Sean Clinch Stephenson (May 5, 1979 – August 28, 2019) was an American

therapist Therapist is a person who offers any kinds of therapy. Therapists are trained professionals in the field of any types of services like psychologists, social workers, counsellors, life coachers and others. They are helpful in counselling individuals ...

self-help Self-help or self-improvement is a self-guided improvement''APA Dictionary of Physicology'', 1st ed., Gary R. VandenBos, ed., Washington: American Psychological Association, 2007.—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a subst ...

author and

motivational speaker A motivational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. Such speakers may attempt to challenge or transform their audiences. The speech itself is popularly known as a pep talk. Motivational speakers ca ...

. Because he was born with

osteogenesis imperfecta Osteogenesis imperfecta (; OI), colloquially known as brittle bone disease, is a group of genetic disorders that all result in bones that break easily. The range of symptoms—on the skeleton as well as on the body's other organs—may be mi ...

, Stephenson stood three feet tall, had fragile bones, and used a wheelchair.

Early life

When Stephenson was born, doctors quickly recognized the signs of the genetic mutation, osteogenesis imperfecta, commonly known as "brittle bone disease". Most of his bones had been broken during the delivery. He was placed in intensive care at Chicago Children's Hospital, and doctors warned his parents that he might die very soon. He survived, but spent much of his youth in pain and experienced the stunted growth and mobility limitations common for people with osteogenesis imperfecta.

Education and career

Stephenson began delivering motivational speeches at the age of 17. With the assistance of the

Make-A-Wish Foundation The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in the United States that helps fulfill the wishes of children with a critical illness between the ages of and 18 years old. Make-A-Wish was founded in 1980 and headqua ...

, in 1998 Stephenson met his motivational speaking hero,

Tony Robbins Anthony Jay Robbins (né Mahavoric, born February 29, 1960) is an American author, coach, speaker, and philanthropist. He is known for his infomercials, seminars, and self-help books including the books ''Unlimited Power'' and ''Awaken the Gia ...

. Robbins became his mentor and encouraged him to change his lifestyle to improve his health.Robbins, Tony. "Foreword" in While attending

DePaul University DePaul University is a private university, private, Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-centu ...

, Stephenson worked as an intern for President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

and for Illinois Congressman

Bill Lipinski William Oliver Lipinski (born December 22, 1937) is an American politician and lobbyist who was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 2005, representing a district in Chicago. Life and career Pre-congr ...

. After receiving his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in political science in 2001 from

, he published his first book, ''How You(th) Can Succeed!: Transforming Dreams into Reality for Young Adults'', and returned to motivational speaking. After his speeches, Stephenson found he was often approached by people seeking advice on personal issues. Feeling ill-equipped to advise them, he decided to go back to school and become certified as a therapist. He took courses at Bennett/Stellar University, a private institution specializing in

neuro-linguistic programming Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is a pseudoscientific approach to communication, personal development and psychotherapy, that first appeared in Richard Bandler and John Grinder's 1975 book ''The Structure of Magic I''. NLP claims that th ...

and

hypnotherapy Hypnotherapy is a type of mind–body intervention in which hypnosis is used to create a state of focused attention and increased suggestibility in the treatment of a medical or psychological disorder or concern. Popularized by 17th and 18th cen ...

, and at American Pacific University (since renamed Kona University). In March 2004, Stephenson began work on a doctor of clinical hypnotherapy degree at American Pacific. He operated a therapy practice from offices in

Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois Oakbrook Terrace is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, and is a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 2,751. It is the smallest town in DuPage County, in terms of area and population. History Oakbrook Terrace was originall ...

. He also continued to work as a motivational speaker, earning to per appearance. His second book, ''Get Off Your "But": How to End Self-Sabotage and Stand Up for Yourself'', was published in 2009. It was a self-help book that recounted his own personal story along with the stories of others, and provided exercises for readers to perform while they read. Tony Robbins provided a foreword. That same year, Stephenson was the subject of ''Three Foot Giant'', a television documentary that aired on

The Biography Channel FYI (stylized as fyi,) is an American basic cable channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between the Disney Media Networks subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company and Hearst Communications (each owns 50%). The network features lifestyle pr ...

in November 2009.

Personal life and death

Stephenson married Mindie Kniss in 2012. On August 28, 2019, Stephenson died after a serious concussion. His last words were "This didn't happen to me, but through me."

Books

* ''How You(th) Can Succeed!: Transforming Dreams into Reality for Young Adults'' (2001) * ''Get Off Your "But": How to End Self-Sabotage and Stand Up for Yourself'' (2009)

References

External links

Sean Stephenson
– website for Sean Stephenson Enterprises LLC {{DEFAULTSORT:Stephenson, Sean 1979 births 2019 deaths American motivational speakers American motivational writers American self-help writers People with osteogenesis imperfecta Place of death missing Wheelchair users Writers from Chicago