Typically, the first year of transitioning from high school to college may include personal doubts, fears, and pressures along with extrinsic turbulence. It’s the very beginning, so everyone’s looking to "fit in" somewhere in hopes of finding comfort. This can sometimes come at the expense of leaving behind essential values that are needed to put together a successful collegiate career. Often times, students overlook the essential elements needed to escape the pool of uncertainty or discomfort. Through humor, interaction, and self-assessment, this keynote helps students learn how to match or connect their inner gifts, skills, and passions with the correct hubs or networks on campus.

 

Learning Outcomes:

1. Students will identify their initial passions (passions that are subject to change).

2.  Students will discover some of their biggest intrinsic and extrinsic adversities to overcome during their first year and learn how to preserve  passion amid uncertainty and crisis. 

3. Students will learn practical steps towards establishing a passionate first-year brand that allow for further growth and development during the remainder of undergrad and beyond.

 

 

Leadership can be lonely, and leadership without passion can be lonelier. College campuses across the globe contain students who have the potential to solve problems on campus, but sometimes allow mediocrity, normalcy, trends, and peer pressure to mute their voices and/or disable their leadership motion. How students and student leaders leave their marks on campus will be based on their ability to fuel their desires that respectfully go against the grain with love, care, and compassion. In this keynote, Tony shares practical strategies on how to start, maintain, and advance problem-solving passion that leads to long-lasting impact on campus.

 

Learning Outcomes:

1. Students will understand the importance of solving problems on campus.

2. Students will learn how to become leaders who adapt or pivot with passion amidst crisis and uncertainty.  

3. Students will gain strategy on creating passion that allows for thinking outside the box, overcoming adversity, and bringing light to others.

 

 

Student-athletes balance three main worlds: school world, sports world, and social world. If not handled with care and intentionality, the demands can be overwhelming, stressful, and a bit intimidating. As a former Division I basketball player, Tony understands the potential threats to the well being of today’s student-athletes. Through experience and evidence based approaches, he has developed strategies that are needed to pivot with passion and remain balanced . This keynote tackles the top struggles of the student-athlete community head-on and walks athletes through tactics on protecting passion amidst current turbulence and uncertainty. 

 

Learning Outcomes:

1. Student-athletes will identify their biggest areas for improvement.

2. Student-athletes will learn the importance of healthily balancing school, sports, and social worlds. 

3. Student-athletes will gain practical strategy on establishing, maintaining, and advancing personal brands, good character, and effort during their years as collegiate student-athletes.

4. Student-athletes will gain insight into making a productive transition from college athletics to life after graduation (soft and hard skills).

 

 

*Modification available for K-12 audiences

With mental health issues on the rise amongst college students, it’s no wonder the college drop out rate remains a problem throughout the country. Students are battling anxiety, depression, suicide, and substance abuse, and sometimes feel that the only way out is abandoning college all together. Why Wait? allows students to passionately take control of their mental state with a sense of urgency by establishing academic, social, and emotional boundaries and staying clear of potential mental threats. In this keynote, Tony shares personal stories, evidence based solutions, and simple practices that can be applied during all four undergraduate years.

 

 

Learning Outcomes:

1. Students will discover their biggest mental threats and any intrinsic reasons for those threats. 

2. Students will learn the importance of escaping those mental threats through self-awareness, self-assessment, and adaptation. 

3. Students will gain strategy on learning how to disconnect from toxic sources and connect with sources that are healthy.

 

 

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If there is not a specific topic or theme that is listed in the keynotes above, Tony loves creating tailor-made presentations to fit the needs of event coordinators and audiences. Does the length of the presentation need to decrease or increase? Does the type of presentation need to be changed? Or, maybe there’s a strong preference for more focus on a subject matter?