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Austin Hatch      

Two-Time Plane Crash Survivor; Motivational Speaker on Mindset, Teamwork & Resilience; Former College Basketball Player

Austin Hatch is a two-time plane crash survivor, former college athlete, and a motivational speaker on overcoming adversity, growth mindset, teamwork, and resilience.

On Labor Day of 2003, Hatch and his family were flying home from their vacation home in northern Michigan. As they were preparing to land, the aircraft crashed and burst into flames. Hatch’s dad threw him out of the plane, saving his life and went back into the flames to get his mother, sister and brother, but tragically, was unable to. His mother, sister and brother did not survive.

Hatch and his father grieved their loss but became each other’s lifeline through the grief, pushing each other to overcome the loss, as he knew his mom, sister and brother would’ve wanted. A year later, Hatch’s dad met a lovely woman named Kimberley, who had three kids of her own. The couple was married about a year after meeting and together, they had a wonderful blended family. Meanwhile, Hatch worked hard on athletic skills and began to have success on the basketball court. Hatch’s dream was to play for Michigan. Then on June 15, 2011, Coach Beilein offered him a full scholarship to play basketball at The University of Michigan, which he accepted.

Nine days later, on June 24th, 2011, Hatch's father and “second mother” were flying to their vacation home to have a weekend of celebration. As they were preparing to land, the aircraft crashed and Hatch’s father and second mom were killed on impact. Hatch suffered severe injuries and nearly lost his life. After being in a coma for two months, he had to relearn how to walk, talk, eat and basically how to live his life, once he woke up. With the help of many, many people and against the odds, Hatch persevered and was able to make a solid comeback to take the place at university that was held open for him.

Nine years later, Hatch is a graduate of The University of Michigan and is now a full time motivational speaker with a message about Thriving in the midst of adversity. He is married to an incredible woman named Abigail, who was also a former varsity athlete at The University of Michigan. Hatch considers himself blessed to be in a position to be impactful and speak to add value to a variety of organizations.

Hatch believes that part of the reason he survived two plane crashes, endured tragic losses and made a great recovery, is to help others. He has been sharing his story and message about grit and thriving in the midst of adversity to inspire others to overcome the adversity they face in the years since. We all face challenges every day, and Hatch believes that it is his purpose to help others find ways to thrive in the midst of them.

Speech Topics


The Four Components of G.R.I.T

There are four key components to Grit, and Hatch believes Grit is driven by having a Greater Purpose. If we are working just for ourselves, it is very likely that we will eventually face some form of adversity that will cause us to give up because we don’t have a driving force for why we do what we do. We need to find something that we’re willing to sacrifice for. If we are working for something bigger than ourselves, I believe we will always do what it takes to get the job done, no matter the task and no matter the circumstances. Our Purpose drives Grit.

The Four Components of Grit

  • Growth Mindset
  • Resilience
  • Integrity
  • The Team First Mentality

Growth Mindset is the first component of Grit. The Growth Mindset believes every setback, every failure, every adversity, is an opportunity. Even when we inevitably fall short of a goal, the Growth Mindset does not believe that is a permanent condition. We can find a way to grow through adversity and be better because of it. The adversity alone will not be a source of growth, but I believe we can grow from how we choose to respond. It’s a choice to have the Growth Mindset.

The decision to be Resilient is the second component of Grit. If we make the decision to be Resilient, we take Massive Action in the face of adversity. Massive Action. It took Massive Action to go from a coma to playing for Michigan. I believe achieving our goals in the midst of challenges is the result of taking Massive Action. Massive Action alone does not guarantee we’ll overcome our challenges and achieve our goals, but not taking action will guarantee that we won’t overcome.

The third component of Grit is Integrity. In the context of overcoming adversity, or working to achieve any goal, I believe Integrity is about following through on our commitments, especially when our circumstances change. I believe we should always deliver on what we commit to. A lot of people set goals, and that’s very important, but I think it’s more effective to set commitments that will put us in position to achieve our goals. If we have integrity, we’ll always follow through on our commitments, no matter the task and no matter the circumstance.

The fourth component of Grit is The Team First Mentality. We owe it to the team to take pride in our role, whatever it is. We should make the effort every day to be the best that we can be. Every person on every team has a role and that role is very important. We don’t all have the same role, but I believe every role on the team is very important. There is no “I” in team, but I believe a team will be better if it is made up of individuals who are personally driven to be the best they can be.

We all face challenges every day. I believe part of my purpose in life to help others find ways to thrive in the midst of them.

News


Who is Austin Hatch? Two-time plane crash survivor returns to ...
There's a reason why everyone is talking about Austin Hatch as the week comes to a close. And it isn't simply because the 6-6 Loyola High School basketball ...
Plane crash survivor Austin Hatch caps basketball comeback - ESPN
Austin Hatch, a survivor of two plane crashes that claimed the lives of five family members, returned to the court for the first time in three years Wednesday night ...

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