Standing 3'9" in a world designed around a standard he would never fit, Brandon Farbstein learned early what it means to be defined before being understood. Born with an ultra-rare form of dwarfism affecting less than 100 people in medical history, Brandon grew up watching people make judgements about his abilities, his value, and his future before he ever had the chance to introduce himself. That experience became the foundation of his life's work.
At the age of 15, Brandon stepped onto a TEDx stage and began challenging audiences to reconsider how they viewed difference, adversity, and human potential. Today, Brandon is an internationally recognized keynote speaker, author, and advocate whose work has reached more than ten million people through live experiences, books, media, and global campaigns.
Through his Elevate Empathy® framework — grounded in curiosity, compassion, courage, and creativity — Brandon helps organizations move beyond surface-level conversations about belonging and into the behaviors that create it. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies, universities, mission-driven associations, and multinational organizations across four continents.
Brandon is the author of Ten Feet Tall and A Kids Book About Self-Love, published worldwide by Penguin Random House. He is a LinkedIn Top Voice for disability inclusion, an ADL Hero Against Hate, and a Founding Partner of the Builders Movement created by KIND founder Daniel Lubetzky.
Brandon helped pass two Virginia state laws before turning 18 — one strengthening bullying prevention and another advancing empathy and social-emotional education in schools — after becoming the target of sustained cyberbullying during high school.