Glen Gerreyn

At age 17 Glen, a champion athlete, was struck by an illness that quickly ended his Olympic dreams and sporting career. He triumphed over every challenge, and shifted his focus to community development. His efforts were soon recognised nationally as Young Australian of the Year for Queensland, Community Service.

For the past twelve years Glen has made motivational speaking his career, and has already spoken to over 500,000 people around the world. He works with high school students, businesses, sporting groups and community organisations. In 2012 Glen received the international accreditation as a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP). He has spoken at the world famous TEDx events, appeared on the Today Show and Can of Worms, and written blogs for Mamamia.com, and has also been featured prominently on ABC national radio.

His businesses and initiatives include Freedom House Publishing, Men of Honour, The HopeFull Institute and The HopeFull Organisation.

Glen challenges his audiences to test their limits, and to set and reach personal goals that they never could imagine, let alone believe to be possible. He has a remarkable ability to articulate and deliver a powerful and lasting message of empowerment and purpose. He has authored four books, Get Your Hopes Up, Oxygen: 102 Doses of Inspiration, Men of Honour and Gifted for Greatness Glen lives happily in Sydney with his wife and four children.

From Glen…

I can tell you first hand how life-changing hope can be.

It’s thanks to an illness as a teenager that I am who I am today - and blessed to be changing the lives of thousands of people every day.

At aged 17 I was a Queensland representative sprinter set for a promising career in athletics, with a dream of going to the Olympics. Then life took a sudden and dramatic turn when I was diagnosed with the incurable disease, Ulcerative Colitis. My sporting dreams were shattered.

I had a choice: let it defeat me, or fight back and create a life I was proud to lead.

With the $2 I had left from my disability pension, I started a Youth Centre in my hometown. At the time the city had very little to  keep young people entertained and out of trouble. Through sponsorship and fundraising I developed a fully functional youth venue, with sporting, Internet and entertainment facilities. It quickly grew to having over 800 members. My efforts were soon recognised nationally as Young Australian of the Year for Queensland, Community Service in 1998. And it’s all grown from there.

Today I get to meet and speak to people young and old across Australia and the globe. It’s an honour to witness the change that being ‘hopefull’ has made in their lives.

I invite you to see what re-igniting hope can do for you
– in your life, in your family, in your work, in your organisation.