Labeled and Written Off
A nun told me I would never graduate eighth grade. I made a different decision about my future.
International Keynote Speaker • Mental Health Expert • Fractional Chief Growth Officer • Business Growth Strategist • International Bestselling Author
The Labels Others Place on You Never Have to Become the Limits You Place on Yourself.
Dr. John Oda does not simply deliver speeches. He creates breakthroughs — helping people think differently, communicate more effectively, perform at a higher level, and take action that creates lasting results.
Dr. John Oda Speaker Reel
40+Years transforming human behavior
31Years driving business growth worldwide
3International bestselling books
NLPMaster Trainer in Neuro-Linguistic Programming
GlobalKeynotes, workshops, leadership and sales transformation
From Being Written Off to Rewriting Futures
The experience that shaped my life, my work, and every stage I step onto.
My story is not a polished theory created for a keynote. It is a lifetime of turning labels, adversity, repetition, and real-world human connection into practical transformation.
Struggled With a Stutter
Speaking was difficult, but I learned that limitations can become training grounds for mastery.
Worked With At-Risk Teenagers
The toughest young people became my greatest teachers in communication, trust, and behavior change.
Four Groups Every Day
Repetition sharpened my ability to connect, adapt, listen, and find a better strategy when one failed.
Built Mastery Over 40+ Years
I now bring those lessons to executives, sales teams, leaders, educators, professionals, and students.
“My mission became simple: to prove that the labels others place on you never have to become the limits you place on yourself.”
Experience, Intellectual Property & Influence
Built through lived experience, world-class mentorship, authorship, and decades of application.
Not Studied From a Distance. Lived From the Inside.
Most speakers read the books, watch the interviews, and repeat the frameworks secondhand.
I didn't have to.
I had the opportunity to learn, collaborate, and work directly alongside many of the most recognized names in business and leadership — partnering with Tony Robbins and Chet Holmes, working alongside Business Mastery faculty member Joseph McClendon III, and learning firsthand from leaders like Jay Abraham, Frank Kern, Keith Cunningham, Stephen M. R. Covey, Scott Hallman, Brendon Burchard, Gary Vee, Tony Hsieh, and Steve Wynn.
That's not a reading list. That's a resume built in the room — sitting in on the strategy sessions, watching the decisions get made, and helping shape the systems these leaders became known for. It's the difference between quoting a principle and knowing exactly how, when, and why it was built.
Every strategy I share on stage today carries that fingerprint.
Tony Robbins
Chet Holmes
Joseph McClendon III
Jay Abraham
Maya Angelou
Stephen M. R. Covey
Brendon Burchard
Scott Hallman
Author of three transformational books.
Each book extends the message beyond the stage and gives readers a practical path for stronger relationships, personal growth, and business performance.
Connecting With Your Teen Relationship and human connection
Life Is a Garden Plant the right seeds and grow a better life
Unlimited Business Growth A blueprint for scalable success and maximum profits
As seen, featured, interviewed, and heard.
Dr. Oda has been featured across business and media platforms, interviewed by Maya Angelou on Oprah & Friends, and hosted a personal development program on PBS Online Radio.
Yahoo Finance
The American Reporter
Disrupt Magazine
The American Post
The United Business Journal
New York Weekly
Oprah & Friends
PBS Online Radio
The Story Behind the Speaker
A nun told me I would never graduate the eighth grade.
At six years old, she looked at me and called me "retarded."
Those words could have destroyed my confidence. Instead, they ignited a fire inside me.
With the love of my parents, the right environment, unwavering faith in God, and an unbreakable determination, I refused to let someone else's opinion define my future.
I also struggled with a stutter. Speaking wasn't easy. Presentations didn't go well. Friends asked me, "Who would ever pay someone who stutters to become a professional speaker?"
I could have accepted those labels. Instead, I worked on myself every single day. I studied communication, psychology, neuroscience, and human behavior. Every obstacle became another opportunity to improve.
I learned one of the greatest lessons of my life: if one strategy doesn't work, don't quit — find a better strategy.
That belief became the foundation of everything I do today. My mission is simple: the labels others place on you never have to become the limits you place on yourself. That's the message I bring to every stage.
A message forged through experience.
The stutter, the label, the adversity, and the daily decision to keep improving became the foundation of Dr. Oda's work.
Where the Mastery Was Built
My greatest training didn't happen on a stage.
Most professional speakers build their craft in front of a crowd that chose to be there. They bought a ticket. They wanted to hear you.
I didn't get that crowd. Beginning in 1986, I worked in the mental health field with some of the most challenging at-risk teenagers imaginable — many from Chicago, Gary, Indiana, the juvenile court system, DCFS, and some of the toughest neighborhoods in the Midwest.
They didn't sign up. A judge, a caseworker, or a probation officer put them in that room, and most of them made it clear, immediately, that they didn't want to be there. They struggled with anger, trauma, depression, violence, hopelessness, and family conflict. Nearly all of them had been labeled by society before they ever had a chance to discover who they could become.
They didn't care about my degrees, my titles, or my certifications. They cared about one thing: could I connect with them? If I couldn't, they let me know immediately.
Most counselors facilitated two groups a week. I facilitated four groups every day for more than a decade, because I believed mastery comes from repetition, learning, and constant improvement. Those teenagers became my greatest teachers — they forced me to become a better communicator, a better listener, and a better leader.
The result still moves me.
Some of those same teenagers who didn't want to be in that room are doctors, commercial pilots, and RNs today.
Someone believed in them before they believed in themselves — and that changed the entire trajectory of their lives.
If I can reach a kid who didn't want to be reached and help him become a doctor, I can walk into any boardroom in the country and get that team to buy in.
I don't just deliver speeches. I create breakthroughs.
A message has no power unless it reaches the person who needs to hear it, see it, or feel it.
Transformation Before Instruction
Before I could help others transform, I had to keep transforming myself.
That pursuit of mastery is what led me to study Neuro-Linguistic Programming at the highest level, along with human behavior, peak performance, neuroscience, sales psychology, leadership, and business growth.
That's why organizations around the world bring me in to work with executives, leadership teams, entrepreneurs, sales organizations, universities, and professionals who want to reach the next level.
I don't simply teach communication — I teach people how to connect. Because a message has no power unless it reaches the person who needs to hear it, see it, or feel it.
I don't just deliver speeches. I create breakthroughs.
For nearly four decades I've dedicated my life to helping people overcome limitations, transform behavior, and produce extraordinary results. For more than three decades I've helped businesses grow by combining human behavior, sales strategy, leadership development, and execution systems that create measurable outcomes — including the frameworks I built and teach today, the BSSM-1 Business Growth Framework and the ODA Command Method.
Leadership. Transformation. Legacy.
Inspiring Leaders. Transforming Organizations. Empowering the Next Generation.
For more than four decades, I have had the privilege of helping executives, entrepreneurs, educators, healthcare professionals, students, parents, and community leaders discover what is possible when leadership, communication, and human potential come together.
Whether speaking in a corporate boardroom, a university auditorium, a leadership conference, or a community organization, my mission has remained the same—to inspire people to think differently, communicate more effectively, lead with confidence, unlock their potential, and achieve extraordinary results in both business and life.
Every keynote is designed to be more than motivation. My goal is to provide practical strategies, transformational experiences, and actionable tools that audiences can immediately implement long after the event is over.
Universities & Colleges
Developing leaders through education, communication, and real-world transformation.
Throughout my career, I have been honored to speak at colleges and universities, sharing practical strategies on leadership, communication, business growth, human behavior, mental wellness, and high-performance success.
Purdue University
Purdue University
University of California, Irvine (UCI)
University of California, Irvine (UCI)
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Portland State University
Portland State University
University of Portland
University of Portland
Portland Community College
Portland Community College
Employment Showcase • Portland Community College • 2001–2003
From approximately 30 participants to nearly 500 attendees.
One of the most rewarding initiatives of my career was creating and facilitating the Employment Showcase at Portland Community College from 2001 through 2003.
During this two-year period, I designed and led six multi-day Employment Showcases, bringing together students, educators, employers, and community leaders to prepare participants for successful careers.
The program combined leadership development, communication skills, interview preparation, career readiness, professional networking, and my signature Board Breaking Experience. What began with approximately 30 participants grew to nearly 500 attendees, becoming one of the college's most successful leadership and career development initiatives.
To help bridge the gap between education and employment, representatives from many of the Pacific Northwest's leading organizations participated in the program, giving students the opportunity to build relationships with employers before entering the workforce.
6
Multi-day Employment Showcases
~500
Participants at peak growth
The Employment Showcase became far more than a career event. It created an environment where students developed confidence, strengthened communication skills, overcame limiting beliefs, and formed meaningful relationships with business leaders.
Employers had the opportunity to observe participants' leadership, teamwork, professionalism, communication skills, and determination in a real-world environment before making hiring decisions.
Education & Employer Engagement
Featured Institutions & Participating Organizations Included
Purdue University
University of California, Irvine (UCI)
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Portland State University
University of Portland
Portland Community College
Nike
Intel
Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU)
U.S. Bank
Adidas
Fred Meyer
Portland General Electric (PGE)
Port of Portland
Wells Fargo
ABC
A Program Ahead of Its Time
Experiential learning before it became a common higher-education initiative.
Long before experiential learning, career readiness, and employer engagement became common initiatives in higher education, the Employment Showcase brought colleges, employers, and students together in one transformational experience.
The program blended leadership development, communication, interview preparation, professional networking, and personal growth into a hands-on learning environment where students didn't just prepare for employment—they experienced it.
By creating meaningful interactions between students and employers before the interview process, participants developed confidence, expanded their professional networks, and entered the workforce better prepared for long-term success.
Business & Community Leadership
Leadership extends far beyond the workplace.
Throughout my career, I have spoken for business organizations, professional associations, community groups, churches, leadership conferences, and civic organizations, helping audiences strengthen communication, build confidence, develop leadership skills, and create lasting personal and professional growth.
One of those opportunities was presenting at the Indianapolis Black Expo, one of the nation's largest and longest-running business, leadership, and cultural conferences. During the ten-day event, I shared practical strategies on leadership, communication, and personal transformation with professionals from a wide range of industries.
For five consecutive years, I served as the leadership trainer for the Miss Black Oregon Scholarship Pageant, facilitating an intensive three-day leadership development program focused on confidence, communication, professional presence, leadership, and personal growth.
Indianapolis Black Expo
Miss Black Oregon Scholarship Pageant
ABOUT DR. JOHN ODA
40 Years Transforming People. 31 Years Growing Businesses.
Dr. John Oda is an International Keynote Speaker, Mental Health Expert, Fractional Chief Growth Officer, Business Growth Strategist, and International Bestselling Author of three books.
For more than 40 years, he has helped individuals, families, and organizations overcome challenges, transform behavior, and achieve extraordinary results. For more than 31 years, he has worked with CEOs, entrepreneurs, and leadership teams to improve communication, sales, leadership, profitability, and business growth.
As Vice President of Consulting and Master Business Coach at Business Breakthroughs International, founded by Chet Holmes and Tony Robbins, Dr. Oda trained business leaders from 46 countries while working alongside respected thought leaders, including Tony Robbins, Chet Holmes, Jay Abraham, Joseph McClendon III, Scott Hallman, and the Business Mastery Faculty.
Throughout his career, Dr. Oda has worked across more than 150 industries and helped transform the lives of over 100,000 teenagers and families, giving him a unique perspective on mental health, leadership, communication, sales, and organizational performance.
He is the creator of the ODA Compound Growth System™, BSSM-1™ Business Growth Framework, Neuro Business Conditioning™ (NBC), Neuro Family Conditioning™ (NFC), The ODA Command Method™, ODA-IT™, and the ODA Educational Marketing Matrix System™.
Dr. Oda was interviewed by Maya Angelou on Oprah & Friends, hosted his own personal development program on PBS Online Radio, and has been featured in Yahoo Finance, The American Reporter, Disrupt Magazine, The American Post, The United Business Journal, and New York Weekly.
Dr. Oda doesn’t just deliver speeches. He creates breakthroughs.
Four Decades of Human Transformation.
40+ years helping people overcome limitations.
31+ years helping organizations increase leadership, communication, sales performance, and business growth.
Helping leaders and organizations create measurable breakthroughs that last.
I'm an international bestselling author, business growth strategist, mental health expert, and keynote speaker — but titles aren't what define my work. Results do.
Whether I'm speaking to executives, entrepreneurs, sales teams, educators, healthcare professionals, or students, my objective is always the same: help people think differently, communicate more effectively, perform at a higher level, and take action that creates lasting results.
One Integrated Growth Ecosystem
The Dr. John Oda Frameworks for Growth™
One Mission. Seven Proven Frameworks. Unlimited Possibilities.
For more than 40 years in mental health and 31 years in business growth, Dr. John Oda has developed proprietary frameworks that help individuals, families, leaders, sales teams, and organizations achieve measurable, lasting growth. Every keynote, workshop, executive coaching engagement, and consulting program is customized using these proven systems to help clients achieve their specific goals and desired outcomes.
The ODA Compound Growth System™
The Foundation for Sustainable Business Growth
A complete business growth ecosystem designed to help organizations create sustainable, compounding growth.
The ODA Command Method™
Master the Inner Game of Success
A personal transformation system designed to help individuals master the inner game of success by strengthening their mindset, beliefs, identity, and daily execution.
ODA-IT™
Where Vision Meets Execution
A thinking process, planning method, and execution ecosystem designed to help individuals and organizations turn vision into action, stay focused on what matters most, and achieve their goals further and faster.
BSSM-1™ Business Growth Framework
Build Stronger Businesses
A proven business growth framework designed to help organizations strengthen their foundation, improve systems, increase profitability, and create scalable growth.
Neuro Business Conditioning™ (NBC)
Develop High-Performance Leaders and Sales Champions
A performance framework designed to help leaders and sales teams improve communication, confidence, leadership, sales performance, and execution through psychology and neuroscience.
Neuro Family Conditioning™ (NFC)
Strengthen Families Through Better Communication
A mental health framework designed to strengthen communication, improve relationships, and create healthier families.
ODA Educational Marketing Matrix System™
Educate. Influence. Grow.
A communication and business growth framework designed to help organizations educate, influence, build trust, strengthen their brand, and accelerate sustainable growth.
One Complete Growth Ecosystem
Whether your goal is to grow personally, spiritually, professionally, as a family, or as an organization, Dr. John Oda has developed a proven framework to help you achieve measurable, lasting growth.
Every keynote, workshop, executive coaching engagement, and consulting program is customized by combining these proven frameworks to help individuals and organizations achieve extraordinary results.
The Dr. John Oda Difference
What are the 6 reasons that make Dr. John Oda different?
Humor
Dr. Oda works from what he calls the 3 E's — entertaining, educational, and exciting. He keeps a room engaged because he's seen it firsthand: when people laugh, they let their guard down, and when their guard is down, they actually learn.
Content
Every keynote is built on real research and real conversations — Dr. Oda works with business CEOs every day, so he isn't guessing at what organizations are facing. He's already in the room with it.
Authenticity
Dr. Oda's presentation style adapts to anyone in the building, from the CEO to the janitor. He gives every person in the room tools they can actually use — and he lives the message himself before he ever asks an audience to.
Energy
Dr. Oda's energy is unmistakable, and it's contagious. He brings the same passion and enthusiasm to a 500-person ballroom that he brought to those juvenile group sessions decades ago — full intensity, every time.
Customized
The best keynotes speak directly to what a room actually needs. Before he steps on stage, Dr. Oda interviews employees, leaders, and front-line staff alike. The result is an interactive presentation that will have your team laughing, reflecting, and walking away with real tools to break through their own fears and limitations.
He Walks His Talk
Dr. Oda doesn't teach anything he hasn't lived. The stutter, the label, the decade of daily groups with kids no one else wanted to sit with — that's not backstory. That's the proof the method works.
Keynote & Workshop Topics
Customized for corporate, private, and scholastic audiences.
Dr. John Oda delivers 1, 2, and 3-day keynotes, seminars, and workshops for corporate, private, and scholastic audiences, including:
Outcome Clarification & Goal Setting
Communication Skills
Stress & Focus
Management Skills & Strategies
Time Management Systems
Breaking Through Anger, Procrastination & Fear
Human Diversity Training
Violence in the Workplace
Conflict Resolution
Leadership Through Communication
Anger Management
Sales Training & Sales Psychology
Neuro Business Conditioning (NBC) for Sales Teams
Board Breaking Workshop — Team Empowerment & Breakthrough
Parenting & Teen Issues
Health & Wellness
Motivational Interviewing (MI)
Board Breaking Workshop
A high-powered breakthrough experience in as little as 3 hours.
The new millennium's board breaking seminar: a high-powered, streamlined workshop that delivers explosive transformation in as little as 3 hours. Dr. Oda brings this experience into corporate America to build camaraderie, sharpen resourcefulness, and unlock creativity in leadership teams.
Because it takes as little as 3 hours, it works as a standalone team-building event or as a session inside a larger conference.
Organizations walk away with higher morale, company pride, increased productivity and sales, happier employees, and a team that believes — firsthand — in its own potential.
Higher morale
Stronger company pride
Increased productivity and sales
More engaged employees
Greater camaraderie
A team that believes in its potential
Break On Through.
A memorable, interactive experience designed to turn possibility into action.
Board Breaking Results
What organizations say about the experience.
Expert Endorsement
Here Is What the Expert Is Saying.
Add Joseph McClendon III Image
“With a style all his own and vigor that inspires others to take action, John is a true crusader for assisting others in making a positive change in their lives. The lives of those they love. I’m proud to call him a friend. My wish for you is that you, too, will come to work with him and know him as well. Dr. Oda will add ten times the value. I guarantee it!”- Joseph McClendon III, co-author with Anthony Robbins on two bestselling books and a UCLA instructor
What Others Say
Results that speak for themselves.
Parents & Teens
Parents & Teens Testimonials
Real experiences from parents and young people who have worked with Dr. John Oda.
College Student Results
College Students
From uncertainty to graduation, leadership, and lifelong success.
“Ten years ago, everyone told me I would not finish high school. This program taught me how to manage my time and make better choices. I never thought I would graduate from a four-year university with a master’s degree in aviation, become an officer in the Navy, and become a commercial pilot.”Robert — Case Study #5, Connecting With Your Teen, University of Oregon
“Dr. Oda, through this program, provided me with a realistic path of expectations and guidance during my freshman year of college. The knowledge gained from Dr. Oda manifested in a college experience full of discipline and lots of fun. The program is structured to take advantage of an expert who understands what it takes to sustain lifelong success. His results speak for themselves! This program increased my due diligence and energy in eventually receiving a master’s in Human Resources from the top-tier graduate program at the University of Illinois.”James — Houston, Texas
“I met Dr. John Oda at a college seminar after searching for a mentor and won a scholarship to work with him until I graduated. I was struggling to find guidance and make decisions that could have been avoided if I had a mentor. This coaching program helped me with my grades, self-esteem, and the experience of going to college. After two years of working together, I graduated from Saint Mary’s College with a degree in Philosophy, a concentration in Law and Politics, and a minor in Computer Science and Mathematics. Dr. Oda also helped me create my own business so I could strengthen my communication and clientele skills. He had the biggest and most critical impact on my college career. Sometimes the only thing a child needs is an adult who believes in them.”Janie Davis — Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana
Bring Dr. John Oda to Your Stage
Give your audience more than inspiration. Give them a breakthrough they can use.
Book Dr. John Oda for a keynote, seminar, workshop, sales training, leadership event, board breaking experience, corporate program, private event, university, or scholastic audience.
(949) 868‑9144