Control the Controllables: Dan MacQueen on Change, Confidence, and Momentum

At 28, Dan MacQueen suffered a life-threatening brain hemorrhage that left him fighting to relearn how to walk, talk, and smile. A second major setback followed a year later, forcing him to confront uncertainty all over again.

Years later, Dan would spend more than a decade at Hootsuite, helping organizations adopt new technology, navigate change, and deliver more than 1,000 professional learning sessions internationally.

Today, he is an international keynote speaker helping leaders and teams think clearly, make better decisions, and keep moving when nothing is certain.

In this conversation, Dan shares what surviving two brain surgeries taught him about resilience, agency, identity, motivation, discipline, and the power of taking the next step even when you don’t know where the road leads.

We explore his shift from “Why Me?” to “Try Me,” why resilience alone isn’t enough, how confidence is built through evidence, and why the most useful question in uncertain moments may simply be:

What can I do next?

Connect with Dan MacQueen:

http://www.macqueendan.com/