Ed Hearn International

About Ed

Ed Hearn was born into a large family in Springfield, IL. His Father, Major Hearn, was a functionally illiterate factory worker who played a key role in making certain that all of his children understood the importance of hard work and education as a way of escaping poverty and hopelessness. His Mother, Josephine, was a household domestic who worked for a wealthy family. This family, after seeing promise in Ed's desire to become an attorney, decided to pay all of his college and law school expenses.

In 1980, Ed graduated from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Illinois, where he completed his undergraduate studies and received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Correctional Administration, with a minor in English. He was then accepted at St. Louis University School of Law in St. Louis, Missouri, where he successfully completed his studies toward a Juris Doctorate Degree in Law in 1983. Upon passing the Illinois Bar Exam, he practiced criminal law for over 20 years.

Shortly after moving to Chicago, Ed sensed a strong desire to serve God and humanity, and thereupon pursued theological studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He is a licensed and ordained minister, and is currently the Pastor of The Church of Grace, a non-denominational south-side congregation, in the city of Chicago.

In January 2006, Ed decided to compete in the Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking. This contest involves approximately 30,000 participants from over 40 different countries, and is commonly referred to as the "World Series of Public Speaking". Following a year of competition, Ed walked away with the First Place Trophy! Since his convincing victory, he has become a full-time Motivational Speaker, and has spoken to audiences around the world, including Africa, Thailand, China, Singapore, Israel, Jamaica, Canada, and many other locations, in his quest to become America's #1 motivational speaker.