Invite John Foppe to build mission, culture, and momentum.

Born without arms, John Foppe learned early to turn obstacles into opportunities. A nonprofit CEO, strategist, and author with 15+ years of executive leadership experience, he has led teams through growth, culture change, and complex challenges. He also founded Friends of the Forgotten, a global initiative connecting disabled adults seeking purpose with institutionalized disabled children needing love.

Over the past decade, John has strengthened nonprofits by growing revenue, building strong cultures, and launching innovative programs that expand reach and impact. His leadership has transformed struggling operations into thriving, mission-driven organizations delivering sustainable results.

Personally recruited and trained by motivational icon Zig Ziglar, John has worked in 25+ countries with pro-football organizations like the Miami Dolphins, Fortune 500 companies such as Boeing, GE, and State Farm, as well as governments and universities. He is the author of What’s Your Excuse?, translated into six languages, and a recognized voice on servant leadership, execution, resilience, and mission impact.

Watch John show how to keep moving when life pulls you over.

Execution Unleashed: Thriving Under Constraint

When resources are tight and teams are stretched, execution becomes an act of courage. Born without arms, John Foppe learned early to transform limitation into innovation, turning constraint into creativity. In this talk, he helps leaders break free from the “Have Trap” and lead teams that perform through clarity, rhythm, and ownership.

Programs

Servant Leadership 2.0

True leadership begins where control ends. Drawing from his life of both receiving and leading care, John reveals how empathy and accountability can co-exist to build stronger, more human workplaces. This session helps leaders move from managing people to cultivating belonging, purpose, and high performance.

Resilience by Design: Building Teams That Bend

Resilience isn’t about overcoming—it’s about endurance. John Foppe, who has lived his entire life adapting to challenge, shows how to build teams and systems that stay grounded under pressure and emerge stronger. Leaders discover how to sustain energy, trust, and creativity through every season of change.

Testimonials

"...I have admired the way you have handled yourself and have spread your message to so many people. Each week, we try to win football games, but you are succeeding daily on a much higher level - you are winning the game of life, and your messages are helping so many others reach their potential as well. That is so much more important than any football game."

Jimmy Johnson
Former, Head Coach
Miami Dolphins

"Encouraging, caring, informative, humorous, life-changer - all describe John Foppe the man. Invite him to address your group. You and your people will benefit in your business... I guarantee it."

Zig Ziglar
Author and Motivational Teacher

"I have faced extreme hardship in my life, but I faced it as an able bodied man...I recommend [John Foppe’s work] to anyone who wants to take charge of life and be a survivor, not a victim."

Dith Pran,
Survivor of the Cambodian Holocaust,
Whose story inspired the 1984 Academy Award-winning film, The Killing Fields

"[John] was far from being the type of motivational speaker whom I have seen around so many times; the self-centered, guru-like type of lecturer that I did not want to bring into the UniQuest journey.

John spent close to a day with our 100 UniQuest participants. He connected with them, encouraged them, and stirred their thoughts and emotions...He is in the best sense of the word: authentic. Listening to him, you simply have to relate to him. There is no escape, no place to hide..."

Markus Vorbeck
Project Manager UniQuest
Corporate Learning & Management Development
UniCredit Group, Italy

 

"John has the ability to put a person in contact with the deeper part of oneself, creating the possibility of starting the beautiful voyage of change."

Elisa Conti
Training Manager
ST Microelectronics

 

"John was able to correlate his handicap to Total Quality and team building in a way which encourages individuals to work with what they have and to do their best."

Oliver C. Boileau
President and General Manager
Northrop Corporation, B-2 Division

Clients Include

Corporate & Industry Leaders

  • 3M

  • Archer Daniels Midland Company

  • AutoNation

  • Bell Helicopter Textron

  • Boeing

  • Bridgestone

  • Coldwell Banker

  • Domino’s Pizza

  • GE

  • Glidden

  • Northrop

  • Pfizer

  • Prudential

  • RE/MAX

  • State Farm

  • Texas Instruments 

Healthcare, Education & Nonprofit

  • SSM Health

  • Milton Hershey School

  • Purdue University

  • Saint Louis University

  • United Way of America

Government & Public Sector

  • Alaska National Guard

  • FDIC

  • Internal Revenue Service

  • U.S. Department of A