Patrick Sweeney
- Elite Athlete, Adventurer, and Fear Expert
- Diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia, Patrick learned to use fear as fuel for his life
- Entrepreneur & Angel Investor
In Person-Fee 🛈
Fee Range
$15,000 - $20,000
Virtual Fee:
$7,500 - $10,000
Travels From
Massachusetts
Patrick Sweeney Speaker Biography
Patrick Sweeney is the son of a first generation Irish immigrant. He paid his way through college where he took up rowing. With just two years of experience, he decided to take on the world and try out for the USA Olympic team. Five years later, he finished second in the Olympic trials and won national and international championships in the process. But he could have been an Olympic Gold Medalist.
After the Olympics, Patrick attended a Top 5 business school where he would earn his MBA and go on to start one of the first cloud computing companies raising almost $30 million, winning great clients, and eventually selling the company. But the venture capitalist made most of the money.
He had the skill and more than enough will. He was held prisoner by fear.
Then he almost died, and everything changed.
He bootstrapped a new company he sold for millions. He earned eight patents, published three books, started setting world records, and in 2018 won “the world’s toughest bike race”, the 3,000 mile long Race Across America. He started living the life of his dreams. He invested in dozens of start-ups from Slack to Y-Combinator and has been recognized by Presidents and rock stars for his contributions to charity and business. Once he discovered his Fear Frontier™, Patrick unlocked a level of power, performance, and happiness he never thought possible. He searched out the science behind why and how, and today his mission is to share the neuroscience of success and the power of fear with as many people as possible. You can read his story below:
“There are times in your life when you have to make a change. Those times of change become milestone moments that alter everything. You get a glimpse of what life could be if you reached inside and tamed your fears to become the person you were meant to be.
For years, I worked hard building technology companies that would earn me millions. I was grinding out 75-hour weeks, pushing my body to the limits and feeling exhausted. Mostly, I just didn’t like who I was becoming, I was always second-guessing, always worried. I still had many deep-seated fears I was avoiding or numbing out. The day I stepped out of a hospital, having fought for my life against a rare case of Leukaemia and almost losing it, I had my milestone moment. I felt the wind for the first time and took the opportunity to stop and think, “What the hell am I doing with my life?” Things changed from that moment and courage became my super-power. Today, I chase adventure for a living and help others use fear to transform their lives. Yes, that’s right. I’m a full-time adventurer. The day I started taking steps to find my hidden fears, I unlocked a passion and energy for life that I never knew. I found courage.
I’ve seen too many people spend a lifetime working for the weekend and saying, "I wish I could do that, but I can’t.” Only you can change the story you tell yourself and find adventure in your life. In fact, you need to do it for yourself, for your kids and for the people in your life that matter the most. Every year, I speak to countless people longing to feel an energy and zeal for life. I don’t believe that we need to give up things like money, career or business to find the joy that evades us but so many of us spend a lifetime chasing goals that won’t make us happy and never facing the fears that hold us back. We can have it all but we need to face our demons, use our fear as fuel and become the truest representation of ourselves.
I’ve been an Olympic level athlete and best selling author. I’ve grown technology companies and sold them for millions, I’ve done TEDx talks to thousands. But right now; this very day, I’m living my life to its fullest, exploring the adventurer within, breaking world records and embracing every day as if it were my last. I want to help others do the same, and become better partners, parents, and people.
The way I see it – it takes courage and accountability. At times finding our fears within may feel weird and scary…but so does sex for the first time, and look how that turned out! I’m Patrick Sweeney…and I’m a full-time adventurer.”
For more information about booking Patrick Sweeney, please call Executive Speakers Bureau at 901.754.9404.
Creating a Culture of Courage. One talk can change an entire organization. What holds most people back from their full potential isn't lack of skill or lack of will, it's fear. The human brain is designed primarily for survival. That architecture interferes with our happiness, success and fulfillment in all walks of life. In fact, conferences usually present a great opportunity to learn new and exciting strategies, ones that could dramatically change businesses and lives, yet only a fraction of attendees implement those ideas. What is holding them back? Many leaders fear failure or are afraid of changing the status quo and rocking the boat. Stagnant leaders live in a fearful culture where employees do things because "that's the way it's always been done" or because they fear losing their jobs. In this riveting presentation, Patrick will explain why we get stuck in a prison of less-than-peak performance. Then he will give you tangible neuroscience techniques to take home and increase your success, power and happiness.
The Surprising Power of Fear. This is Patrick's award-winning keynote that Google's European Headquarters called the best of 2017. Patrick covers the surprising ability to use the brain's autonomic reactions as power and what the newest neuroscience on fear means for peak performance. This talk will have audiences thinking of fear in a whole new light and understanding the secret to peak mental and physical performance and sustained long-term success. This is based on Patrick's upcoming book Fear as Fuel.
The Neuroscience of Exponential Leadership. This is Patrick's talk from Singularity University which lays the foundation for building a high performing team based on discoveries in neuroscience over the past three years. Understanding the way the brain adopts to tribal environment and using biological models to optimize performance will give leaders the firepower to crush their competition and build a team that will walk through walls for its mission. Patrick deftly shares the architecture our brain is optimized for, which mimics natural insect colonies and has been successfully adopted to guerilla warfare and unicorn corporations. You will never look at a beehive the same after this talk!
Breaking the Rules in Life and Business. What if you knew which rules were holding you back and how to break them? Think of how your life would change if you had no ceiling on what you can accomplish. Following the rules works well for governments and societies but is an eventual death toll for corporations who get buried in hierarchical structure and lose their competitive advantage. The same holds true for professionals who have lost their career mojo. In this highly inspirational talk grounded in Patrick's vast entrepreneurial success, he shares the top ten rules that every business and professional should make sure they break at least once every quarter.
Fear, Technology, & Leadership for the 21st Century. In this fascinating presentation about our fears of technology best-selling author Patrick Sweeney, known as the Fear Guru, takes you through the process of evaluating then embracing technology, making the most of innovation and courageous leadership during times of rapid change. He shows you why people in the late 1800's thought telephones might connect users to evil spirits, how technology like anti-lock brakes and vaccinations have saved more lives than have been lost to terrorism, why some AI systems go very wrong when they make mistakes and why some of the scariest technology today is what we should be most excited about. Sweeney's unique background as one of the world's foremost authorities on fear and courage compliments his perspective as a four-time technology entrepreneur & CEO, an innovator with almost a dozen patents to his name and an angel investor in over 30 technology companies including Slack, Bright Farms and Y Combinator.
