Darren McBurnett

Retired US Navy SEAL, Professional Photographer, Author, Ambassador, and Motivational Speaker
Darren McBurnett, Retired Navy SEAL
  • Retired Navy SEAL and world-renowned photographer, known for capturing some of the most incredible and intense images of SEALs in training
  • A high-energy delivery paired with breathtaking visuals makes this presentation unlike any other
  • Uses real stories and humor to share motivational and inspiring lessons about teamwork, leadership, and personal growth

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Following a 24-year Navy SEAL career, McBurnett has become an accomplished speaker and motivator, presenting to companies and groups including CDW, Budweiser, Rite-Aid, Walk-Ons, Albany Road Real Estate Partners, Founders Brewing Company, Hilton Hotels, BMO, National Quarterback Club, Fidelity Investments, Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers, Arbor Pharmaceuticals, and many others. He is also an award-winning photographer. His professional portfolio includes work for NIKE, National Geographic, Fox and Friends, Rolling Stone, CBS SEAL Team, and the movie Act of Valor. His work has appeared on everything from album covers to billboards to walls of Fortune 500 companies and is in the homes of Charlie Sheen, Kid Rock, Jim McMahon, John Rich, Brent Burns, Roger Clemens, and John Daly. He is proud to be an ambassador for several military and first-responder nonprofits, where his photography has raised $1 million and counting for families who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our nation’s freedom.

McBurnett is the author of Uncommon Grit, a 224-page photography book of the journey through Navy SEAL BUD/S first phase training. It’s a unique look at the military’s toughest training from the point of view of someone who has lived it. McBurnett includes descriptions of evolutions along with his sense of humor, allowing the reader to laugh, cringe, gasp, and imagine themselves participating.

His message is not only motivational and inspiring on a corporate level, but also promotes individual and personal growth—how to navigate in an ever-changing adverse environment where critical decision-making and leadership skills are absolutely vital for success. His visually breathtaking multimedia presentation highlights the untapped potential and Never Quit intestinal drive that is the cornerstone of Navy SEAL success and shares the defining characteristics that promote leadership and sacrifice in the SEAL Teams.

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Darren McBurnett: Perspective America

Darren McBurnett Speaks at Folds of Honor Gala

Developing “Uncommon Grit”: Lessons from Navy SEAL Training. A former SEAL platoon leader who served as an instructor at the Naval Special Warfare Basic Underwater Demolition School (BUD/S), world-renowned photographer and author Darren McBurnett understands what success requires. In this speech, built around breathtaking videos and photographs from his photography book Uncommon Grit: A Photographic Journey Through the Eyes of a Navy SEAL, McBurnett explores what separates the good from the truly exceptional.

With a message that’s not only motivational and inspiring on a corporate level—but also promotes individual and personal growth—McBurnett uses stories, humor, and his stunning visual aids to share lessons on teamwork, leadership, pushing through pain and failure, and more. Plus, he talks about how to navigate in an ever-changing adverse environment where critical decision-making and leadership skills are vital for success.

His visually breathtaking multimedia presentation highlights the untapped potential and “Never Quit” drive that is the cornerstone of Navy SEAL success, as he shares the defining characteristics that promote leadership and sacrifice in the SEAL teams.

Navigating Change: Never Underestimate Yourself. Learn strategies that will help you and your team successfully navigate an ever-changing, often adverse business environment. Set your organization apart from your competition, prepare, and equip your team to read and react to even the most uncertain situations effectively and with confidence. With words of inspiration and real-life stories from McBurnett’s SEAL career, you will walk away with tangible skills you and your team can immediately implement.

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