The man who leads with no limbs

The man standing before the stadium-sized crowd held the attention of
thousands, in part because of humorous, yet moving, speech about the
power of hope. But also because he was standing there at all.

Nick
Vujicic, the 32-year-old president of motivational speech marketer
Attitude is Altitude, was born without arms or legs. Though he struggles
with some practicalities of everyday living (brushing teeth, for
example), he has become an in-demand inspirational speaker.

There
is no medical explanation for Vujicic’s physical disability, an
extremely rare congenital disorder known as tetra-amelia syndrome. He
has a small foot on his left hip which helps him balance. He can type,
pick things up between his toes and even kick a ball. The self-confessed
adrenalin junkie regularly swims and has gone skydiving.

Confidence
didn’t come naturally to Vujicic. Growing up in Melbourne, Australia,
he struggled with depression and was bullied at school. When he was just
10 years old, he attempted suicide. Over time, Vujicic worked on
adopting a positive attitude, and, at 17, an encounter with his high
school janitor inspired him to go into public speaking. The charismatic
Australian now travels the world addressing huge crowds, including
business groups and schoolchildren. He has visited more than 50
countries and given thousands of talks.

The author of memoir
Love Without Limits now lives in California with his wife, Kanae, and
their 2-year-old son. They are expecting another child later in 2015.
Vujicic runs a non-profit ministry, Life Without Limbs, as well as
Attitude is Altitude, which markets his motivational speeches and
campaigns against bullying.