Austin Hatch

At the age of 8 years old, a tragic plane crash claimed the lives of Austin's mother, sister, and brother. His father was left severely injured. While his own physical injuries were minor, the emotional pain of losing his mom and siblings at such a young age was devastating.

Even then, Austin understood the importance of continuing to live a life fueled by positivity and optimism in his family’s honor. The bond he shared with his dad grew stronger and they became each other’s reason to keep going.

Eventually, Austin's dad remarried to a woman with three children of her own. The blended family restored a sense of normalcy in his life. Meanwhile, he worked hard on his basketball skills, and the hours he put in paid off. He was offered a full scholarship to play basketball at the University of Michigan, his mother’s alma mater. It was a dream come true. Nine days later, a second plane crash claimed the lives of his father and second mother, and put him in the hospital in critical condition and a medically-induced coma.

Two months later, he came out of the coma and began the long road to recovery, which included re-learning how to walk, talk, eat, and live a normal life. Austin achieved my goal of making it to the University of Michigan, where coach Beilein honored his scholarship. He had four great years with the basketball program and while he only scored one point, he took pride in my role and found ways to make a positive impact on the team.

After graduation, he worked in Domino’s corporate office, developed the G.R.I.T. Framework, and began my true passion of speaking to and inspiring individuals and teams to overcome adversity.