Fire Up Your Life with Donna Hartley

Donna Hartley transforms lives and electrifies audiences around the world through powerful storytelling, humor, and unforgettable life lessons. An international keynote speaker, master storyteller, and intuitive mentor, Donna shares her extraordinary journey of surviving a DC-10 plane crash, cancer, and multiple heart surgeries …all connected to the date of March 1.

Her inspirational message combines drama, humor, and profound insight. You will laugh, you may cry, and you will leave energized to ignite your FirePower!

Donna’s style is entertaining, memorable, and impactful. She invites audiences to live more fully in the present, discover the truth within their own stories, and recognize the lessons hidden in life’s greatest challenges.

Everyone has a story. When you understand your story and the lessons it holds, there are no limits to what you can create.

Donna’s Survival Stories

*Age 6 – Donna was hospitalized for severe malnutrition and experienced a profound early-life transformation.

*Age 16 – Donna underwent her first heart procedure.

*On March 1, 1978 – Donna survived a fiery DC-10 plane crash on Continental Flight 603 while flying from LAX to Hawaii. Her experience ultimately led her to testify before the National Transportation Safety Board and advocate for improvements in airline safety.

*On March 1, 2002 – As a single mother, Donna was diagnosed with Stage III melanoma. She became cancer-free and an advocate for healthy living.

*On March 1, 2006 – Donna survived emergency open-heart surgery to replace a faulty aortic valve. Her experience inspired her advocacy for women’s heart health.

*On March 2020 – During the COVID-19 pandemic, Donna underwent another heart procedure to replace her aortic valve… transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

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What Makes Fire Up Your Life! The Power of Inner Leadership Memorable?

It begins in the dark.

On March 1, 1978, Donna was aboard Continental Flight 603, flying from Los Angeles to Hawaii. A former Miss Hawaii and actress in Los Angeles, she was returning to the Islands to serve as Master of Ceremonies for the Miss Hawaii Pageant.

The keynote opens with a dramatic four-minute reenactment. The room goes dark. Sound effects recreate the moments before and during the crash. Donna’s inner dialogue reveals the questions racing through her mind as she faced the possibility of death.

Then comes the explosion.

The lights come on.

Donna walks from the back of the room, through the audience, and asks the questions she asked herself that night:

Do you love yourself?
Do you have meaningful relationships with your family and friends?
Are you living your goals and dreams?
If you died today, would you feel you had left this planet a better place for having been here?

Her answer then was:

NO.

That moment became the beginning of a completely different life.

Donna was later called to testify before the National Transportation Safety Board. She used her experience to advocate for those who were injured and those who lost their lives, helping bring attention to airline safety improvements.

Today, Donna can answer YES to those four questions.

Her message is simple and powerful:

Every person can make a difference…big or small. Every life has value.

Fire Up Your Life! inspires audiences to examine their own lives, embrace their inner leadership, and recognize that even the most unexpected moments can become the catalyst for extraordinary transformation.