Maxwell Ivey | SpeakerHub

Personal Details

Bio

Known around the world as The Blind Blogger I have transformed myself from morbidly obese failed carnival owner to respected online amusement equipment broker in the best health of my life.

People were impressed & inspired by the way I took on difficult challenges with joy and encouraged me to share more of what it's like to be a blind entrepreneur.

I started a second website as The Blind Blogger, and accepted the fact that I have the ability to inspire others to do more in their lives.

I have written four books, two of them award winners. And contributed to several best-selling collaboration projects.

I have traveled the country solo, sung & spoken in public, and appeared on over 350 podcasts & radio shows.

I now teach other creative entrepreneurs to be great interview guests, book them on podcasts & radio shows, and promote their interviews.

I was finally convinced to start my own podcast which I call What's Your Excuse. And recently, I decided to apply all my experience in the podcasting world to help other people with disabilities start their own podcasts through my WYE network.

I have overcome a lot in my life, and I have accomplished a lot of big scary goals.

I have done this by implementing three core principles that I will share with your audience.

1: Interdependence, or being willing to ask for help or opportunities and accept them when offered. I help people finally overcome the fear surrounding asking for help.

2: Deciding to find and implement solutions instead of making excuses. Including, and especially, when you don't like the available solutions.

3: Being determined to find the positive in life. Showing them how to cultivate a practice of finding the positive that makes them more optimistic and better prepared to cope when real setbacks, disasters, or failures arise.

I love to sing, and I will sing during my talk. People made fun of my singing when I was younger, so it takes a lot for me to face this fear and be example to others.

But I have taken it even one step farther. Now, I write and record my own songs which I will sing when they are appropriate to my message.

Finally, I believe way too many headaches come from misunderstandings. I would rather answer an awkward question than to have you guess. So, if you have any question at all, please just ask.

Thanks for your time, Maxwell

Current position (2)

Blogging and Life Coach

The Blind Blogger

Amusement Ride and Carnival Equipemnt Broker

The Midway Marketplace

Degrees (1)

Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

Texas A&M University Corpus-Christi

1987 to 1989

Presentations

Presentations (3)

Life is like a river, overcoming adversity by continuing to move forward

Maxwell will share his life's journey of going from blind failed carnival owner to respected equipment broker to successful creative entrepreneur.

Explaining the methods of how he was able to overcome his losses and become the awesome person he is today.

Full of honest heart warming story telling and sprinkled with humor.

And wrapped up in a bow when he challenges the audience by singing his latest song what's your excuse.

If you don't ask, they can't say yes, how to get what you want and need to be successful.

Maxwell will teach the audience one of the biggest secrets to his success.

That being the willingness to ask for help or opportunities and accept them when offered.

He will share expressions that free them from the fear of looking weak by asking for help.

And help them overcome the fear of looking egotistical by asking for opportunities.

He will teach them about building a community, who and how to ask, and how to act when someone offers to help you or tries to give you the gift of a big opportunity.

He will share successes and setbacks, but you will never doubt he believes in the power of asking.

Don't wait until you are ready because you never will be

You have to give the world the chance to find something about your work to love.

Maxwell shares successes that came from putting his work out into the world even when he was unsure.

You will hear about the website that people still make fun of that he used to successfully sell hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of amusement equipment on five continents.

You will hear of the love he fostered by sharing mistakes on his first blog post and first video as The Blind Blogger.

He will share about the progression of his podcast videos and how he grew his audience of loyal followers in spite of all the mistakes he made on the technical side.

In many cases people have come up to him before the conference was over to share how he had challenged them to take action on a long unfulfilled goal or dream.

He always asks himself if he is making excuses, and he will have the audience thinking of ways to write that book, start that podcast, or book that first speaking event.

Workshops (1)

Accessibility and Inclusion

4 hours

Past talks (6)

Accessibility through communication and collaboration

Wordpress Accessibility Day 2022

Virtual

People Don't Buy Our Books Unless They Buy Our Stroies

Texas Authors Marketing Event

Austin, Texas, USA

Life is like a river overcoming adversity by moving forward

Foundation Fighting Blindness