This speaker is hidden and is only visible in a proposal

Holly Hoffman

Inspirational & Motivational Speaker, 'Your Winner Within'

What does it take to thrive when life doesn't go as planned? Holly Hoffman shares her unforgettable Survivor journey to inspire resilience, adaptability, and courage. Through powerful storytelling and practical takeaways, audiences discover how to overcome setbacks, embrace change, and choose a mindset that turns challenges into opportunities for success.

Request Availability star

Bio

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” Marie Robinson

Holly Hoffman was the last remaining member of the Espada Tribe and the last woman standing on Season 21 of CBS’ hit reality show “Survivor Nicaragua”. Through that experience, and others throughout her life, Holly was inspired to share her message of survival.

A professional motivational speaker and the author of Your Winner Within, Write Yourself a Note and Three Step Stride, Holly acknowledges that life is made up of challenges, and we are oftentimes faced with situations that seem insurmountable. But within each of us is an ability to focus our thoughts, emotions, and energy to succeed—if only we have the knowledge, tools, and discipline to do so.

A native of South Dakota, Holly’s writing and speaking not only offer encouragement and optimism but a roadmap for self-discovery and spiritual enlightenment. Readers and audience members alike walk away inspired to light the fire of successful living within themselves.

Holly attended Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota. She is also a recipient of the Certified Speaking Professional designation, and travels across the country and internationally, speaking to a wide variety of corporations, associations, universities, schools and women’s organizations. Holly inspires her audiences to take opportunities and focus on faith, attitude, determination, confidence, desire and perseverance.

Download PDF

Email a Friend

Keynotes

Featured Keynote

"Never Give Up - The Survivor Way"

Thrive Through Adversity

What do you do when life throws you into the unknown, strips away your comfort, and forces you to adapt? Drawing from her experience on the hit television show Survivor and the real-life challenges she’s faced beyond the Island, Holly Hoffman shares powerful lessons on resilience, mindset, and the courage to step outside your comfort zone.

Through unforgettable stories of adversity, uncertainty, and personal transformation, Holly reveals how setbacks can become setups for comebacks, why growth never happens in the comfort zone, and how the choices we make in difficult moments determine whether we merely survive or truly thrive.

This keynote will inspire audiences to embrace change, navigate challenges with confidence, build meaningful relationships, and discover that thriving isn’t circumstantial - it’s a choice. Because the greatest breakthroughs often happen when we are willing to step into the jungle and trust ourselves to finally a way through it

Key takeaways - The jungle is inevitable. Staying stuck is optional. Every setback presents a choice - to retreat to fear or step forward and thrive through adversity.

"Lead Simply"

"Lead Simply"

In a world filled with leadership theories, strategies, and endless to-do lists, we often make leadership far more complicated than it needs to be. The truth is, exceptional leadership comes down to to three simple principles:

Model. Connect, Involve

In this engaging and interactive program, Holly Hoffman challenges leaders to return to the fundamentals that inspire trust, build strong cultures, and create lasting impact.

Model the behavior you want to see. Your actions speak louder than your title. Great leaders set the example through their attitude, work ethic, and integrity.

Connect with the people you lead. Leadership is built on relationships. When people feel seen, heard, and valued, they become more engaged, committed, and willing to give their best.

Involve others as much as possible. The best leaders don’t have all the answers - they invite ideas, encourage participation, and empower others to contribute. People support what they help create.

Holly demonstrates that leadership is not complexity or position - it’s about intentional actions that anyone can practice every day. Because leadership isn’t a title to be complicated. The most effective leaders simply

Model the behavior, Connect the people, and Involve others in the journey. Three simple principles. Extraordinary results.
"Three Step Stride"

"Three Step Stride"

We hear every day about the importance of taking more steps for our physical health. But what if the key to better mental health and emotional well-being is learning which steps to eliminate?

As a former hurdler, Holly Hoffman learned an important lesson from her coach: success isn’t always about doing more - sometimes it’s about removing the unnecessary steps that slow you down. The same principle applies to life. We often add extra steps through worry, overthinking, fear, guilt, comparison, unrealistic expectations, and the pressure to carry burdens that were never our to bear.

In this deeply personal and inspiring keynote, Holly shares the powerful journey of her daughter’s mental health struggles and the profound lessons their family learning about resilience, grace, and simplifying what truly matters. Through heartfelt storytelling and practical insights, audiences are challenged to identify the unnecessary steps that are draining their energy, clouding their thinking, and keeping them stuck.

Participants will discover how eliminating emotional clutter, unproductive habits, and self-imposed pressures can create more space for clarity, connection, and healing. Because thriving isn’t always about adding more to life - sometimes is’t about having the courage to let go of what not longer serves you.

Key takeaways - Not every step moves your forward. Sometimes your greatest breakthrough comes from identifying and eliminating the unnecessary steps that are preventing you from living with purpose, peace, and resilience.

Topics

Inspiration & Achievement Trending

Motivation

Professional Promo Video

2024 "Three Step Stride"
2020 "Write Yourself a Note"
2013 Your Winner Within

Written Feedback Comments on Keynote Below are a few stand out comments and I've attached a word document that has the whole list of comments we received: • EXCELLENT! Loved the speaker - one of the best we've ever had! • I think this was the best Opening General Session I've ever seen in the 23 years I've been going! • This was by far the best opening session MR's ever had! Holly was amazing; relating her experiences on Survivor to real life was spot on. I feel for you all ... I'm not sure you'll be able to top this one! :-) • By far the absolute best speaker. The way she related her survivor experience to real life experiences was phenomenal. I enjoyed her presentation very much! • Best speaker we have had in a long time. Entertaining, engaging and gave you that boost to kick off the conference. • This was the best speaker I have ever heard. She was amazing. Great job. Never watched survivor but I'm going to go back and watch her season. I have to say, we have not received written feedback this strong and unanimous of a response. We have gotten good feedback and positive comments about keynote speakers, but never to this level and you are the first in my 2.5 years that there was not a single negative written feedback comment. You truly did our members amazingly and as one of the comments above stated – made my job harder for next year as I collaborate with Brian as President with the speakers he wants to bring in.

Blake Willoughby, PhD Director, Education

Holly Hoffman was an absolute standout as our keynote speaker—upbeat, inspiring, and full of contagious energy. Her ability to connect with our attendees was truly one of a kind, leaving a lasting impression on everyone in the room. Drawing from her powerful experience on CBS's Survivor, Holly weaves storytelling and life lessons into a motivational message that resonates deeply. We highly recommend her to any group looking for a speaker who will uplift, engage, and truly inspire.

Bryant Blay, CPA Chief Financial Officer Montgomery Co Mem Hospital

Holly Hoffman was one of the most powerful and engaging speakers we've ever welcomed to a Missouri REALTORS® event. Her message resonated deeply with our members - many called her the best speaker they've ever heard. Even those unfamiliar with Survivor left inspired to go back and watch her season, simply because of the strength and authenticity she brought to the stage. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive: “Outstanding,” “Excellent,” “By far the absolute BEST speaker we've ever had!” Holly's presence was not only motivational - it was memorable. Her ability to connect, inspire, and leave a lasting impression makes Holly Hoffman a standout speaker and someone we would be honored to welcome back in the future.

Cara Harmon, MBA, RCE Vice President, Communications and Member Engagement

Holly Hoffman is everything you'd hope for in a keynote speaker - engaging, inspiring, and full of genuine energy. Her storytelling is powerful and the resilience it took to push through moments when she wanted to quit Survivor were compelling. What truly stands out is her authenticity and ability to connect, leaving a lasting impact on the audience. She doesn't just motivate - she empowers people to step forward with confidence and courage. Our attendees left feeling energized, inspired, and ready to rise to their own challenges!

Jennifer Durant New Hampshire Women in Higher Education

. Holly spoke to my group in Austin and brought the house down! She is full of energy, enthusiasm and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Holly's message is so positive and she brings out many emotions--you'll laugh, cry and cheer. Quite frankly, she made me want to try harder to believe in myself and how to be a survivor even when the odds are against you. Thank you, Holly, for a fantastic presentation. She's fabulous and your attendees with love her!

Kim Kizer Director of Employer Services Texas County & District Retirement System

Holly Hoffman brought great energy to our district's leadership retreat, captivating our entire administrative and operational team with her powerful Survivor story and insights on perseverance and resilience. Her engaging facilitation and team-building activities not only strengthened our leadership bonds but also left us with practical strategies to model, connect, and involve others in meaningful leadership. Holly's message continues to inspire our work and will shape our organizational culture for the upcoming school year.

Kristen Paolini Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Hilton Central School District Rochester, New York

Holly captured the attention of a group of 300 busy real estate agents… they went from looking at their phones to giving her their full attention. This isn't something I see often! She was engaging, thoughtful and humorous while delivering a meaningful message. Holly's got a powerful story that can apply to any group of people in this day and age. On top of it all, she's one of the nicest humans I've ever had the pleasure of working with- a true delight!

Lindsey Martin Director of Events & Marketing Ansley Real Estate

"Holly's energetic presentation was everything you could ask for in a keynote speech. It was entertaining, emotional, and absolutely inspirational. She incorporates her winning personality with audio, video, and even props from her stint on Survivor and ties it all together with sincere encouragement to not only survive, but to THRIVE!”

Mandy Maher Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

Holly was referred to me by another credit union that had worked with her, and when they said she was amazing—they weren't lying. The energy, inspiration, and power behind her story truly resonated with our entire staff. What made the experience especially meaningful was how intentional Holly was in tying everything together. She took our core values, mission statement, and the themes discussed earlier in the day and seamlessly wove them into her message. She truly went the extra mile to ensure her story aligned with who we are and what matters to our team. We then had the privilege of participating in her Lead Simply program, where we engaged in team-building activities and focused on what we want leadership to look like at FinancialEdge using her Model, Connect, and Involve strategy. I have never seen our staff laugh so much or have that much fun together. Since the session, I've had countless team members come up to me sharing how incredible the day was and how impactful Holly was. We are energized, motivated, and excited to take what she's given us and apply it to our day-to-day work. I truly can't say enough good things about Holly—it was an absolute honor to share the room with her.

Megan Taberski FinancialEdge Credit Union Bay City, Michigan

“Holly gave two presentation at our Women's Leadership Conference and everyone left the conference wishing Holly could have just talked the whole day! When we asked our attendees what there favorite part of the conference was, we had over 75% say it was Holly. Holly was engaging the entire time. She had us laughing, crying and feeling inspired as we left that day. She did a phenomenal job keeping a crowd of 140 engaged during the entire day! Our conference committee is grateful that Holly agreed to come and talk to our group!”

Taylor Gehring Audit Manager Omaha, NE

Let's find your perfect speaker!

Share your vision and let us curate the voices that bring it to life.

Get In Touch

Holly Hoffman

Bio

Keynotes

"Never Give Up - The Survivor Way"

Topics

Let's find your perfect speaker!

Explore

Quick Links

Keep Up To Date

Holly Hoffman

Bio

Keynotes

"Never Give Up - The Survivor Way"

"Lead Simply"

"Three Step Stride"

Topics

Let's find your perfect speaker!

Explore

Quick Links

Keep Up To Date