How I Got Here: Beth O'Leary
Beth (Hittler) O’Leary (DCHS ’01), an occupational therapist, mother and wife of motivational speaker John O’Leary (CSB ’99), watched her life become a major motion picture.
1979
O’Leary is born in St. Louis, the oldest of four siblings. Her mom is a nurse and her dad, a letter carrier. The family settles in Webster Groves, Missouri, where O’Leary will later raise her own family.
1997
She graduates from Cor Jesu Academy and heads to Saint Louis University to study occupational therapy.
“I chose SLU because they had a great OT program, and it was direct entry for freshmen. I worked hard in high school and wanted to know in advance that I didn’t have to be concerned about getting into a program after college courses had begun.”
1998
She meets John O’Leary on the dance floor at a fraternity party. He wants to date,
but she declines:
“John, you’re like a brother to me.” After years of friendship, she realizes her feelings
have changed and asks him out.
2001
She graduates magna cum laude from SLU.
“My first job after college was working PRN (on an as-needed basis) at SLU Hospital. I worked there as a rehab aide in college, so it was an easy transition into working as an OT. At the same time, I was also working hourly for the Special School District as an OT. The following year, that became my first full-time job.”
2003
Beth marries John on Nov. 22. Twenty years from now, she’ll lend her wedding dress to actor Masey McLain, who will portray her on the big screen.
2014
Beth becomes an adjunct instructor of occupational therapy at SLU.
2016
John writes On Fire: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life, based on his work as an inspirational speaker who survived a near-fatal fire as a child.
“John’s book was wonderful and a culmination of years of writing and speaking. He
had worked so hard at building his career as a motivational speaker while I was working
a bit but mostly raising our four children
as he traveled nationally and internationally. They were 4, 6, 8 and 10 when On Fire
was released. It became a national bestseller.”
2018
John is approached about making a movie based on On Fire.
“The entire movie process took eight years from beginning to end.”
2023
Beth visits the set of Soul on Fire, part of which is filmed on SLU’s campus. She serves behind the scenes as an expert to help the actors depict OT exercises properly — and even appears onscreen as an OT professor and an audience member during the graduation scene.
“So many miracles took place for everything to happen: John’s survival as a 9-year-old child from a fire; securing a screenwriter and director; raising funds; passing a law to get the movie made in St. Louis; attracting amazing Hollywood actors. The final miracle was when Sony purchased the film and made it a theatrical release worldwide.”
2025
Beth attends the world premiere of Soul on Fire at Powell Hall in St. Louis. She goes to screenings for her SLU friends and for the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy.
“Seeing the movie, so many emotions went through my head. It’s hard to separate real life from a story on the screen. So much of the movie was true to the story in many ways, but I had to learn to laugh at the parts that weren’t completely factual.”
This story was published in the spring 2026 issue of Universitas.
About Universitas
Universitas, the award-winning alumni magazine of Saint Louis University, is distributed to alumni, parents and benefactors of the University. The magazine includes campus news, feature stories, alumni profiles and class notes, and has a circulation of 103,000.