Join us for a live, virtual program featuring former BMX champion Tony Hoffman
Listen as he shares his journey from opioid addiction, homelessness, and prison, to getting sober, coaching the Olympic BMX team, and traveling the country to spread his message of recovery. Tony has beaten the odds one day at a time and dedicated his life to bringing hope that recovery is possible and how critical it is to break down the stigmas and shift our thinking about addiction.
Join us for the presentation followed by a Q&A
Please register by 4/23/2021
About this Presentation
All over, addicts are facing stigma. Tony has faced a large number of these in his 11 years of sobriety. This keynote is extremely effective for government events, college events, corporate events and community events with the goal of breaking down these stigmas. Tony elaborates on his early childhood through his dark years of addiction and his many years in recovery. He speaks about his early teenage struggles with mental health which he holds as a key player in his active years of substance use. He truly believes that every addict has experienced a certain level or trauma or mental health issues that contribute to their substance use and our lack of acknowledgment and empathy for these issues are creating a struggle to effectively help the addict. If there is one thing Tony makes sure the audience understands during this keynote, it Is that addiction was beyond a choice and his listeners get a raw and in depth look from the addict’s state of mind. His doorway analogy that depicts the struggle of returning once you walk in, resonates with all of the audiences who take part.
The greatest stigmas Tony faced were not so much in his active use but when he began to dream of something more for his life, something big and without substances. The judicial system, employers, community members and people on the internet have confronted Tony and judged him based on these stigmas, the same stigmas that made it hard for Tony’s parents to seek help or understand it was okay to have a child struggling with addiction. Tony has beaten the odds one day at a time and dedicated his life to bringing hope that recovery is possible and how critical it is to break down the stigmas and shift our thinking about addiction.
Speaker Bio
World Ranked: After paroling prison on December 13, 2008, Tony Hoffman started living out his dream, with his addiction behind him. Tony is a Former BMX Elite Pro and placed 2nd at the 2016 World Championships in Medellin Colombia in the Masters Pro class. He is a 2016 Rio Olympic Games Coach, with Women's BMX PRO, Brooke Crain, in his lineup. His story is full of redemption as he has seen some of the highest highs, and the lowest lows. Tony is the Founder and Director of The Freewheel Project, a non-profit organization that mentors thousands of youth through action sports: BMX, skateboarding and after-school programs. The Freewheel Project focuses on teaching kids' leadership skills and making healthy life choices, including substance abuse prevention, each year.
The Early Years: Tony has been sober since May 17th, 2007. His BMX career started in high school, as he was a top-ranked BMX amateur with multiple endorsements. As a native of Clovis, Ca, where he attended Clovis High School, Tony started drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, and using prescription painkillers such as Vicodin and Oxycontin by his senior year. His life took a turn for the worse as he became addicted at such a young age, losing everything. In 2004 Tony committed a home invasion armed robbery and was ultimately sent to prison for two years in 2007. Tony had violated his probation and knows the depths of addiction and understands the despair addicts go through as even a ten-year prison sentence threat, could not stop him from using during his probation. Tony began rebuilding his life's purpose while he spent two years in prison. As soon as he was released, he used the positive and negatives of his life to get to where he is, today.
Today: Tony is a changed man and inspires so many to live their life with purpose. Tony has dedicated his life, to bringing awareness around the country, describing how dangerous prescription pill and heroin abuse are, as well as advocating a shift in thinking towards current addiction-recovery processes. Tony has presented on the prestigious TEDx stage and his Goalcast video that went viral in February of 2020 has been viewed more than 10 million times. Today, Tony is one of the most requested substance abuse speakers in the country, traveling over 200 days a year to share his inspiring story with various audiences. In 2021, he will be finishing his highly anticipated autobiography, “From Prison To The Olympics - The Tony Hoffman Story.”