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Jake Olson

1st Completely Blind D-I Football Player, Entrepreneur, Keynote Speaker

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Jake Olson is a history-making athlete, entrepreneur, and sought-after keynote speaker who inspires audiences to reframe adversity and break through limitations.

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Meet Jake Olson

Jake Olson’s story is one of relentless determination and extraordinary achievement. Diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an infant, Jake battled cancer eight times before losing his sight completely at the age of 12. But instead of letting blindness define his future, he redefined what was possible.

Jake made history as the first completely blind athlete to play in a Division I college football game, long-snapping for the University of Southern California (USC) in 2017—a moment that captured national attention and inspired millions. Since then, Jake has built a successful career as a motivational speaker, captivating audiences with his humor, resilience, and unique ability to help others see opportunities where they once saw obstacles.

Today, he speaks to Fortune 500 companies, major sports organizations, and leading institutions, delivering powerful messages about perseverance, mindset, and pushing beyond perceived limits. Whether he’s sharing the lessons that helped him navigate blindness or recounting his incredible journey to the football field, Jake leaves audiences inspired, motivated, and ready to tackle their challenges head-on. Jake Olson is available to be booked for corporate and private events. Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group today to inquire about Jake Olson’s fees.

Want to book Jake Olson for an event?

Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group at 215-995-0905 to book Jake Olson for a keynote speech, corporate event, leadership program, workshop, fireside chat, virtual appearance, or other private or professional event.

Our team will help confirm Jake Olson’s availability, speaking fee, travel requirements, and fit for your audience. To start the booking process, please share your event date, location, audience size, event format, and the type of presentation you are looking for.

The Mollie Plotkin Group is a full-service keynote speaker agency and entertainment bureau that helps organizations secure keynote speakers, entertainers, athletes, celebrities, and thought leaders for corporate meetings, conferences, fundraisers, and special events.

Biography

A Life-Altering Diagnosis, A Champion’s Mindset

At just 8 months old, Jake Olson was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare form of eye cancer. Despite multiple treatments, he lost his left eye before his first birthday and spent the next 11 years fighting to save his right eye. But in 2009, after exhausting all medical options, Jake faced the reality of permanent blindness.

Rather than retreating in defeat, Jake approached this challenge with courage and determination. Inspired by an invitation from legendary coach Pete Carroll to attend a USC football practice, he learned firsthand the power of resilience, teamwork, and an unshakable mindset.

Making History at USC

Jake refused to let blindness sideline his dreams. While attending Orange Lutheran High School, he mastered the specialized role of long-snapping—proving that precision, practice, and adaptability could overcome any perceived limitation. He became the first completely blind athlete to play in a Division I football game, successfully long-snapping for USC in 2017 against Western Michigan.

His history-making moment was covered by nearly every major media outlet, from ESPN and The Wall Street Journal to CNN and The New York Times. But for Jake, this wasn’t about a moment of fame—it was about proving what’s possible when you refuse to accept limitations.

A Mission to Inspire Others

After graduating from USC in 2019, Jake focused on empowering others. As a full-time speaker, he has addressed audiences at Google, Microsoft, Bank of America, SpaceX, and countless other organizations. His talks blend humor (his team has actually measured that audiences laugh an average of 18 times during Jake’s 50-minute talk) with profound insights on perspective, resilience, and personal growth. Jake is also one of the top blind golfers in the world and a winner of the USGA Adaptive Open. Above all, Jake is most proud of his family. He and his wife, Audrey, recently welcomed their first child in January 2025.

Jake Olson’s journey is a testament to the fact that obstacles don’t define us—our response to them does. His keynotes deliver unforgettable moments of inspiration, helping audiences rethink their limitations and take action toward their biggest goals.

How to Hire Jake Olson

To hire Jake Olson for an event, contact the Mollie Plotkin Group with the proposed event date, location, audience size, event format, and program goals. Jake Olson is available for corporate events, conferences, leadership meetings, private events, workshops, fireside chats, and virtual programs.

After receiving your request, a Mollie Plotkin Group booking agent will review Jake Olson’s availability, discuss the event details, and get back to you within 48 hours with next steps for securing Jake Olson for your program.

Jake Olson Booking Fee

The cost to book Jake Olson depends on the event date, location, format, audience size, and scope of the appearance. Speaking fees may vary for keynote speeches, workshops, fireside chats, private events, corporate meetings, and virtual programs.

For the most accurate Jake Olson booking fee, contact the Mollie Plotkin Group with your event details. Our team will help confirm availability, pricing, and the best format for your event.

Speaking Topics & Programs

Finding The Setup In The Setback

Jake’s flagship talk shares his incredible life journey of battling cancer eight times, going blind at the age of 12, making history in college football, and winning the USGA Adaptive Open golf tournament. Using personal stories (including encounters with Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods), a lot of humor, and some unique life philosophies, Jake reframes adversity as an opportunity. He helps audiences realize that often, what feels like a significant setback can be a setup for something much greater if they take the right approach to confronting it.

During this talk, the audience will laugh, think, and maybe even cry a little. But above all, they will leave more grateful and with an entirely new way to perceive and tackle adversity. This talk is a great fit for any event planner trying to help their audience develop grit, improve their productivity, or improve their perspective and accountability.

Key Takeaways:

How to reframe setbacks as setups for success.
The mindset shifts that helped Jake overcome adversity.
Why gratitude is a powerful tool for personal and professional growth.

Finding A Way – How An Inclusive Culture Makes Teams Better

Cancer may have taken Jake’s eyesight at age twelve, but it did not take his will to achieve. He simply needed to find a different way to achieve his goals. In this talk, Jake shares how teachers, coaches, and colleagues adapted to help him excel—and why inclusive environments lead to stronger, more successful teams.

Whether it was a math teacher learning braille to better teach him, coaches devising a whole new scheme for long snapping so he could play football, or his colleagues helping him use the latest technology so he could excel in his work, Jake knows firsthand how impactful being surrounded by inclusive people is.

Key Takeaways:

How adaptability and collaboration fuel success.
The power of inclusive leadership in driving performance.
Why recognizing and supporting the potential in others strengthens entire teams.

Featured Client Reviews for Jake Olson

“Jake was a huge success, and everyone loved his message, from the CEO to the newest sales professional in the room. Patterson Dental is an organization that has been going through a transformation of people and systems for the last 5 years and this year’s meeting was about coming together, embracing the change in our market (customers and others,) and getting back to growth through an offensive position. Jake’s message supported all of this perfectly. You won’t be disappointed” – Josh Killian, Patterson Dental

“Jake’s a huge story and it’s one for all of us about courage and character and grit and vision and special qualities that few people would be able to hold on to.” – Coach Pete Carroll

“Jake, you are a rockstar! You are hilarious, humble, open, optimistic and motivational. I can speak on behalf of all our attendees today that they took so much away from your speech and are motivated to help create a culture of inclusion. As you said, start with Humility, Have Compassion and Sympathy – and most importantly, love one another!” – Nate Warner

“We have received nothing but great reviews from our virtual attendees. Jake’s story and message was inspiring, thought-provoking, challenging, and engaging. I can’t imagine a better fit for this event. His message was also very timely and relevant in regards to the many challenges we are all facing during the COVID pandemic. Thank you!” – Lisa Wilterink