Holly Hoffman was the last remaining member of the Espada Tribe and the last woman standing on Season 21 of Survivor Nicaragua on CBS. Through that experience and others throughout her life, Holly was inspired to share her message of positivity, determination, and confidence.
A professional speaker and the author of Three Step Stride, Your Winner Within and Write Yourself a Note, Holly acknowledges that life is made up of challenges, and we are often faced with situations that seem insurmountable. She inspires her audience to focus their thoughts, emotions, and energy towards success and shares the knowledge, tools, and discipline to achieve it.
A lifelong resident of America’s heartland, Holly graduated from her hometown high school in Eureka, South Dakota, and then attended Northern State University. Holly is the proud mother of three wonderful children and six grandchildren.
In 2019, Holly earned the CSP® (Certified Speaking Professional™) designation from the National Speakers Association. She travels across the country speaking to a wide variety of corporations, associations, universities, schools, and women’s organizations.
Holly’s message not only offers encouragement and optimism, but a roadmap for self-discovery and spiritual enlightenment. Her methods are intuitive, honest, and adaptable to nearly any situation. Her audience is guaranteed to walk away inspired and motivated to succeed.
“The Survivor Way”
As we survive life’s challenges, we come face-to-face with fear and uncertainty.
Challenges may allow us to step out of our comfort zone and push ourselves above and beyond our own self-limitations. It is how we choose to overcome challenges that makes us who we are in life. It is our strength in times of difficulty that prove our character and self-worth.
As Holly shares her experience of being on a reality show, she encourages audience members to think about how they decide to survive on a daily basis. She also encourages them to think about six words to develop their survival skills. With her six simple words, one can take on any challenge with which they are faced.
Adversity is not so much contending with problems as it is learning more about who you really are and what is inside you.
Holly helps audiences explore their true survival skills.
“Lead Simply”
Leadership is not complex. Leadership at its core is simple, but not always easy. A simple leadership framework consists of three words:
MODEL. CONNECT. INVOLVE.
True leadership is not just words; it’s action. We must model the behavior we want to see, connect with the people we lead and involve them as much as possible.
During this presentation, attendees will identify and discover what they want to see more and less of in their leadership skills to create that special team of people.
“Write Yourself a Note”
Be confident. Be great. Be you.
At the end of the day, unless we make a conscious effort to bring ourselves back to center and refocus, we begin to lose ourselves. It’s never too late to find purpose.
This presentation offers encouragement, optimism, and a roadmap for self-discovery. Attendees will be inspired to work towards a successful and fulfilling life.
They will discover a simple tool to refocus and reprioritize themselves. As they “write themselves a note,” they will begin to discover if they are where they want to be. They will encourage themselves to find purpose. No matter what stage of life we are in, we all need purpose.
“Three Step Stride”
Don’t ever be afraid of change and getting rid of steps you don’t need. Your stride in life is very important for your well-being and your self-worth. In Holly’s newest compelling program, “Three Step Stride,” she explains how her ability to reduce steps between hurdles made her a track star and how eliminating steps is also a metaphor for life.
Getting rid of things you don’t need, like comparison, excuses, and complacency, can get you over life’s hurdles and to your finish line sooner. Your three-step stride is important to discovering your race and accomplishing your goals.
Three Step Stride – Steps are important! The average American walks 3,000 to 4,000 steps a day, or roughly 1.5 to 2 miles. It’s a good idea to find out how many steps a day you are taking and it’s also a good idea to find out how many unnecessary steps you are taking. You may have to lengthen your stride to take only the steps that are needed in your life and in your profession.
Write Yourself a Note – At the end of the day, unless I made a conscious effort to bring myself back to center and refocus, I found that often, on days I was just getting through the day to start the next one. That is not the way I want to live my life.
This desire to live focused every day was my inspiration for Write Yourself a Note, both the speech and this book. I wanted to give people a simple tool they can rely on every day to refocus and reprioritize. In this book I offer encouragement, optimism, and a roadmap for self-discovery. I hope you find my methods—the ones I use every day in my own life—intuitive, honest, and adaptable to nearly any individual or situation. My goal for this book is to inspire you to consistently work towards a successful and fulfilling life.
Your Winner Within – Life is made up of challenges. And oftentimes, we are faced with situations we perceive to be insurmountable. In those times of uncertainty, many of us lack the internal compass to guide ourselves back into the light. Our thoughts turn to the negative and we inadvertently use our fears and emotions to our own detriment. Conversely, it is the ability to focus our thoughts and emotions—and the discipline to do so—that helps guide us forward with clarity and confidence.
Holly Hoffman’s book, Your Winner Within, not only offers encouragement and optimism but a roadmap for self-discovery and spiritual enlightenment. Her methods are intuitive, honest, and adaptable to nearly any situation. Best of all, the methods and ideas presented in this book are the very ones Holly uses herself, day-in and day-out, to achieve success. You will receive the benefit of a lifetime of experience and the progressive evolution of her techniques to near perfection through the personal challenges faced in her own life.
“Holly was amazing!!! Her energy and enthusiasm were great for the Sunday morning closing after a four-day conference. The students and advisors could all relate to her. She had us laughing, then in tears, and back to laughing. Holly did a great job encouraging us and helping us take back a renewed sense of purpose to our colleges.”
Tammy Fuentez, KS/NE Phi Theta Kappa Regional Coordinator
“Barry and Tyler, just wanted to let you know that we really enjoyed Holly, she did an absolutely amazing job! I loved her story and moreover how she interacted with the crowd. My wife, as well as many others, told me she was our best speaker to date! Here are just a few of the texts I was pleased to receive afterward: ‘You’re gonna have a task finding a better speaker’; ‘Damn that was great’; ‘Holly was spot on’; ‘Thank you for inviting us this evening. I’m very happy my girls got to hear Holly’s inspirational presentation.’ Thanks again Barry and Tyler. Every speaker you’ve booked for us has been exceptional!”
Dallas Choat, Owner, DC Seed and Chemical LLC
“Recently I watched a virtual presentation with Holly Hoffman. I had previously seen her speak in person and was anxious to hear her again as she is such a dynamic speaker! I wasn’t sure if a virtual presentation would be as good but Holly knocked it out of the park! Her story is enticing and keeps the audience intrigued. Virtually she is just as dynamic and I would recommend her uplifting and positive presentation for any age or any group!”
Gayle Finn
“I was so blessed to watch Holly’s virtual presentation and oh my goodness, it was SPECTACULAR! I already knew what a great presentation Holly gives, but to bring it virtually with such power, personableness, expressiveness and expert delivery without the dynamics of a live audience was absolutely masterful. I felt she was embracing each one of us with caring and authenticity. The background, lighting, sound and DELIVERY were perfect…Holly knocked it out of the park!”
Norm B., SpeakFluence
“Holly nailed it! The audience rated her 4.84 out of 5. She was a delight to work with, incorporated our convention goals and personalized the presentation. She’s low-maintenance and a crowd-pleaser; an incredible value. Fully self-aware that someone who spent a month on a reality TV show doesn’t automatically have the expertise to serve as a life coach, Holly crafted an interesting and engaging story for fans and non-fans of Survivor, and connected her life lessons to our industry.”
Clint R. Armistead, Director of Training & Events, Heartland Credit Union Association
“Holly Hoffman was the talk of our convention! I personally thought she was a fantastic speaker! The make-up of our audience was approximately 20% female and 80% male. I was pleasantly surprised that Holly appealed to everyone. After her presentation, I was in the spouse program and the women all shared how much they enjoyed Holly’s presentation. Thursday evening and Friday, when I was able to speak with the entire membership, they were all saying what a great presentation it was. It was obvious Holly touched the entire room. I would wholeheartedly recommend her. Thank you, Barry and Tyler, for suggesting Holly for our convention!”
Rochelle Hitz, Nebraska Concrete & Aggregates Association
“Impressive person! Her story of the obstacles she overcame in her life and on the CBS show ‘Survivor’ will give you a glimpse of her strong character. A true survivor, a great person and someone you need to know. What a treasure her message is!”
Phillip Larabee, Lions Club, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
“Thank you, Barry and Tyler, for helping us to coordinate schedules with Holly Hoffman so that she could speak at our Unity leadership event in Chandler, AZ. Her presentation was a big hit with everyone, as I could see people nodding their heads in agreement with her, scribbling down notes as fast as they could, and were even moved to tears as Holly shared some personal struggles from her childhood. She answered many of the audience’s questions afterward, and stayed to talk with people – she is so genuine and engaging that when you see her with people she just met, you would think they were lifelong friends. I especially liked that she went to our website to gain some more information about our company, our opportunities for women and about the Unity group in particular, and she spoke to that on several points. She is truly a wonderful person with a very inspiring message and we loved having her back for a second time!”
Lauren Balleweg, PayPal
“Holly is a high-energy, awe-inspiring speaker. She is able to bring her personal life experiences to fruition on her platform from “Survivor.” Holly is capable of reaching the audience on a deep and emotional level. I’ve seen her speak twice now and would see her again if the opportunity arose!”
Jill Vermeire, J.V. Events and Consulting, LLC
“Holly, thank you for being so personable and inspiring! Your message of not giving up in the face of challenge was delivered in a way that REALLY hit home. I have never seen so many of our members line up and hang around for such a long time after a talk. Your evaluation rating of 4.97 out of 5 was the highest we have ever had for a speaker!”
Alison Deelstra, Director of Education and Communication, Minnesota Rural Electric Association
“Holly spoke at our annual Women’s Brunch which is held to coincide with our major farm show. Holly’s presentation was both engaging and inspirational. She captures your attention and makes you want to hear more. Our audience adored her and she received rave reviews from all in attendance – and she had lines swarming around her afterward too! Holly was great to work with and was very deliberate in making sure her message was going to resonate and connect with the audience we were bringing in.”
Rebecca Zabel, Mitchell Area Chamber of Commerce
“The Rushmore Chapter of AAHAM was honored to have Holly speak at our spring meeting in Chamberlain. Our group laughed and we cried but we loved the connection that Holly made with every single person in the room. What a strong and amazing woman; she is a mentor and leader for all to admire.”
Margie Gettel, President, Fergus Falls Kiwanis Club
“Energizing…captivating…inspiring…Holly Hoffman provides a moving, dynamic and faith-filled account of her life’s experiences and journey as a contestant on the hit television series ‘Survivor.’ Her message of renewed determination to make the most of each day and hope for the future is a ‘MUST HEAR’ for every type of audience.”
Heather M. Bode, MHA, CRCS-I, Business Office Manager, Faulkton Area Medical Center
“I was very pleased with Holly’s presentation and her ‘REAL’ message to kick off our school year for our staff. Many of the teachers were grabbing me on the way out of the high school, thanking me for contacting Holly and sharing their positive feedback!! She delivered the perfect balance of humor, inspiration and ‘relate-ability.’ We definitely give her two thumbs up!”
Kim Johnson, Austin Elementary Principal, Vermillion, SD
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
MidAmerica Speakers Bureau
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