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JJ Birden

JJ Birden

Former NFL Pro & Motivational Keynote Speaker

In-Person Fee Range:
$15,001 - $30,000
Fee Details
Virtual Fee Range:
Inquire for Fee
Traveling from:
Arizona
JJ Birden Sizzle Reel

JJ Birden

Former NFL Pro & Motivational Keynote Speaker

In-Person Fee Range:
$15,001 - $30,000
Fee Details
Virtual Fee Range:
Inquire for Fee
Traveling from:
Arizona

Why Book

  • Inspire your team with JJ Birden, former NFL Pro and motivational speaker, through his journey from unlikely contender to professional athlete.
  • His message of determination, resilience, perseverance, and positivity will inspire your team to success, and his tailored keynote presentations will give them tools and strategies to reach the highest levels in business and in life.

Biography

Like a fabled long-shot story and underdog tale, JJ Birden was The Small Man in the
Big Man’s Game of Football. After earning a scholarship to the University of Oregon for track and field (plus being the #1 high school wide receiver in Oregon), JJ also earned a walk-on spot with the football team his sophomore year. His trials were only just beginning though, and he was faced with many naysayers, followed by a cycle of injuries, and unimpressive stats.

JJ’s hard work, grit, speed, and resiliency were enough to eventually earn him the invite
to the NFL Combine, where he dominated. His performance earned him an NFL draft
pick, and he was on his way, or so he thought. Another series of injuries and failed
physicals culminated in one of the darkest moments in JJ’s early career; JJ was
rejected by 4 NFL teams in 5 days.

He could have walked away from the game and given up hope in spite of what seemed
like insurmountable odds, but JJ didn’t even flinch. Instead, he did what he’s always
done when faced with adversity—he found a way to win.

Despite a height of only 5’10 and weighing in at 157 lbs (versus the typical 6’2 and 245
lbs of his peers) JJ would go on to play 9 seasons in the NFL, crushing the average
player’s career of less than 2 years. He is now an engaging and passionate keynote
speaker, and a leading authority on helping individuals seize their opportunities in life.
As a best-selling author, entrepreneur, speaker, husband and father he now shares
lessons from his life that help audiences of all ages, backgrounds, and professions
realize the most important thing about success—it is never given, but always earned.

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Programs

Unlocking Your Team's Potential

Many organizations struggle with teamwork, causing role confusion and difficulty balancing individual
and collective success. This leads to demotivation and disconnection from the bigger picture. Without a
clear team strategy and commitment, organizations face communication breakdowns, trust issues, conflicting work styles, and lack of collaboration, leading to overall failure. Effective teamwork is crucial for success and progress.

In this keynote, JJ Birden leverages his contrasting NFL experiences to provide actionable insights and delivers powerful lessons on building successful teams. He compares the 1993 Kansas City Chiefs, who nearly reached the Super Bowl, with the 1989 Dallas Cowboys, who struggled through a 1-15 season.
Through these experiences, he illustrates essential strategies for creating winning teams in any
environment. JJ aims to empower organizations to achieve their goals and cultivate a high-performance culture by translating the principles that made his teams great. This keynote inspires leaders and teams to embrace change, foster growth, and create environments where everyone can thrive.

Key Takeaways:

  • Growth: Audiences will learn strategies for personal and professional development through change, mentorship, and effective leadership. They will gain insights on how mentorship can transform team dynamics, inspired by NFL legend Joe Montana’s experiences.
  • Retention: Attendees will understand how to create a winning culture that ensures long-term success. They will discover the importance of commitment and loyalty in fostering team cohesion
    and sustained performance, drawing parallels between professional sports and the corporate world.
  • Teamwork: Participants will know how to employ methods to foster a supportive team environment where dynamics are optimized for success. They will learn the significance of sharing and celebrating team achievements to ensure everyone feels valued and motivated.
Winning as an Underdog

Being an underdog gives you a STEALTH opportunity to win!
In today’s fiercely competitive landscape, organizations often find themselves at a perceived disadvantage when pitted against industry giants with larger market shares, extensive budgets, and formidable resources. However, this perceived weakness can be transformed into a strategic advantage with the right guidance.
Rather than limiting their growth potential, these organizations can harness their unique strengths to
foster alignment, momentum, and ultimately, sustainable growth.
Drawing inspiration from his own journey as an underdog, JJ Birden, a former NFL player and successful
business professional, shares invaluable insights in his compelling keynote, “Winning as an Underdog”.

Despite facing odds stacked against him—where the average NFL player towered over him by 43%—JJ mastered the “underdog mentality,” leveraging his perceived shortcomings to fuel his success both on and off the field. Through over a decade of experience in the medical and fitness equipment industries, JJ continued to embody this mentality, defying expectations and achieving remarkable success.
In his captivating keynote, Winning as an Underdog, JJ empowers attendees to embrace their underdog status and capitalize on every opportunity. With a blend of undeniable truths, actionable strategies, and inspiring anecdotes, JJ guides participants through a collaborative experience, showcasing how underdogs can not only thrive but also revolutionize established business norms. Join JJ Birden as he reveals how underdogs are the true catalysts for innovation and change in the business world.

Key Takeaways:

  • Recognizing the strategic benefits of embracing underdog status.
  • Knowing how to cultivate a mindset that thrives on challenges and adversity.
  • Implementing JJ’s proven framework for narrowing the underdog disadvantage.
  • Maintaining unwavering determination and resilience on the journey from underdog to industry leader.
Seize Your Opportunities

Success is not going to be given to you–you have to go get it! Businesses have always aimed to get more out of their people, but it is becoming increasingly hard to
provide resources, instruction and encouragement that actually motivate employees to show up and give their best. To truly succeed in today’s extremely competitive business world, organizations need employees who are genuinely motivated to give their best, improve each day, and do whatever it takes to win. Unfortunately, not everyone has this capacity; JJ Birden does, and he can help anyone develop it, too. Seize Your Opportunities focuses on the individual and what one must do for success as part of a larger group—no matter the odds, and no matter how much hard work it requires.

As a former NFL wide receiver, JJ knows what it takes to reach the highest level of performance and have the capacity to maintain it. Many of the success principles he learned as a professional athlete have helped him thrive in the business world as an entrepreneur and professional speaker. In this presentation, JJ shares his winning principles and strategies and teaches audiences how to maximize and seize the opportunities in their lives. Success is not going to be given to you. You have to achieve success; and once you have it, you can’t stay at that same level. You have to continue to work to fight mediocrity and complacency. JJ will show you how.

Key Takeaways:

  • Cultivating a winning mindset and unwavering determination
  • Discovering, clarifying, and standing by your Why
  • The role of discipline and self-drive in achieving success
  • Overcoming challenges to reach your breakthrough
  • The dangers of complacency in halting progress
  • Sustaining momentum through ongoing personal growth

JJ Birden Reviews

“I’ve been to 25 to 30 National Sales Meetings in my career, I’ve heard lots of motivational speakers and JJ Birden was by far the best National Sales Meeting speaker that I’ve ever seen.”

— Hershey

“I just had the wonderful opportunity to hear JJ’s message at our company’s recent National Sales Meeting. And wow, what an outstanding message it was! In fact, it was the most inspiring story I’ve heard during my 38 years here. His presentation captivated everyone, and he has an amazing way of connecting and it’s like he’s talking to everyone, one on one. JJ’s message and tactics for success are simple and rooted in powerful concepts, his message will give you all the inspiration necessary to succeed both personally and professionally.”

— Hershey Small Format Sales Division

“In these times of uncertainty, many associates are feeling a sense of chaos and stress with the unknown. Your messaging around what they can personally do everyday was uplifting and will be referenced internally for years to come, and the connection you had our associates was outstanding. Thank you for being a part of the Virtual Summer Speaker Series; you were all and more than we had hoped for to encourage, inspire and motivate the team deeply affected by COVID-19 in the hospital labs.”

— Sysmex America, Inc.

“JJ spoke virtually for our Sysmex Speaker Series, he is the best motivational speaker I have heard and believed. Thank you!”

— Sysmex

“Every time he got onto the field he took advantage of the opportunity to do something special. He was meticulous in his preparation and never let his lack of NFL size stop him from finding a way to be successful. He has taken the same attention to detail, attitude and hard work that allowed him to be successful in the NFL into life after the game and is sharing the lessons that helped him succeed.”

— Kansas City Star Reporter

“JJ Birden was the keynote speaker at our client appreciation event; his presentation was outstanding. His message was well received by our very diverse group, which included clients and their guests from a wide age spectrum. His presentation was both energetic and entertaining. The feedback we received from our clients on his presentation was extremely positive. I would highly recommend JJ as a keynote speaker and presenter.”

— Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.

NEED MORE IDEAS?

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NEED MORE IDEAS?

We are here to help.
Speak with our experienced Program Consultants.

Call us or Live Chat Below

NEED MORE IDEAS?

We are here to help.
Speak with our experienced Program Consultants.

Call us or Live Chat Below

NEED MORE IDEAS?

We are here to help.
Speak with our experienced Program Consultants.

Call us or Live Chat Below

NEED MORE IDEAS?

We are here to help.
Speak with our experienced Program Consultants.

Call us or Live Chat Below