Sometimes the best life lessons are learned from people who have gone through unimaginable hardship. Brian Walsh pushed through his tragedy to become one of the best leadership teachers, and his reflections and advice are invaluable.
As a seventeen-year-old volunteer firefighter, Brian Walsh suffered third-degree burns to his face. But he chose not to let that tragedy destroy him, and instead used it to create a magnificent life—both personally and professionally.
About the Book
Minutes before Brian Walsh, then just a teenager, heard his beeper go off, calling him to help put out another fire, he was on top of the world. An hour later, after a freak flashover and confusion that sent the junior firefighter into the inferno against regulations, Brian had suffered such profound burns to his face that he was unidentifiable to his fellow firefighters.
Nearly everyone expected him to die that night.
He did not.
Nearly everyone expected him to die in the burn unit where, over the next month, every other patient died.
Nearly everyone, including family and friends, expected Brian to choose a professional life that would keep him from showing his face, and the personal life of a hermit.
He did not.
Boldly forging a path forward with courage, grace, and determination, Brian silenced his doubters and defied all expectations.
Decades later, Brian is an extraordinarily successful and renowned financial planner, family man, community fixture, philanthropist, motivational speaker, and industry leader. In this stirring autobiography, he tells his incredible story, sharing the lessons that only tragedy could teach and how they helped him—and can help anyone—achieve greater success, inside and out.
Beyond the Mask is the moving and inspirational story of how one horrific moment can define a human being forever—in the most life-affirming way.
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About Brian
As a seventeen-year-old volunteer firefighter, Brian Walsh had so much to
look forward to—then, in an instant, caught in a burning building where
everything went wrong, he found himself clinging to life, his face burned
beyond recognition. He wasn’t expected to live; once it was clear he would, he
wasn’t expected to achieve any of the dreams he once had. Even loved ones
encouraged him to pursue a career and life that would keep him largely
hidden.
Brian chose another route.
At nineteen, from behind the mask he wore for two years, and after three
dozen facial surgeries, he met the love of his life. At twenty-one, he became an
insurance agent, one of the nerviest, most “face-to-face” jobs imaginable. At
twenty-six, he co-founded Walsh & Nicholson Financial Group, which today
serves over 1,000 clients in wealth management, estate and retirement
planning, and more.