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Les
Brown's life itself is a true testament to the power of positive thinking and
the infinite human potential. Leslie C. Brown was born on February 17, 1945, in
an abandoned building on a floor in Liberty City, a low-income section of
Miami, Florida, and adopted at six weeks of age by Mrs. Mamie Brown, a 38 year
old single woman, cafeteria cook and domestic worker, who had very little
education or financial means, but a very big heart and the desire to care for
Les Brown and his twin brother, Wesley Brown. Les Brown calls himself "Mrs.
Mamie Brown's Baby Boy" and claims "All that I am and all that I ever hoped to
be, I owe to my mother".
In
the fifth grade, Les Brown was mistakenly declared "educably mentally retarded"
and placed back in the fourth grade and later failed the eight grade, due to
his inattention to school work, his restless energy, and his teachers' failure
to recognize his true potential. He was referred to as "D .T." for "Dumb Twin".
The label and stigma severely damaged his self-esteem for many years. Mamie
Brown's believe in her son's ability to achieve whatever he set his mind to
achieving made a difference in his life. "Her strength and character are my
greatest inspiration, always have been and always will be."
Les
Brown’s determination and persistence searching for ways to help Mamie
Brown overcome poverty and his philosophy “do whatever it takes to achieve
success” led him to become a distinguished authority on harnessing human
potential and success. Les Brown's passion to learn and his hunger to realize
greatness in himself and others helped him to achieve greatness in spite of not
having formal education or training beyond high school.
"My
mission is to get a message out that will help people become uncomfortable with
their mediocrity. A lot of people are content with their discontent. I want to
be the catalyst that enables them to see themselves having more and achieving
more."
Les
moved to Detroit and rented an office with an attorney, where he slept on the
floor and welcomed his reality stating that he did not even want a blanket or
pallet on the cold, hard floor to keep him motivated to strive. In 1986, Les
entered the public speaking arena on a full-time basis and formed his own
company, Les Brown Enterprises, Inc..
In
1989, Les Brown was the recipient of the National Speakers Association's
highest honor: the Council of Peers Award of Excellence.
In
1990, Les Brown recorded his first in a series of speech presentations for the
Public Broadcasting System.
In
1991, the program entitled "You Deserve" with Les Brown, was awarded a
Chicago-area Emmy and became the leading fund-raising program of its kind for
pledges to PBS stations nationwide.
In
1992, he was selected as one of the year's Top Five Outstanding Speakers by
members of Toastmasters International.
He
has also been honored at the International Convention of the National Speaker's
Association with the organization's most prestigious award for excellence in
the field of communication and leadership: The Golden Gavel.
Les
Brown rose from a hip-talking morning DJ to broadcast manager; from community
activist to community leader; from political commentator to three-term State
legislator in Ohio; and from a banquet and nightclub emcee to premier Keynote
Speaker for audiences as big as 80,000 people, including Fortune 500 companies
and organizations all over the world.
As a
caring and dedicated Speech Coach, Les Brown has coached and trained numerous
successful young speakers all over the nation.
Les
Brown is also the author of the highly acclaimed and successful books, "Live
Your Dreams" and "It's Not Over Until You Win", and former host of The Les
Brown Show, a nationally syndicated daily television talk show which focused on
solutions and not on problems.
 
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