Maja Kazazic
- Bosnian War Survivor, Amputee, Overcoming Adversity Speaker
In Person-Fee 🛈
Fee Range
$15,000 - $20,000
Virtual Fee:
$10,000 - $15,000
Travels From
Florida
Maja Kazazic Speaker Biography
Motivational speaker Maja Kazazic grew up in Bosnia as the Bosnian War was raging in Mostar in the early 1990s. The citizens of Mostar had managed the best they could; foraging for food, hauling water from the river and helping each other get through dark nights filled with gunfire. As though living with a war being fought outside her front door wasn’t challenge enough, Maja’s life changed forever in the summer of 1993. A mortar shell fell in her courtyard, critically injuring her and killing six of her friends.
Her legs were shattered, her face and arm were peppered with shrapnel. Cared for in a makeshift basement hospital, her left leg was eventually amputated below the knee without benefit of anesthesia. Without proper medication, her other injuries, including the massive injuries to her right leg festered in the mid-summer heat. She lay close to death when she was selected to be one of three children evacuated to Croatia, then Germany and eventually, to the United States.
One year later, as a resident of a small Maryland town, Maja taught herself English and enrolled herself in high school, determined to pick up the remnants of her shattered life. In rapid succession she joined the marching band, put herself through college and now runs a successful web development company. In the process, she has also learned to windsurf and to play tennis and golf, despite the obvious challenges these pastimes present to a below-the-knee amputee.
Maja travels the country telling her story in a simple, compelling way. She is a living testament to the resiliency of the human spirit and the value of determination and tenacity. Maja’s audiences are often inspired to share their own stories of triumph and success in the face of adversity.
As a result of people’s fascination with Maja’s life, she has been featured in a variety of media outlets including Reader’s Digest, Good Housekeeping, Fox News, the BBC news and the Philadelphia Inquirer. In December 2010 she was featured in an upcoming profile on Discovery Health Network.
To book Maja Kazazic call Executive Speakers Bureau at 901-754-9404.
Pandemic and You: Finding Purpose in Chaos and Uncertainty
Keynote addresses the questions we all have during these challenging times: How should we be feeling? What should we be doing? Maja offers her insights on how to make sense of the chaos, live a purpose-driven life, and lead purpose-driven organizations and teams.
From Genocide to Pandemic: Parallels, Lessons, and Our Future
Keynote addresses Maja's time in the genocide and draws parallels between the two eerily similar scenarios, while offering lessons from the genocide that helped her community survive and thrive.
TURN OBSTACLES INTO ADVANTAGES
Maja was ecstatic when she got her first prosthetic leg, but she was shocked to realize that she forgot how to walk. So she had to re-learn first with a walker, then crutches, then cane. No matter what we do in life or in business we will face obstacles and failures, but the key is to get up, learn from our experiences, improve each time and implement our knowledge to reach any goal!
CHANGE = GROWTH
Maja's childhood dream was to become a professional athlete - that all changed when she lost her leg. Instead of fighting it, Maja embraced the change. This inevitable change led to Maja motivating and inspiring people around the globe. It is only when we embrace the change do we experience growth and reach heights that often change the world.
GENOCIDE AND HAPPINESS
Maja Kazazic is an internationally recognized speaker, entrepreneur and genocide survivor. Through her compelling story that circled the globe, Maja helps and inspires audiences to perform better in sales, marketing, customer service, leadership, and other areas of not just business, but also in life.
BECAUSE BUSINESS AND LIFE GO TOGETHER
During the genocide, Maja learned the importance of positivity, resiliance, team work and overcoming obstacles at a very young age. This helped her to achieve great success as an entrepreneur, athlete and as a person in general.
In today's economy it's crucial for corporations to build a loyal and effective workforce which is motivated and adds value to the company, while individuals achieve their personal goals. This is exactly where Maja can help you!
Maja believes that there are no "one size fits all" solutions, when it comes to keynote presentations. To have the greatest impact at your event, she studies the overall culture and needs of your audience. While telling her shocking and touching story how she survived the genocide, lost her leg, and was still able to thrive and remain positive, she helps your audience to:
- achieve their personal and business goals
- overcome obstacles in life and in business
- be positive and resilient
- become better team players
- become better leaders
- become more effective and efficient in their roles
- have plans for the future
