Roseann Sdoia

Roseann Sdoia is a motivational speaker, author, and advocate for challenged athletes. She was born in Winchester, Massachusetts, a suburb north of Boston. After graduating from the University of Massachusetts/Lowell, she moved to Los Angeles where she began her career in real estate management. After two years working in LA and then Florida, she realized that all of her vacations were spent traveling home to New England, so she returned to Boston.

Sdoia is a Boston Marathon bombing survivor who uses her personal story of perseverance and recovery to inspire and motivate others. She is the author of "Perfect Strangers: Friendship, Strength, and Recovery After Boston's Worst Day," which discusses her experiences and the powerful friendships formed during her recovery. Her speaking topics include overcoming adversity, staying positive in the face of adversity, and living with a disability. Dedicated to both her professional and personal lives, Sdoia's circle of friends and family is extensive and supportive, as evidenced when her trauma surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital waived his visitation rule due to the number of visitors she had.

Despite being an amputee, Sdoia actively participates in road races to maintain her physical fitness and continues to aim for completing the entire 26.2 mile Boston Marathon. In November of 2014, she completed her first 5K race since the bombing. She has appeared on programs such as "Megyn Kelly Today" to share her inspiring story. Sdoia has been praised for changing perspectives and inspiring others, receiving accolades from organizations like the Greater Boston Federal Executive Board and the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Her personal mantra, "life is only as positive as you make it," encapsulates her approach to encouraging others to achieve their goals.