What do all of these people have in common? Facebook

Program Description

Facebook Fairytales: Modern-Day Miracles to Inspire the Human Spirit

Having recently reached a milestone of over 350 million active users, Facebook has become not only a household staple spanning generations—from high school and college students, to their parents, and even grandparents, but Facebook, and social networking in general, represents a cultural revolution and massive shift in the way people conduct their personal and professional affairs. It’s opened up an international dialogue that didn’t exist five years ago, allowing members to connect in an efficient and technologically advanced way.

But what comes of these millions of connections? How can people better use this technology to their professional and personal advantage?

In her lecture/slide program, Liebert demonstrates how Facebook, in the short span of five years, has fostered an intricate web of amazing connections, the results of which have transformed people’s lives in ways they never imagined possible:  marriages, business successes, community service victories, and more.  Liebert addresses the ways in which commerce and communication are moving from traditional settings and onto the web, and how everyday people can use these tools to not only keep in touch with friends and make new ones, but to use those relationships to enrich their lives.  

Including separate interviews with with co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and co-founder Chris Hughes, Facebook Fairytales is a diverse collection of 25 of the most inspiring stories that have resulted from these connections.  The stories emphasize the real-life characters’ personal struggles and triumphs. Audiences will be able to personally relate to these stories and, at the same time, be inspired and by the possibilities of success resulting from a few clicks and the willingness to try.

Bio

Emily Liebert is an award-winning, internationally published author, writer, and editor. Her first book Facebook Fairytales: Modern-Day Miracles to Inspire the Human Spirit will publish in April 2010. She is also hard at work finishing final edits on her debut novel, Conversations with Friends.  Most recently, Liebert served as editor for Kerry Kennedy’s New York Times best-seller Being Catholic Now: Prominent Americans Talk About Change in the Church and the Quest for Meaning.  A graduate of Smith College, Liebert was Editor-in-Chief of The WAG magazine for five years and, prior to that, worked for ABC NEWS’ Peter Jennings Reporting. She received the Clarion Gold Award in Magazine Journalism and has made numerous television and radio appearances.

He and Darius prove that idealism and creativity can result in tangible progress. Part revolution, part revelation, this film proves to people of all ages how life, even when imperfect, is always worth the ride.

In this multi-award-winning documentary, fifteen-year-old Darius Weems and eleven of his best friends set off across America with the ultimate goal of getting his wheelchair customized on MTV’s Pimp My Ride. The result is a rarely seen testament to the explosive idealism of today’s youth, as well as a vivid portrayal of adventure, of brotherhood, and of the character and strength it takes to shed light on an uncertain future.

Not only does Darius Weems bravely face his own inevitable fate with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), but through his unflinching humor and his extraordinary laugh, he sparks a revolution in the lives of everyone who crosses–and then shares–his courageous path.

]]> http://verbatimlectures.com/smalley/feed/ 0 http://verbatimlectures.com/gnospelius/ http://verbatimlectures.com/gnospelius/#comments Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:04:58 +0000 admin http://verbatimlectures.com/wordpress/?p=94 Jay Gnospelius is not his old self. That self was a mortal man, made of muscle and bone, bound by the physical constraints of what we call reality.  No longer, though.  Jay has literally been reinvented, piece by piece.  He  is “The 7 Million Dollar Man.”  When a commuter train took two of Jay’s limbs, in 2006, he realized that he was no longer human, but hyper-human… After he awoke from the accident with new bionic limbs, and his sense of humor and imagination still intact, Jay made ‘Limbonade’.  Now, harnessing all of the technology and positive energy that the universe can provide, and applying the lessons that he teaches others -  focus, creativity, innovation – Jay is proving that anything is possible.

Program Description

Making ‘Limbonade’: Turning Adversity into Triumph

In his empowering multimedia lecture, Jay translates becoming bionic, making Limbonade and realizing your true Inner-Superhero into universal, actionable tools for use in work and life.  As a career Ad agency executive (MasterCard: “Priceless”), Jay thought he knew about loss, rejection and the breakdown of the creative process.  All of these things were tied to the elusive concept of Inspiration.  He was cynical about what it meant to be “inspired” and to inspire others.  But, Jay learned the hard way that inspiration comes from the inside, out.

Jay takes audiences on his real-life epic journey of Destruction, Realization, Transformation,  Exuberance and Focus. From career Ad Man to Amputee to Superhero, Jay shares the trials, the realizations and the actions that got him off the tracks, on his feet, and up on an active volcano in the blink of life’s eye.

Sharing simple yet pivotal steps in overcoming any type of adversity, crisis, or loss, Jay can walk organizations through a variety of topics which are custom-tailored to suit the nature of the audience, and the audience’s goals; i.e. his message to college audiences will differ appreciably from his detailed consultative talks to business audiences.  In each case, Jay will demonstrate how his techniques not only revitalize the spirit of an organization, but can have a positive impact on the organization’s bottom line.

Jay focuses on helping organizations to understand the need for creating positive energy, and promoting a sustained sense of drive across an entire organization, while encouraging the balance of body, mind and spirit.  Jay candidly shares the arc of his story, from his near-fatal train accident through his bionic optimization, and draws vivid parallels between his own situation and that of any organization that isn’t functioning at the absolute optimal level.  Jay illustrates the benefits of breaking out of chronic habitual patterns, stasis and negativity, and points organizations toward a more focused, productive and more present incarnation.