Scott Burrows

Scott Burrows is a motivational business speaker who brings the concepts of Vision, Mindset and Grit to life using his life-changing story as the backdrop for organizational success. Three simple, yet powerful words that when put into action can help your organization stand up to any challenge.

By the age of 19, Scott played college football at Florida State University for legendary coach Bobby Bowden and was a top-ranked kick-boxing Black Belt champion whose last fight was broadcast by ESPN. Scott's life changed dramatically when he survived a catastrophic car accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down and diagnosed a quadriplegic. Told he would be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, Scott astounded his doctors and refused to be sidelined.

After graduating with a degree in Finance, Scott served as a Financial Advisor in the Insurance and Financial Industry for Northwestern Mutual. In his 5th year, he hit a huge goal and qualified for the prestigious Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), the Premiere Association of Financial Professionals, which is a 100% commission-driven sales production award that fewer than 8% of his peers qualify for annually from more than 500 companies in 70 countries around the world.

At the pinnacle of his career, Scott experienced yet another setback, a second automobile accident. Although buckled in this time, new injuries forced him to RE-evaluate, RE-invent and once again RE-ignite his life by practicing what he preaches.
Scott is the author of Vision, Mindset, Grit! Vision refers to your goals and aspirations, the endpoint you are seeking. Mindset is the continual mental preparation and adjustment needed to meet oncoming challenges. Grit is the day-to-day determination to persevere when you are too tired to press on.

"The Carestream experience with Scott Burrows was nothing short of extraordinary. He did not simply speak to our people, he transformed the way we think, and challenged us to reframe and purposefully examine where we are and where we want to be. Through his personal story, he illustrated how to address adversity in a productive, empowering way. He shared personal examples of how each element of his mantra and framework (vision-mindset-grit) contributed to his moving forward, and by codifying his approach, he gave us the opportunity to adopt his learning for our own application. The few moments when my eyes left Scott to see how our people were receiving him, I was moved by the extent of their engagement; eyes riveted, leaning forward, holding their breath, crying and laughing, riding his highs and lows with him. Scott connected with our group at a deep and meaningful level. From my 40 years of experience in this business, I place Scott among the giants in this field. Tactically, Scott was diligent and invested in preparing for our group, professional and proactive in all communications with us, genuine and personal in his delivery, and masterful in working our reality into his message. A consummate professional. I feel fortunate to have met and worked with Scott, and we are better people and professionals having experienced his presence.”

- Neil Bryant | Vice President, Sales Development, US&C, CARESTREAM

“I’ve been sourcing speakers for our annual leadership meeting for several years, and this year I believe Scott’s message was one of the most powerful and resonating keynotes witnessed by our attendees. There is a turning point in Scott’s message where I can guarantee your audience will all rise to their feet in thunderous applause, emotionally thunderstruck by the moment. His personal story of tragedy would ultimately prove to be no match for his will to triumph through Vision, Mindset & Grit. I don’t think there is another person out there that truly “walks the talk” as a keynote speaker. If you want to be reassured and inspired that the human will is stronger than life’s setbacks and there really are no limits to your dreams, let it happen with Scott Burrows.”

- Ryan MacAfee, VP Strategic Sourcing, SMILE BRANDS

"I was preparing for an upcoming conference agenda for my department, and I wanted to finish on a high note that would tie an inspirational message together with some of the business themes we have been experiencing. In talking with Scott, he quickly understood the nature of our business and some of the opportunities and challenges we were facing and was able relate that back to his experience recovering from his accident. We had a great conference, but Scott was undoubtedly the highlight as he absolutely captivated the audience and got several standing ovations. I can’t recommend Scott highly enough if you are looking for someone who can motivate your team and help relate your company’s challenges with those he has faced. Truly one of the best speakers I have had the pleasure of working with or listening to."

- James Ford, VP, of Category Strategic Advisory, The Coca-Cola Company