Austin Hatch is best known for his incredible story of surviving two plane crashes that tragically took the lives of his parents and siblings. Now a renowned motivational speaker who candidly shares his experience of loss, grief and recovery, Austin uses his revolutionary G.R.I.T. framework to empower audiences to overcome adversity and live their life to the fullest. An eloquent speaker on resilience, integrity, growth mindset and team-first mentality, Austin is highly sought after by leading organisations, such as Ford, Kellogg’s, Nestle, John Hancock, Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo.
In 2003, as they were preparing to land, the plane Austin and his family were in crashed and burst into flames. His father quickly responded by throwing him out of the plane as it was catching fire, saving his life. His father then went back to try and save his mother and two siblings, but sadly that was not possible. Losing his mother and two siblings, Austin was devastated. However, supported by his father, he was slowly able to find the drive to move forward amidst incomprehensible pain. Driven by his passion for basketball, Austin began to look to the future and eventually landed a dream scholarship to study at The University of Michigan, where he gained a spot to play basketball.
Tragically, in 2011 he was in another plane crash which took the life of his father and stepmother and left him severely injured. Due to the severity of his injuries, Austin was placed in an induced coma for two months and had to relearn to walk, talk and live life after waking up. The road to recovery was long and incredibly challenging, however, Austin wanted to honour his family by moving forward and was adamant to fulfil his dream of playing basketball for Michigan. Displaying extraordinary mental resilience, in 2014, he fulfilled his dream of playing basketball at Michigan and graduated with a degree in Organisational Studies in 2018.
A truly remarkable individual, who has exhibited inspirational courage, determination and drive, Austin now instils those attributes in his audience during his speaking engagements. Moreover, he shares his cutting-edge framework G.R.I.T. to drive greater purpose in people, helping them to overcome adversity. He also applies this framework to business settings, transforming employee productivity and increasing performance. As a result, he is highly demanded for speaking engagements by leading organisations, including Accenture, Prudential, Meyer, and Korn Ferry.
How to hire Austin Hatch
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Austin Hatch for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do not accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
Austin Hatch's official speaking topics include:
Growth Mindset - the first component of Grit. The Growth Mindset believes every setback, every failure every adversity, is an opportunity. Adversity is opportunity in disguise. Even when we inevitably fall short of a goal, the Growth Mindset does not believe that is a permanent condition. We can use it as an opportunity to get better. Adversity does not define us. Adversity can refine us if we approach it with the Growth Mindset. The event will probably not be a source of growth, but I believe we can grow from how we choose to respond.
Resilience - the second component of Grit. If we make the decision to be Resilient, we take Massive Action in the face of adversity. It took Massive Action to go from a coma to playing for Michigan. I believe achieving our goals in the midst of challenges is the result of making the decision to be resilient, the result of taking Massive Action.
Integrity - the third component of Grit. In the context of overcoming adversity, or working to achieve any goal, I believe Integrity is about following through on our commitments, especially when our circumstances change. Integrity is doing the common things in an uncommon way, consistently. The result of doing the common things in an uncommon way consistently is we’ll leave people and places better than we found them.
The Team First Mentality - is the final component of Grit. I believe we should always think about our teammates first. We should train ourselves to think We before me. Every person on every team has a role and that role is very important. We owe it to the team to make the effort to become the best of which we’re capable.
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
“Earlier today over 100 of our firm's associates participated in our Quarterly Business Update. Several hours later, I am still pondering the profound message from our guest speaker Austin Hatch. If you are not familiar with Austin's story, I would suggest that you grab a box of tissues, go to YouTube and type in Austin's name to find the 16 minute clip that ESPN did on his life's story of overcoming significant personal tragedy. But, his story is not finished - his powerful message of G.R.I.T. and overcoming obstacles is extremely inspirational and made a huge impact in our firm today. Thank you Austin! I am so grateful to have gotten to know you.” - Jeffrey, Managing Director at Prudential Chicago
“Austin was the PERFECT speaker for our team. His message of GRIT and overcoming adversity was so personal and authentic that everyone believed that they too could overcome adversity. To this day, our teams reference Austin’s story and the GRIT behind it. Austin is such a passionate and motivating speaker. We were honored to have him come talk to us and help the Mspark team!” - Steve, CEO of Mspark
"I have known Austin since he was at the University of Michigan. I knew him, knew his story, and knew about his outlook on life. So, I asked him to speak to my team about Grit. After an hour, I realized there was so much about his story and about he approaches his daily life that I did not know. His message of determination, positivity, and purpose resonated with each of us in attendance. Austin's speaking style is authentic, his message is incredibly unique, and his view of life is refreshing. Each time I hear Austin speak, I am left exhilarated, focused, and committed to making those around me better." - Matthew, Global Vice President of Franchise Development and Recruiting at Domino's
“With the team dispersed across the country, sheltering in their homes and dealing with the adversity that has been brought on by the COVID pandemic, it was the perfect time for Austin’s message. Austin’s message around approaching adversity with GRIT reinforced the key focus areas that will ensure we don’t lose the successful momentum we had going into the pandemic. Having a growth mindset, being resilient and operating with integrity and as one team is what will keep our positive momentum going, and Austin did a great job of reinforcing the importance of all of these focus areas. He did a great job relating his life experiences to our industry and current business situation and we were fortunate to have him speak to the team.” - Stephen, VP of Marketing Nestle
- 2016 - Speaker, Overcome It
