Motivated Online A magazine for leaders, by leaders

Christopher P. Gardner

Christopher P. Gardner is the head of his own brokerage firm and lives in a Chicago townhouse – one of his three homes – with a collection of tailored suits, designer shoes, and Miles Davis albums. His path to this extraordinary success took a series of extraordinary turns. Just 20 years ago, Gardner was homeless and living, on occasion, in a bathroom at a Bay Area Rapid Transit station in Oakland, California. Gardner’s first book, The Pursuit of Happyness, is an account of his life story and was released in June 2006. Columbia Pictures has also completed production on a feature film based on Gardner’s rags-to-riches tale. It stars Will Smith as Gardner and was released in December 2006. Gardner’s extraordinary story illustrates the nurturing and sustaining power of positive role models. He proudly acknowledges those who guided him – a mother who kept him grounded and uncles who served in the military. Gardner’s belief in himself and his dreams, along with his refusal to give in to self-doubt, inspires audiences.