Born and raised in West Allis, Wisconsin, Kary Oberbrunner is the author of Your Secret Name, The Deeper Path, Day Job to Dream Job, Elixir Project, and several other books. He has been a featured expert on CBS, Fox News, AOL, and many other major media outlets. Oberbrunner functions as the CEO of Redeem the Day, Igniting Souls, and a publishing company called Author Academy Elite.
He earned a Master of Divinity degree with an emphasis in counseling and a doctorate in transformational leadership. He started his entrepreneurial journey in 2012, after serving as a pastor for more than a decade. At that point, Kary left his job to pursue his passion-igniting souls-and that’s precisely what he has done ever since. He has trained over 250,000 authors, coaches, speakers, and entrepreneurs in person and online. His books span many genres including business, fiction, self-help, success, and personal growth.
From Speech Disorder to International Speaker
As a child, Oberbrunner suffered from a paralyzing speech disorder. He was so self-conscious that he stopped reading aloud in class and speaking on the playground. His teacher recommended professional intervention. After receiving help from several speech therapists, he gradually improved and regained his confidence.
A few years later he fell into an addiction to self-injury. He battled depression and perfectionism for nearly a decade. Self-injury was a coping mechanism he engaged in to punish himself for failing. It provided him a sense of control.
Eventually, he turned his angst to pen and paper instead of his own skin. Writing allowed him to express his feelings in a way that was constructive rather than destructive. His relationship with God, personal determination, and unrelenting grit enabled him to overcome low self-esteem. In the process, he gained a passion for helping others in their struggles. His voice of authenticity disarmed people’s cynicism and pretense. His popularity grew with many diverse audiences such as schools, colleges, businesses, faith communities, and entrepreneurs.
Kary Oberbrunner knows better than most that everyone wrestles with self-limiting beliefs in some area, regardless of how well they hide it. Because of his own experiences with pain, Kary can spot it quickly in the people he meets. He uses this intuition to invite others out of hiding and into wholeness. The people who respond find personal and professional transformation.
Hehelps individuals and organizations gain clarity regarding their identity, purpose, and direction. Oberbrunner says, “We all have blind spots. My role is to be a truth teller. If people embrace the truth, they’ll encounter their true potential. When their soul is ignited, they become unstoppable-the most powerful weapon on earth.”
Helping People Become Unhackable
A few years ago, Kary Oberbrunner observed a pattern in many people he met. He saw them getting distracted from their dreams. As he asked more questions, he heard them say things like”someone or something else is running my life” and “life is happening to me, not the other way around.”
He realized many people were operating on autopilot.They were being distracted from their most important work. Oberbrunner believes that “a life of distractions willnever produce a life of meaning.The inability to do our dreams is a result of being hacked.”
He set out to find a solution. For two years he focused on super achievers in every industry. He dove headfirst into a multi-disciplinary exploration of neurobiology, productivity, art, science, technology, athletics, business, and the military. He mined the experts and the classics. Eventually, missing pieces fell into place and a paradigm emerged.
He put his findings into a science fiction book called Elixir Project. Then he created a course based on science fact called Elixir Project Experience where students participated in a 30-day process to become unhackable in work and life. At the end of the course, the results were astounding.
People who had struggled to implement their dreams for decades finally experienced breakthroughs. Other individuals lost weight-some up to 30 pounds. Still others got laser-focused. One student removed himself from 12 of 24 Facebook groups, 16 of 31 LinkedIn groups, 3 of 5 membership sites, and 105 of 151 email lists. He told Oberbrunner, “For the first time in my adult life, I finally felt free.”
Today, Oberbrunner’s personal development programs resonate with audiences all over the world. He has invested over two decades in helping people identify and achieve their goals. Sharing his secrets to success on social media, at conferences, and in many books, he has created a sincere following that continues to grow each year. To date, Oberbrunner has ignited over a million people with his content and coaches over 1,000 authors through his publishing company, Author Academy Elite.
Story by Linda Miller