Episode 37: Leigh Anne Tuohy
April 28, 2020
Episode 37: Leigh Anne Tuohy
In this episode, Rob and Dana welcome author and motivational speaker Leigh Anne Tuohy. As the mother of an adopted son from foster care who went on to become a Super Bowl champion, Leigh Anne knows first-hand how the loving support of a family can change a child’s life. The story of her son Michael Oher and the Tuohy family was depicted in the 2009 movie “The Blind Side”. Sandra Bullock won her first Academy Award for her portrayal of Leigh Anne in the film.
Listen as Leigh Anne shares her insight into what we can do as individuals, and together as a community, to improve the lives of children in foster care.
Learn more about Leigh Anne on her website, www.leighannetuohy.com.
Dubbed a “warrior princess” by author Michael Lewis in his best-selling book The Blind Side, Leigh Anne Tuohy is the inspirational matriarch of the Tuohy family. While studying at the University of Mississippi, better known as Ole Miss, Leigh Anne met Sean Tuohy, her husband since 1982. Both were active and ambitious college students: Leigh Anne was a cheerleader, campus favorite, homecoming maid and an active member of her sorority, Kappa Delta; Sean became a record-breaking SEC basketball champion and still holds several SEC assist records. They are the proud parents of daughter Collins and sons Sean, Jr., and Michael Oher. In February 2013, Leigh Anne and the whole Tuohy family were on the sidelines cheering Michael and the Baltimore Ravens on to his first Super Bowl victory. Oher then went on to play as Offensive Tackle for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers.
Leigh Anne is a New York Times best-selling author. Her latest book, Turn Around: Reach Out, Give Back, and Get Moving, challenges readers to re-think what giving really means. Turn Around is a five-day-per-week devotional that uses scripture as a springboard to reconsider what it means to give sacrificially, generously, and immediately—many times, without having to leave your own community. The book was released June 2015.
Leigh Anne inspires audiences to recognize the full potential of individuals in their community—and to find value in those who society has deemed valueless. She shares her personal “Blind Side” observations, from seeing Michael Oher for the first time to how the experience changed her as a person—and the Tuohys as a family. “He had a much greater impact on our lives than we did on his life,” says Leigh Anne. One of the country’s most sought after motivational speakers, Leigh Anne has given lectures to a broad spectrum of audiences from religious groups and town halls to some of the country’s largest corporations.
The chronicle of the Tuohy family’s life, Michael Lewis’ New York Times number one best-seller The Blind Side, went on to become a record-breaking Hollywood blockbuster that earned more than $300 million and has become the number one sports film in history. The film boldly depicts both the struggles and triumphs of building a blended family; Sandra Bullock won her first Academy Award for her portrayal of Leigh Anne in the film.
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