We had the good fortune of connecting with John Kippen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi John, what role has risk played in your life or career?

I had a huge Risk to take after recovering from my brain tumor removal surgery. The surgery left half of my face paralyzed and I hated the way I looked. This caused me to hide from life avoiding mirrors , public gatherings and posing for photos for almost 12 years.

After I got sick of staying home, I joined the Magic Castle in Hollywood as magic had always been a hobby of mine. I slowly started performing building my self confidence with each show. I started to understand that my facial paralysis didn’t need to define me if I didn’t let it. I incorporated why my face was paralyzed in my act and I found it answered the question the audiences wanted to know but would never ask. This allowed them to not be distracted by my face and enjoy the magic. Sharing my triumph over adversity resonated with each audience member and inspired them to put whatever they didn’t like about themselves into perspective and grow strength from my courage. If john could do it, so could I.

My. message became “ Being different is your Superpower”. I am now a motivational speaker who uses magic to entertain and engage audiences while they hear my story and learn how to celebrate their differences instead of hide from them.  I shared my message in my Tedx talk a few years ago, and the talk has been viewed over 300 thousand times  https://youtu.be/on-IVeZ4M4U?si=Hux5ubiTChC8P2Tu

I had the opportunity to perform with the late great Alex Trebek for his 75th birthday celebration. We shared a love for magic and a story of a life changing tumor. Unfortunately, his tragically ended his life, but not before we shared some time where we could inspire each other to keep moving forward. You can see the clips from my performance on my YouTube channel .

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

My art form is Magic. I focus on as many of the spectators as possible during a show and make them feel special and magical by allowing them to be part of the illusion until they realize that they actually performed the magic.Taking the risk of Accepting and celebrating your differences allows you to be authentic and human. while inspiring others to do the same. People leave one of my magic performances or Keynote talks knowing who I am and often with a new sense of self which allows them to move forward in their lives.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Living in Los Angeles there is magic all around us. Within an hour’s drive there are beautiful examples of nature in deserts, mountains and oceans. We are also a melting pot of more nationalities than I could count demonstrating their unique cultures and art forms and authentic cuisines. There are landmarks from the santa monica peer to venice beach to the hollywood sign and walk of fame to china town to Disney land to the Magic Castle

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

I dedicate this story to my long time friend Jamie Lee Curtis who has not only stood by my side , but supported me in my mission to touch and inspire people in every interaction.

She even agreed to be in my short documentary “ Johns Ultimate Illusion which won 2 best documentary awards. She recently shared my new online magic magazine called conjuringchronicles.com on her instagram and in less than 48 hours her post received over 1000 likes. The magazine shares my story and lessons I have learned during my recovery and gives back to the art form of Magic which I often say saved my life.

Website: https://johnkippen.com

Instagram: @johnkippen

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnkippenspeaker?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kippen?mibextid=JRoKGi

Youtube: @johndavdkippen

Other: https://conjuringchronicles.com

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.