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Patrick Sweeney

Adventurer, Angel Investor, Entrepreneur

Diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia, Patrick learned to use fear as fuel for his life
Started and sold 3 companies and is now an active angel investor in over 30 companies
Helps audiences realize fear is a friend and uses it to drive world peace

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Inc. Magazine called Patrick one of the most interesting men alive, but he considers himself ordinary and able to do things anyone can learn if they understand how to use fear as fuel. He inspires audiences with the neuroscience of fear & how it can be a competitive advantage. He shows why we need to find more fear in our life, and it's fascinating!

In 2018 Patrick won the world's toughest bicycle race – the Race Across America almost 20 years after he finished 2nd place in the Olympic rowing trials, he's founded four tech companies while creating eight patents and raising almost $50 million. Patrick has leveraged fear as fuel for peak performance and to create an inspiring life of passion, happiness and fulfillment. The son of Irish immigrants he was the first to go to college in his family and ever since has refused to accept upper limits set by family, friends or society. He teaches audience how to break through their limits.

Some fears you can face head on, and some show up unexpectedly to shake you to your core. When Patrick was told he had Leukemia, he, again, faced fear head on and learned the biggest life secrets to success.

When he realized the power of fear to fuel amazing feats in all aspects of life he began interviewing the world's top neuroscientists and psychologist for his book Fear is Fuel. He found out why and how our mind locks us in anxiety-ridden prison or leads us to the life of our dreams. His mission is to share those secrets with millions of people.

As a winner in sports and a winner in business he is committed to leveraging those fear lessons on himself and channel them into setting world records by being the first person to attempt cycling the Seven Summits. Patrick has been happily married (to the same woman) for 20 years (yes, she's a saint) and has three teenage children. He splits time between Boston Ma, Chamonix, France and Seat 21D.

Creating a Culture of Courage. One talk can change an entire organization. What holds most people back from their full potential isn't lack of skill or lack of will, it's fear. The human brain is designed primarily for survival. That architecture interferes with our happiness, success and fulfillment in all walks of life. In fact, conferences usually present a great opportunity to learn new and exciting strategies, ones that could dramatically change businesses and lives, yet only a fraction of attendees implement those ideas. What is holding them back? Many leaders fear failure or are afraid of changing the status quo and rocking the boat. Stagnant leaders live in a fearful culture where employees do things because "that's the way it's always been done" or because they fear losing their jobs. In this riveting presentation, Patrick will explain why we get stuck in a prison of less-than-peak performance. Then he will give you tangible neuroscience techniques to take home and increase your success, power and happiness.

The Surprising Power of Fear. This is Patrick's award-winning keynote that Google's European Headquarters called the best of 2017. Patrick covers the surprising ability to use the brain's autonomic reactions as power and what the newest neuroscience on fear means for peak performance. This talk will have audiences thinking of fear in a whole new light and understanding the secret to peak mental and physical performance and sustained long-term success. This is based on Patrick's upcoming book Fear as Fuel.

The Neuroscience of Exponential Leadership. This is Patrick's talk from Singularity University which lays the foundation for building a high performing team based on discoveries in neuroscience over the past three years. Understanding the way the brain adopts to tribal environment and using biological models to optimize performance will give leaders the firepower to crush their competition and build a team that will walk through walls for its mission. Patrick deftly shares the architecture our brain is optimized for, which mimics natural insect colonies and has been successfully adopted to guerilla warfare and unicorn corporations. You will never look at a beehive the same after this talk!

Breaking the Rules in Life and Business. What if you knew which rules were holding you back and how to break them? Think of how your life would change if you had no ceiling on what you can accomplish. Following the rules works well for governments and societies but is an eventual death toll for corporations who get buried in hierarchical structure and lose their competitive advantage. The same holds true for professionals who have lost their career mojo. In this highly inspirational talk grounded in Patrick's vast entrepreneurial success, he shares the top ten rules that every business and professional should make sure they break at least once every quarter.

Fear, Technology, & Leadership for the 21^st Century. In this fascinating presentation about our fears of technology best-selling author Patrick Sweeney, known as the Fear Guru, takes you through the process of evaluating then embracing technology, making the most of innovation and courageous leadership during times of rapid change. He shows you why people in the late 1800's thought telephones might connect users to evil spirits, how technology like anti-lock brakes and vaccinations have saved more lives than have been lost to terrorism, why some AI systems go very wrong when they make mistakes and why some of the scariest technology today is what we should be most excited about. Sweeney's unique background as one of the world's foremost authorities on fear and courage compliments his perspective as a four-time technology entrepreneur & CEO, an innovator with almost a dozen patents to his name and an angel investor in over 30 technology companies including Slack, Bright Farms and Y Combinator.