Tracy Schmitt is UNSTOPPABLE – and not just because she was cameoed in the movie Robo Cop alongside Michael Keaton and Gary Oldman.
TV Host Unstoppable Tracy #1 International MegaSuccess TedX Speaker is sharing the stage with Jane Fonda, Dr. Phil, Michael Douglas, John Travolta, Mel Gibson, Mark Wahlberg, Mel Robbins and more! Her mind blowing story always gets standing ovations pushing audiences out of their limitation zones. She has been viewed virally with over a 100 million views and is the #1 Female Transformational Leader winner by leadership guru John Maxwell out of 160 countries …And this past year’s top inspirational speaker by the IAOTP (international Association of top professionals). Tracy doesn’t just talk high performance in business…she lives it! As a Corporate Consultant with an MBA who is laser focused, hard hitting business coach for your team, her skill set includes building teams that are out performing stock market in times of crisis by taking athletics high performance to business high performance as the Robert W. Jackson Award Recipient [Founder of the Canadian Paralympics], inducted into Canada’s Hall of Fame, C-SASIL Lifetime Achievement Awardee and as seen on ABC, BBC, CBC, City TV, Global News, NBC, FOX and globally in media around the world!
Oprah Magazine shared her story as Quest for the Gold World Cup Sailor, who climbed Himalayan mountains, captained 110-foot-tall ship, won paraskiing bronze and funny too.
Oh, did I mention she was born a 4-way amputee?
Success depends on perseverance. As an award winning Leader in business and in sport she is now earned the title #1 International Speaker, honoured Humanitarian, authority disruptor in crisis, decorated Athlete, expert who disarms limiting beliefs and delivers the Lim[b]itless Secret! Now she adds best selling author to her long list of amazing accomplishments. Cup of Chicken Soup for the Soul endorsed her book ‘Unstoppable YOU; Exceed Uncertainty, Embrace Possibilities, Earn Independence’.
When I was five years old I just wanted to go to Kindergarten with all my neighbourhood friends. I grew up on a great street called Coxworth crescent. It was in Scarborough, Ontario, a bit of a tough community. It was practically our whole street that was entering kindergarten that year. It was the first day of school and there were a bunch of us walking to school together that day with our moms and a couple dads. We got to the outside of the school and the principal sees us coming as a group and he starts shouting: “Stop! Stop!” and my whole street stops with me. He’s looking at me and so I say: “Go ahead guys I’ll see you inside.” My mom introduces herself saying: “Hello, I’m Tracy’s mom”, and the Principal says: “I’m sorry Tracy can’t go to this school.” My heart just dropped and my mom could have been all mama bear …but she wasn’t … instead she asked: “How come?” The principal said: “Well Tracy’s got to be able to tie her shoelaces and she’s got to be able to go to the washroom by herself… There’s one teacher and 30 kindergarten kids. How can the teacher manage all alone? Tracy is a four way amputee.” “Thank you,” she said and counter-offered: “Since we are here today can you please try Tracy for just one week? It will give me time to find another school more suited.” and he said, “Okay.” So my mom and I walked up to the path of the school and found my classroom. Before I went in, she got down on her knees to look me eye to eye and she grabbed my shoulders and as I’m writing this right now in this magazine I can still feel one of her fingers squeezing my arm so tight as she said “Tracy it’s really important that you and everybody’s included, nobody left behind” and I didn’t understand why she was so intense but said : “Okay mom”. You see, I didn’t know that if I didn’t make it outside for recess I wouldn’t be allowed to stay at that school.
At recess that day the principal raced outside looking for me and he didn’t see me anywhere and thought to himself: “Oh that’s okay she’s just getting herself ready it’s the first time”, so he waited ten minutes and he still didn’t see me anywhere. Fifteen minutes go by, the recess bell goes. Sadly, …I never made it outside.
After school mom was approaching the teacher and she’s looking at the teacher and the teacher’s face was mortified. In fact, the teacher wouldn’t even look at my Mom. The teacher was looking really kind of sad and regretful and so my mom was thinking she looks like Tracy didn’t manage to get out for recess in time.
Mom approached her and asked: “Did Tracy get out for recess?” And the teacher shakes her head no. Mom asked: “What happened?” The teacher replied: “Well Tracy tied her shoelaces and the little girl beside her couldn’t tie their shoelaces so Tracy helped her. Well then it turns out nobody could tie their shoelace so the kids just naturally all lined up and Tracy ended up tying the shoelaces of the entire class. By the time Tracy finished, recess was over.”
What does success mean to you and why?
I didn’t choose to be a ‘shoelace leader’ but I’m so glad I got to be! I grew up to be a #1 female transformational leader out of 160 countries voted by John Maxwell busting Uber into Canada, supporting our National Pharmaceutical Company crush government reform, and generating solutions at Air Canada through strikes, bankruptcy, and mergers, to outperforming the market .
One of the most important things I’ve learned is that we can all positively impact the lives of people around us every day. You may not even know when you’ve made a difference, but believe me, it happens! I learned that on the first day of school, each and everyone of you are shoelace leaders too; valuable contributors …doesn’t matter if you are male or female, Black, brown, Indigenous, freckled, tall, small, MBA or no MBA, with a disability or not.
Please share a bit about your early life experiences
Anyone, anywhere, any age, any time can! Being born Torontonian four-way amputee, both legs above-knee and both arms affected above-elbow there were many times people thought ‘you can’t.’ My solution was always counter offer time together, let’s just try. In Nepal there is no technology, awareness, laws for equality. There is not even enough food so people with disabilities die off. After trekking in the Himalayas, time together even changed perceptions there. One Nepalese man even joked to an onlooker ‘one of them doesn’t have a head.’ If perceptions in Nepal could change; they could change anywhere, any time.
What does leadership mean to you and how are you redefining leadership?
Life has redefined leadership for me from being the lead to more of this intuitive way of being to serve first. I love orchestra leaders being in the cockpit where they’re practically invisible. The band is on stage where as a speaker it’s enriching the lives of individuals and companies and building souls in a more caring world.
From experience, what’s the most common limiting belief you have coached your clients through?
No and impossible and naysayers are not an end state. “NO” just meant the Principal didn’t “K_N_O_W” that first day of school when he denied me. He never said ‘No’ again …After tying 30 of my classmate’s shoes. Impossible is only impossible until you ask,’ impossible unless?’ I noticed my mother did not say that I could tie my shoelaces because when she asked, “how come?” His reply was worried about supporting me; being stuck with me, so her answer was about his concerns… she said, “if it doesn’t work out no problem can we just try…” I love that she didn’t just say ‘she can tie her shoelaces.’ There’s a depth into understanding and generating conversation around ‘no’ means ‘KNOW’ … Support your peak performance by disarming your limiting beliefs for the best version of you … Many positive thoughts your way, GO BE AN UNSTOPPABLE YOU.
What drives Tracy?
Resistance
What advice would you give your younger self when she was at her lowest?
Courage is not without fear it’s in spite of fear
What does self forgiveness look like to you?
Popcorn and Malteseor‘s
What’s the last movie you watched ?
Life is beautiful
What’s next for Tracy
The north pole
