SPEAKING TOPICS

Travel & Stories From Around The World

Four Years Around The World

Drawing on his 4-year solo, independent trip around-the-world, Andy shares first person stories from the slums of India to the Australian Outback, from the top of Mt Kilimanjaro to the villages of the remotest of Fijian Islands.  It’s the story of a normal guy who didn’t give up on a childhood dream to see the world, and his discovery that the world is safer, friendlier and more welcoming than most would ever imagine. This collection of humorous, amusing and insightful stories is backed up with stunning video and photography from around-the-world and will not only feed your wanderlust but share some good news from the world to combat the increasingly dark stories that seem to dominate our daily news.

How (and Why) To Travel Around The World

Developed for university and high school audiences, this presentation draws on Andy’s international travels and is intended to not only inspire young people to travel, but also to equip them with some knowledge and information to live a life of their own creation.  

For more information and testimonials on this specific talk please visit andystoll.net/collegetour.

Hacking Your Study Abroad

A presentation targeted at high school and college students to help them make the most of their study abroad experience. Each year hundreds of thousands of students blindly stumble into study abroad experiences unprepared for the potential opportunities that await them.  Many find themselves homesick, suffering from ‘culture shock’ (a normal part of the process) and hanging out with a group of friends from their own country (speaking only their native language), all-the-while missing the real adventure that lies just around the corner.  Andy will share stories and tips drawn from his extensive overland travels across five continents, to help students learn to maximize their time during and after a study abroad experience.  Students will learn practical tips on how to overcome the obstacles of fear, loneliness and language to open up opportunities to meet the locals, forge life-long friendships, discover the hidden gems of a country and find a gateway to life-changing travel, exploration and adventure that they may never have once imagined possible.

Andy moderates a conversation with legendary skateboarder and entrepreneur Tony Hawk.

Entrepreneurship & Social Entrepreneurship

Startup Community Alchemy: Lessons Learned For Growing Startup Communities in Off-The-Beaten Path Places

This presentation focuses on how regions and cities can remain relevant in the newly emerging innovation-driven, creativity-centric, hyper-networked, internet-fueled world. Drawing on Andy’s research and stories from New Orleans, Nashville, Boulder, Omaha and Cedar Rapids, this talk focuses on how regions not traditionally known as hotbeds for entrepreneurship can grow a more, innovative, creative and globally networked community of entrepreneurs, creatives and startups from the ground-up, to foster job creation and engage a new generation of emerging entrepreneurs in building the economic future of their community. This presentation focuses on the importance of building a regional entrepreneurial ecosystem and draws on stories of the movement that we are seeing worldwide from Shanghai to Chicago.  This presentation was initially developed for The Startup America Partnership, a White House initiated, public-private partnership that is working to foster and grow more entrepreneurship as one of the economic drivers of the United States.

Making Ideas Happen In Your Community: The James Gang

Andy is the co-founder and former board president of The James Gang, Inc, a nonprofit, community-building, social entrepreneurial incubator called by Creative Class Economist Richard Florida: “One of the best examples of the creative class that I’ve ever seen.”

Founded and led entirely by young people all under the age of 23, The James Gang created innovative and cool projects that fostered unprecedented cross-generational, community-collaborations between the public, private and government sectors, while engaging and investing hundreds of students and young professionals in their communities.  For its work The James Gang was recognized by The United Way of America, Economist Richard Florida and Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack and his wife Christie.  The James Gang was selected as the 2005 Iowa City Press-Citizen Person of the Year for having ‘the largest impact on the community that year.’

Andy tells the story of how The James Gang came to be and why it succeeded in engaging young people in their communities, where other more traditional efforts by the government, public and private sectors fell short. In this targeted presentation, Andy will share information about The James Gang’s and other success stories from around the US of ways cities have successfully empowered young people to take part in their communities, to grow quality-of-life, diversity and entrepreneurial opportunities, while reversing generational divisions and the ‘brain drain.’  This presentation will help municipalities, chambers and economic development groups better understand community-building in the 21st century and will encourage these groups to find ways to engage their own community’s young professionals and students in collaborative work.

What Travel Teaches Us About Entrepreneurship

This entertaining and humorous presentation is built around a number of entertaining tales of travel in foreign lands that distill three key lessons for entrepreneurs. #1 The hardest part is leaving; #2 You have to become comfortable being uncomfortable; #3 You have to be OK waking up in Budapest.

AUDIENCE REACTION

“One of the best speakers I’ve heard in my life.”
Jilian K, The University of Minnesota

“I left in absolutely jubilance after listening to Andy Stoll.  He has such soul, such heart, such spontaneity, such compassion for the world, and such a wise take on so many diverse issues.”
John Rigby, Teach for America

“Andy’s story has really been a major source of inspiration and simply gives me hope for my own future.”
Brian L, student at The University of Iowa

“We’ve had many wonderful people come into our class. Tony Hsieh of Zappos and Ashton Kutcher have spoke to my students for example. What I can tell you in all honesty is that when all is said and done, Andy’s is the name they remember, his story is the one they care about.”
David Gould, faculty at The University of Iowa

“There are only a few people I have ever met with Andy’s unique experiences, insights, and perspectives. That he possesses the gift of communicating these experiences and insights in an enthralling manner guarantees a must-go event.”
Zarkaria S, Citrus Ventures

“Andy has a charisma that cannot be explained in words.  You just have to experience it. And that certain je ne sais quoi that will have you begging for more.”
Lynsee M

“I have been working in universities for 10 years and I have never seen a group of students as engaged with a speaker, as my students were with Andy.”
Tara Edberg, The University of San Diego

UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS

How (and Why) To Travel Around The World
SXSW
March 12, 2013
Austin, Texas (USA)
More info here.

How (and Why) To Travel Around The World
NACA Northern Plaines Conference
April 4-7, 2013
St Paul, Minnesota (USA)

Perspectives on Creativity
Iowa State University
April 30, 2013
Ames, Iowa (USA)

How (and Why) To Travel Around The World
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards
Wartburg College
July 2013
Waverly, Iowa (USA)

Making College Matter
Honors Primetime at The University of Iowa
August 19, 2013
Iowa City, Iowa (USA)

How To Change The World
Rotary International
September 19-22, 2013
Lexington, Kentucky (USA)

BOOKING INQUIRES

Andy travels year-round as a speaker and can develop customized presentations for corporate, eductional or nonprofit audiences. For more info, references, booking info, and fees please contact +1 424.888.2434 or contact Andy via this contact form.