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Blind Ambition: How to Go from Victim to Visionary
For anyone seeking to live life to its fullest potential, Blind Ambition is an eye-opening account of a tech industry executive who overcame fear and hopelessness to turn his blindness disability into a powerful, competitive strength. While most people were preparing for the adventure of adult life, Chad E. Foster was watching the world he grew up with fade to black but that didn’t stop him from becoming the first blind person to graduate from the Harvard Business School leadership program and climbing the corporate ladder as a successful finance/sales executive. With determination, ambition, and drive, Chad created what Oracle said would be impossible. He gave millions of people the ability to earn a living by becoming the first to create customer relationship software for the visually impaired. Even if you've been robbed of your self-identity and dreams for the future, you can change your story and achieve your goals. In Blind Ambition , readers and listeners Overcoming the challenges of blindness improved Chad’s perspective, making him more resilient and grateful for the life that he has. Ultimately, Chad's unforgettable lessons and outlook will inspire listeners to overcome their perceived limitations and explore new possibilities where they once may have only seen obstacles. Blind Ambition will teach you how to take advantage of your disadvantages.
224 pages, Hardcover
Published February 16, 2021
16 people are currently reading
1545 people want to read
About the author
Chad E. Foster
1 book22 followersCan you imagine going blind as a teenager? When most people were preparing for the adventure of adult life, Chad E. Foster was watching the world he grew up with fade to black. But that didn't stop him from becoming the first blind person to graduate from the Harvard Business School leadership program and climbing the corporate ladder as a successful Finance/Sales executive. He works at Red Hat, one of the most innovative Tech companies and the world’s largest open source software company. With determination, ambition, and drive, he created what Oracle said would be impossible. He gave hundreds of millions of people the ability to earn a living by becoming the first to create customer relationship software for the visually impaired. With speaking invites from London to Beijing, and the Atlanta Opera crafting a story inspired by his journey, Chad inspires people to overcome their own blind spots.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 23, 2020
"I could not correct my vision, but I could control how I chose to see the world." This quote from the book remained with me. The story is really touching and inspiring. Sometimes we need to know that achieving certain goals is possible and examples like the one in this book inspires for the next step of achievement in life.
May 25, 2022
People that overcome hardships and impossible odds are among my favorite stories. This one would fit into that category. It's so refreshing to hear a story about someone who moved from a victimhood mentality to one of a visionary.
Mr. Foster experienced darkness in his life when he lost his sight due to a genetic condition. He eventually decided to not let it stop him from living a full life and he threw himself into growing as a person and bettering his life anyway.
His story was both interesting and inspiring with good advice and humor sprinkled throughout.
A couple of quotes -
"The stark truth is that we rarely get what we want in life if we don't ask for it. That's why it makes so much sense to be very careful about how you ask. You always want to ask in a way that makes the other person want to do it for you."
"If there's a moral to this story I'd say that whatever you're good at, try to take it to its limits and then beyond. Try doing the thing in your field that everyone says can't be done. Maybe you'll succeed. Maybe you'll fail. But you'll grow like crazy and there's no telling what might come of it. Dare to be great! If you have faith in your gifts the rewards are out there. Choose a daunting challenge for yourself and then, to quote my high school wrestling coach once again, 'Just grab it and growl!'"
Mr. Foster experienced darkness in his life when he lost his sight due to a genetic condition. He eventually decided to not let it stop him from living a full life and he threw himself into growing as a person and bettering his life anyway.
His story was both interesting and inspiring with good advice and humor sprinkled throughout.
A couple of quotes -
"The stark truth is that we rarely get what we want in life if we don't ask for it. That's why it makes so much sense to be very careful about how you ask. You always want to ask in a way that makes the other person want to do it for you."
"If there's a moral to this story I'd say that whatever you're good at, try to take it to its limits and then beyond. Try doing the thing in your field that everyone says can't be done. Maybe you'll succeed. Maybe you'll fail. But you'll grow like crazy and there's no telling what might come of it. Dare to be great! If you have faith in your gifts the rewards are out there. Choose a daunting challenge for yourself and then, to quote my high school wrestling coach once again, 'Just grab it and growl!'"
March 15, 2022
This is a phenomenal book. Chad (the author) is a true inspiration in so many ways. I found myself sharing parts of this book with my family as I read it. I learned so much from him sharing his story and experiences. We have come so far over the years in our ability to support co-workers, friends and family that are navigating life with a disability but we still have a lot of room for improvement. There are many highlights from this book but his sharing of the Leader Dog program and advice for how to interact around a leader dog was truly insightful. Another highlight is the incredible dedication and effort his Mom put forth to help him get through college by recording his text books on audiotapes. A true testimony of love and dedication. His determination to succeed despite his challenges is admirable and his advice on overcoming challenges is memorable. Thank you to the author for sharing your inspirational story. I will be recommending this book as part of our DEI initiative at work, to increase awareness of disabilities and emphasize the importance of diverse ideas. I almost forgot to mention that I won this book as a Goodreads Giveaway - what a gift.
June 25, 2025
Wonderful, easy to read about the struggles Chad experienced going blind during college. What made the book wonderful is the amazing focus, determination and effort he puts in to overcoming the challenges he faced. I respect his attitude and commitment to not being a victim and leverage the resources and skills he has to succeed at very high levels. Excellent book!
April 3, 2021
This is the kind of book all of us would love to write ourselves. It tells the story of a life really worthwhile. It shows the author’s challenges through blindness without a self-pity tone. It brings the lessons he learned over the years without the excessive preaching so common in leadership books. It’s inspiring and fun to read, while also emotional at some points in time.
The book brings his personal story of going blind as a teenager and the struggles he had to go through personally and professionally over the years. After going through an understandable period of despair straight after becoming blind, his relentless and no-excuses personality became the fuel to overcome any limitations his condition imposed, or limitations perceived by others in him. As far as I remember, Chad doesn’t mention the word “Stoic” in any of the pages, but I can’t think of a more Stoic way to live life than this – Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus and Seneca would be proud.
Most readers of the book won’t be blind, but in some dimension of their lives Chad’s story will still resonate, like it did for myself. After a few years in this world, each of us has probably had our fair share of apparent unsurmountable hurdles. We may have been there like him, both in an initial stage of anguish and hopefully in a more pragmatic period afterwards. In many cases it won’t be something as tough as going blind. But, through our personal lenses, the toughest challenges of our lives will still be tougher than what we had faced and prepared for up to that point. And that’s what matters.
As an aside to the inspirational story, for the more curious readers or even animal-loving ones, I found it fascinating to learn more about the world of guide dogs and how their training and daily routine work. Even though I had the pleasure to get to know Chad and his dog Romeo in 2015 at the leadership course mentioned in the book, and was by then very curious about the details of their routine, I didn’t want to pester him with dozens of questions about the subject at the time because I imagined how boring it could be to explain the same things all over again for the 937th time (I did asked him about how he worked around with this mobile phone though, because I have a blind aunt who was dealing with a similar issue at the time). I was happy to finally read more about how Chad, Miles, Romeo and Bailey worked and enjoyed themselves together. These dogs are both real warriors and companions to their owners, and reading about their retirement and passing away brought some of the most emotional moments of the book.
This is an engaging and inspiring book that you’ll probably read in a couple of sittings. I’m very glad Chad stopped to write his story and I had the opportunity to read more about it.
The book brings his personal story of going blind as a teenager and the struggles he had to go through personally and professionally over the years. After going through an understandable period of despair straight after becoming blind, his relentless and no-excuses personality became the fuel to overcome any limitations his condition imposed, or limitations perceived by others in him. As far as I remember, Chad doesn’t mention the word “Stoic” in any of the pages, but I can’t think of a more Stoic way to live life than this – Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus and Seneca would be proud.
Most readers of the book won’t be blind, but in some dimension of their lives Chad’s story will still resonate, like it did for myself. After a few years in this world, each of us has probably had our fair share of apparent unsurmountable hurdles. We may have been there like him, both in an initial stage of anguish and hopefully in a more pragmatic period afterwards. In many cases it won’t be something as tough as going blind. But, through our personal lenses, the toughest challenges of our lives will still be tougher than what we had faced and prepared for up to that point. And that’s what matters.
As an aside to the inspirational story, for the more curious readers or even animal-loving ones, I found it fascinating to learn more about the world of guide dogs and how their training and daily routine work. Even though I had the pleasure to get to know Chad and his dog Romeo in 2015 at the leadership course mentioned in the book, and was by then very curious about the details of their routine, I didn’t want to pester him with dozens of questions about the subject at the time because I imagined how boring it could be to explain the same things all over again for the 937th time (I did asked him about how he worked around with this mobile phone though, because I have a blind aunt who was dealing with a similar issue at the time). I was happy to finally read more about how Chad, Miles, Romeo and Bailey worked and enjoyed themselves together. These dogs are both real warriors and companions to their owners, and reading about their retirement and passing away brought some of the most emotional moments of the book.
This is an engaging and inspiring book that you’ll probably read in a couple of sittings. I’m very glad Chad stopped to write his story and I had the opportunity to read more about it.
March 15, 2021
I am frankly entirely surprised at how much I enjoyed Blind Ambition. I nearly set it down twice after reading about Foster’s college escapades (smoking/drinking, primarily), but once his brother shared with him some blunt truth about the fraternity-like situation, I found myself reading on. Oorah to Older Brother!
… and kudos, too, because this book is a gem. While Foster and I may vary on personal-faith convictions (and granted, he really doesn’t go into his own in the book–all inferences are my own based on the “usual suspects” of admitted parties, drink, smokes, and language), I still gained so much from the read and also related to a shocking amount. Foster and I are more or less contemporaries; he graduated from college a few years before I did. Many company names are ever so familiar, too (likely thanks to living in a home city to several industry giants).
I thoroughly appreciated Foster’s life experience in the business world and saw myself in so much of that, with my own share of working government and private-sector contracts (not to mention software lifecycle pivots). Oh, haiiii, Lotus Notes … you used that too, Foster?! LOL. I truly felt encouraged and revitalized in my own career path while reading about his.
Foster shares forthrightly about his experiences with guide dogs, navigating the huuuge life shift from vision to blindness, discrimination both within America and without, the importance of mentors and supportive friends and family, and more. The surprisingly quick read packs quite a punch! (I wish I could interject some skiing reference here–because I’m dumbfounded in the best way that he learned to ski after becoming blind!–but yeah, my knowledge of winter-sport terminology is nil. Ha!)
Tacked on to the end of the book is a series of reflection questions; while I’ve not yet gone through them, I do look forward to it, journal at the ready. I’m sure they’ll be all too incisive…in a great way–challenging me to see my own blind spots.
I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
#blindambition #harpercollinsambassador
… and kudos, too, because this book is a gem. While Foster and I may vary on personal-faith convictions (and granted, he really doesn’t go into his own in the book–all inferences are my own based on the “usual suspects” of admitted parties, drink, smokes, and language), I still gained so much from the read and also related to a shocking amount. Foster and I are more or less contemporaries; he graduated from college a few years before I did. Many company names are ever so familiar, too (likely thanks to living in a home city to several industry giants).
I thoroughly appreciated Foster’s life experience in the business world and saw myself in so much of that, with my own share of working government and private-sector contracts (not to mention software lifecycle pivots). Oh, haiiii, Lotus Notes … you used that too, Foster?! LOL. I truly felt encouraged and revitalized in my own career path while reading about his.
Foster shares forthrightly about his experiences with guide dogs, navigating the huuuge life shift from vision to blindness, discrimination both within America and without, the importance of mentors and supportive friends and family, and more. The surprisingly quick read packs quite a punch! (I wish I could interject some skiing reference here–because I’m dumbfounded in the best way that he learned to ski after becoming blind!–but yeah, my knowledge of winter-sport terminology is nil. Ha!)
Tacked on to the end of the book is a series of reflection questions; while I’ve not yet gone through them, I do look forward to it, journal at the ready. I’m sure they’ll be all too incisive…in a great way–challenging me to see my own blind spots.
I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
#blindambition #harpercollinsambassador
April 25, 2021
I give this book 4.5 stars. I received a free copy from a Goodreads giveaway. I love inspirational books. This book is amazing. My cataracts are getting worse, so I can relate to some of the loss of sight.
Chad is so inspirational and real. He takes you along on his journey. You get to know him as a scared youth to a strong and confident man. He gives you pointers how to change your own life.
Chad is someone who always challenges himself. He encourages the reader to take more risks. It can be the kick in the pants most of us need.
Thank you to the author for sharing your story with us. I am better for knowing how you overcame many obstacles. I can't wait to read your next book.
Chad is so inspirational and real. He takes you along on his journey. You get to know him as a scared youth to a strong and confident man. He gives you pointers how to change your own life.
Chad is someone who always challenges himself. He encourages the reader to take more risks. It can be the kick in the pants most of us need.
Thank you to the author for sharing your story with us. I am better for knowing how you overcame many obstacles. I can't wait to read your next book.
August 29, 2025
I’m such a sucker for a good memoir, and Blind Ambition is one that sticks with you. Chad’s life story is incredibly inspiring, reminding me that there are gifts all around us if we’re willing to change our perspective. The details about his service dog were fascinating and added such a special dimension to his journey. I finished the book motivated and full of respect for the resilience and vision he shares. Chad is actually a keynote speaker at an upcoming conference I’ll be attending, and after reading this, I’m even more excited to hear him in person.
December 1, 2025
Foster's story tells of his journey with RP that ultimately takes his eyesight from him. His personal story is well told and very interesting. You can't help but root for Chad! He shares insightful anecdotes that can be applied to your own life and towards the end of the book gives a whole section that I imagine would be given at a motivational speech given by Foster. If you see that as a positive, great. If you see that as something that may turn you off about the book, don't! Foster's story is compelling all on its own and well worth the read.
April 10, 2025
Gli obiettivi del libro sono: ispirare e motivare. Viene fatto per mezzo di un racconto piuttosto personale e intimo di tutte le fasi della sua vita, ma in particolare di come la sua malattia e condizione gliela abbia senza dubbio cambiata.
A fine libro ci sono degli esercizi di auto-riflessione per aiutare il lettore a trovare il proprio successo.
A fine libro ci sono degli esercizi di auto-riflessione per aiutare il lettore a trovare il proprio successo.
April 7, 2025
As far as personal development books go this one was engaging and meaningful. I normally struggle with development books but this one was precise, offered a no bullshit approach, and really did surprise me with some meaningful insights.
October 17, 2022
This is a great autobiographical book. I finished the whole thing in two and a half days. Great for giving perspective on how to turn perceived difficulties and differences into strengths.
January 26, 2024
Inspiring book, but also a little self glorifying.
August 2, 2024
Excellent book! I learned so much about his world. Chad is truly amazing. His lessons are for all of us.
September 21, 2024
This book is so exceptional. I'd highly recommend reading this.
June 26, 2025
I heard Chad speak at a conference and was blown away - naturally, I had to check out his book. It was just as impressive and definitely lived up to expectations!
November 6, 2021
“Blind Ambition” by Chad Foster is an inspiring account of Chad’s determination to never give up, regardless of his physical disability. His life’s journey and subsequent success is a motivation to all who question their ability to succeed in conquering their own goals.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews