Sean Kavanagh lectures and speaks on the topic of Fall Risk; Falling is inevitable. A life of purpose happens by learning from our falls, not simply avoiding them.

A performer with stand-up experience, a training industry entrepreneur, cyclist, husband, father and grandfather, Sean brings a wealth of humor, stories and audience-involvement to every engagement.

For 20 years, Sean ran The Ariel Group, an international firm that trained leaders in interpersonal communication. His clients included leaders in business, non-profits, government and healthcare. He has taught storytelling to social entrepreneurs, military veterans, MBA students, and college graduates.

How we heal from our falls, and what we learn from them... That is what makes us who we truly are!

SPEAKING

Sean speaks to a range of audiences, from business leaders to healthcare professionals, to urban activists. He tailors his talk to each specific audience — no canned speeches — and commits to leaving an audience with not just interesting anecdotes, but actionable ideas. He believes that “Listening isn’t Learning”. All of my talks involve the audience. The best learning is through interaction. Not goofy “audience involvement gimics”, but real opportunities participate and engage. My goal is that every audience member leaves with a relevant piece of learning that they can apply in their life.

Leadership and Management

Inspire your people to grow and succeed by encouraging them to take risks, and learn from their falls. And to tell those stories as part of their leadership voice.

Healthcare

Healing is more than just repairing an injury or curing an illness. It is about  having the empathy and encouragement to help the person, not just the patient.

Non-profits

Inspire non profit leadership to tell the stories of impact about their mission and the impact of their work.

Higher Education

To prepare for the job market, undergrads, grad students and MBA’s need to articulate who they are not just what they know. Stories about their challenges, set backs and what they learned, set them apart from the pile of resumes employers are managing.

writING

Book: FALL RISK

Sparked by his near fatal bicycle accident in 2016, Sean’s forthcoming book, FALL RISK, is based on lessons learned while healing from his injuries, and redesigning his post-trauma life. The central thesis is this: Had I accepted the FALL RISK label that was on my wrist when I came out of my coma, I would not have healed. I needed to do the opposite. Healing, and in fact fully living, requires risking falling. I’m lucky to have had doctors, community, mentors and friends that supported my return to a life of greater purpose, and yes, some risks and falls.

Blog: FALL RISKER

FallRisker is a regular blog by speaker and leadership expert Sean Kavanagh inspired by the experience of healing from a bad bicycle accident.

Labeled a Fall Risk by doctors, Kavanagh learned valuable lessons about the nature of risk, how healing and leading are alike, and the downside of avoiding risk entirely.

Check out FallRisker for stories about the early lessons from the moment he woke up in a strange hospital bed to the application of these lessons in his day-to-day life as a writer, speaker, cyclist, husband, father and grandfather.

Life is about falling and getting up again. Embrace falling. It means you are truly living.