype® Assessment. Growing into a global phenomenon, this tool has been tapped by over 1-million individuals and some of the largest, most-innovative organizations to identify, embrace, and cultivate work that makes people come alive. The assessment has generated vast database of more than 50-million data-points, serving as one of the largest-ever studies on work-life fulfillment.

Along the way, I’ve tapped this same wiring for possibility to write a series of award-winning and bestselling books. My latest, SPARKED: Discover Your Unique Imprint for Work That Makes You Come Alive, published by HarperCollins Leadership, is both a rally cry and a field guide to reclaiming work as a source of meaning, joy, and possibility. I write the popular Awake @ the Wheel newsletter on Substack, where I help a growing community feel more alive and less alone.

I’ve also been incredibly blessed to see my work featured widely in the media, from Harvard Business Review, FastCompany, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Inc., The Guardian, and SUCCESS to Oprah Magazine, Allure, Parade, Outside, Reader’s Digest, Vogue, Fitness, Elle, and many more.

In-person or on the virtual stage as a keynote speaker and facilitator, I love “casting a spell of exquisite attention,” that draws participants in through real-world, relatable, and deeply-compelling stories, cutting-edge science, data-driven insights, and actionable take-aways.

Deepening the impact of the media, tools, and engagements that have touched the lives of millions, I am grateful to serve as a trusted advisor, mentor, and coach to senior leaders, founders, change-makers, and a beautiful array of incredible humans exploring how to give and get the best out of life.

This is the power of being wired for possibility.

And, here’s the thing…

I’ve also learned, most people do not share this same wiring. They default to fear and paralysis when faced with disruption, change, and uncertainty. This is undertandable. But it does incredible harm to not only your personal potential, and ability to live with joy and ease, but also the potential of anything you seek to create, in work and life.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Being wired for possibility is an entirely trainable state.

Which is why…

I help leaders, founders, and those who want to live more fully and create more boldly become wired for possibility, and transform fear and uncertainty into wild potential.

If you’re curious about what that might feel like, for your own journey, or those you lead, I’d invite you to explore the various ways we might collaborate, from speaking, advising, or coaching, to attending events, retreats, and engaging with my writing, and other media.

To the adventure together!

Jonathan