David Vobora
David Vobora is a former NFL linebacker and founder of the Adaptive Training Foundation. After a career-ending injury and the dark chapter that followed, he reinvented his life around movement, service, and resilience—and now extends that mission through his foundation and “Life After” podcast, sharing stories that inspire grit, growth, and possibility.
Adaptive
•
Life After Coach
•
Mr. Irrelevant
•
Adaptive • Life After Coach • Mr. Irrelevant •
More about David
David Vobora is a retired NFL linebacker who earned the title Mr. Irrelevant as the final pick in the 2008 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams. After a successful five-year career cut short by a shoulder injury, David set out to find deeper purpose.
That journey led to a life-changing encounter with quadruple amputee and U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills. Moved by his resilience, David founded the Adaptive Training Foundation (ATF) in 2014—a nonprofit gym providing cost-free access to high-performance training and community for people with physical disabilities and traumatic injuries.
Driven by the belief that trauma doesn’t define a person, David began training elite athletes, military veterans, and adaptive individuals, helping them break through not only physical barriers, but also mental and emotional ones. Over the past decade, more than 400 adaptive athletes have completed ATF’s intensive 9-week program, transforming lives from the inside out.
-
David’s innovative work has earned national acclaim. He’s been featured in the award-winning documentary Upstanders and appeared on The Ellen Show, ESPN, NBC, NFL Network, CNN, and Forbes. As a keynote speaker, he’s inspired audiences around the globe and collaborated with top organizations such as Starbucks, J.P. Morgan, Blackrock, Lockheed Martin, and TED.
Through his podcast, Life After with David Vobora, he shares stories of resilience and reinvention. With a deep belief in human potential, David empowers others to rise, rebuild, and realize who they were always meant to be.
Speaking Topics
Reinvention
Resilience
Managing Change
Health & Wellness
Sports
Overcoming Obstacles
Culture
Leadership
Watch David in action
Presentations
Unconquerable
David brings over a decade of experience empowering people impacted by extreme physical disability and trauma to reclaim their lives and redefine what’s possible. His work doesn’t motivate, it transforms. Through powerful storytelling, David challenges limiting beliefs, confronts barriers, and creates a perspective shift that moves people from stuck to unstoppable, igniting resilience, unlocking potential, and driving lasting change.
“I believe in people until they believe in themselves, guiding them to discover the unbreakable within.”
– David Vobora