In 1945, Les Brown’s biological mother gave birth to him and his twin brother on the dirty floor of an abandoned building in Miami, FL. When he was six weeks old, his mother gave him up for adoption.

Due to being disruptive in school, Brown was held back a year and identified as educable but developmentally disabled, a designation that hurt his confidence. Nevertheless, he went on to have a successful career in radio before ultimately winning a seat in the Ohio State Legislature. After leaving politics, he became a speaker and author, launching Les Brown Enterprises and going on to become one of the top five motivational speakers in the world.

What rags-to-riches success story is complete without a stint working as a garbage collector? Les Brown briefly worked in sanitation before getting a job as a gopher for a Miami Beach radio station. He badly wanted to be an on-air radio personality, but he kept failing his auditions.

Then, lightning struck — the lead disc jockey showed up intoxicated and embarrassed the station. Brown was offered the chance to step in on short notice, and buoyed by lessons learned from the previous failed attempts, he ended up securing the role as lead DJ.

Eventually Brown moved to Ohio to work for WVKO. His profile in the community grew to the point where he was elected to the Ohio State Legislature, serving from 1977 to 1981 before stepping down to care for his ailing adoptive mother.

Back in Miami, Brown founded a youth center training program and became a full-time public speaker in 1986. In 1990, Les Brown Enterprises launched his You Deserve series for PBS pledges, which won an Emmy Award and remains one of the most successful fundraising drive tools of all time. He has received the highest honors from Toastmasters International and the National Speakers Association.

Brown remains one of the most in-demand motivational speakers in the world. His books include Live Your Dreams, The Power Of Purpose, and It’s Not Over Until You Win.

The Greatness In You (2022)