In 1987, John O’Leary was a curious nine-year-old boy. Playing with fire and gasoline, John created a massive explosion in his home and was burned on 100% of his body. He was given 1% chance to live. This epic story of survival was first showcased in his parents’ book, Overwhelming Odds, in 2006. Originally printing 200 copies for friends and family, his parents have sold 60,000+ copies, most in back-of-room sales at John’s speaking events. It was this book that first invited John to embrace his miraculous recovery and share it with the world. Consistently described as “the best speaker we’ve ever had,” John receives nearly 100% of his engagements from referrals. His schedule is a testament to the power of his message and who he is as an individual. His emotional story-telling, unexpected humor and authenticity make each of his presentations truly transformational.

A board-certified specialist in internal medicine and a professionally trained chef, Dr. La Puma hosts "What's Cooking with ChefMD?" weekly on the national series "Health Corner" on Lifetime TV. The best-selling author of "RealAge Diet", his latest book is "ChefMD's Big Book of Culinary Medicine". He is also the medical director at The Santa Barbara Institute for Medical Nutrition & Healthy Weight. John La Puma is the “food as medicine doc.” A board-certified specialist in internal medicine, a professionally trained chef and New York Times best-selling author, Dr. La Puma hosts “What’s Cooking With ChefMD®” every Sunday morning on the national TV series “Health Corner” on the cable TV network Lifetime, with 88 million subscribers. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of California (Creative Studies) and a graduate of the Baylor College of Medicine, he performed his residency in internal medicine at the West LA VA Medical Center and UCLA, and completed the first postgraduate fellowship in internal medicine and clinical medical ethics in the U.S., at the University of Chicago. He was appointed to the associate faculty at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine for six years and has written more than 50 peer reviewed scientific papers, 200 essays and letters, and three medical books. Dr. La Puma is also a graduate of the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago, a Le Cordon Bleu School, and taught the first Nutrition and Cooking Course for Medical Students in the U.S., at SUNY. He founded CHEF Clinic® to study the cooking, eating and fitness habits of overweight adults, receiving an American Medical Association grant for the research. He served as a Professor of Nutrition at Kendall School of Culinary Arts and cooked for nearly 4 years once weekly at Chef Rick Bayless’ Topolobampo in Chicago. Dr. La Puma contributed recipes to the #1 best-seller You, the Owner’s Manual and has consulted with companies such as CIGNA, Caremark and Kr