Author of the Best-Selling I Am the Central Park Jogger: A Story of Hope and Possibility
On April 19, 1989, Trisha Meili went for a run in New York's Central Park shortly after 9 PM. Hours later, two men found her near death from a brutal beating and rape. In a coma, with nearly 80 percent blood loss, a fierce blow to the head, and severe exposure, doctors at Metropolitan Hospital worried that this young woman might not survive. The story seized the headlines, in New York and around the world as people contemplated what the savagery of the attack said about our society. Fourteen years later, Meili, known to the world as The Central Park Jogger, revealed her amazing story of survival and recovery in her best-selling memoir I AM THE CENTRAL PARK JOGGER: A Story of Hope and Possibility. Represented exclusively by Leading Authorities, Trisha Meili speaks to groups, including businesses, universities, brain injury associations, sexual assault centers, and hospitals, about her journey of recovery and healing, leadership, the power of attitude, and the possibilities of personal growth. She offers lessons on how to manage through unpredictable change, whether personal, professional, economic, or spiritual. Her story has encouraged people worldwide to overcome life's obstacles--regardless of what they might be--and get back on the road to life.
Born in Paramus, New Jersey, raised there and in Pittsburgh, Meili was a Phi Beta Kappa economics major at Wellesley College and a double graduate degree recipient (MBA and MA) at Yale. After graduation, she went on to work as an associate at the Wall Street investment bank Salomon Brothers, until her life was violently interrupted that night in Central Park. Amazing her doctors and colleagues, Meili returned to Salomon eight months after the attack, became a Vice President, and continued there for another eight years. She then ran a nonprofit in New York City before writing her story.
Surviving By Thriving. I AM THE CENTRAL PARK JOGGER is not a story of an attack, but rather, one of healing. The horror of her attack brought an outpouring of support and love from her family, friends, healthcare workers, co-workers, and strangers. Meili credits this support as part of the miracle of her recovery as she relearned how to do simple things, such as rolling over, telling time, buttoning her blouse or identifying simple objects. The support allowed her to move from victim to survivor, reclaim her life, and become whole.
Racing with Hope. Recently, Meili was the recipient of the Leadership Award from the National Center for Victims of Crime, the National Courage Award from the Courage Center, the Pacesetter Award from New York Hospital Queens, the Spirit of Achievement Award from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the Courage Award from Boston's Magic 106.7 Exceptional Women Program and an Olympic Torchbearer in New York City. Her courageous story has been documented on television programs including a Katie Couric special, Today , Dateline, Larry King Live , Paula Zahn Now and The CBS Early Show with Harry Smith.
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Download Speech Topics: Trisha Meili's Speaking Topics
Teamwork: The Power of Support. Trisha Meili stresses how outside support was vital to her healing. Family, friends, coworkers, doctors, nurses, and therapists all worked as a team to ensure Meili's survival. Additional support came from strangers as an outpouring of thoughts, prayers, and warm messages provided a critical connection for Trisha, reaffirming that she was not alone in her ordeal. Trisha inspires others about the importance of joining the team, regardless of the goal.
Leadership: The Power of Self-Knowledge. Self-knowledge is a critical element in any leadership practice. After the attack, Meili was forced to learn to live in a new body with a new mind, to understand herself in an entirely new way. Becoming more acutely aware of her strengths and weaknesses helped Meili develop confidence, which lead to setting goals and taking action to improve. Meili encourages others to tap into the power of self-knowledge, take control and move forward.
Attitude: The Power of Choice. Meili couldn't change what happened-the attack-but she realized that she could choose how to respond. Beyond her recovery, Meili chose to use this adversity to offer hope and possibility to others. In everyday life, we make choices quite causally, even carelessly. But when people choose consciously and with precision-choose as though their life depends on the choice they are making, real power flows. Through her speaking and writing, Meili inspires listeners to experience the power of making conscious choices.
Personal Growth: The Power of Possibilities. Meili's transformation from someone in a wheelchair, who couldn't walk to once again being a determined athlete capable of completing a New York City Marathon, was the result of concentrating on her possibilities. Focusing on what she could do, rather than on what she couldn't, motivated her to keep pushing to the edges of what she thought was possible, regardless of the obstacles. As a best selling author and Chairman of a worldwide organization serving those with disabilities, Meili shows the results of continued pushing and growing.
Mind/Body: The Power of the Present Moment. In the middle of a crisis, it is often difficult to figure out what to do first. When everything had been taken away from Meili, she realized all she could do to improve her future was to work in the present moment. She offers this as critical insight to all of us who face business and personal challenges.
Peak Performance: The Power of Personal Responsibility. In the darkest days after the attack, Trisha took responsibility for her recovery, realizing that she was an integral part of the healing process. Soon after emerging from the coma when a nurse asked her, "Who's the captain of this ship?" Meili replied, "I am." Taking responsibility in this way led Meili to set, pursue and achieve goals, and touch thousands in the process. Meili demonstrates to her audience that taking personal responsibility is the beginning of peak performance.
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