Success Story: Holly Eisenhut – The Young Ones

At the time Holly joined the John Maxwell Team, she was the youngest team member at age 18. She was brimming full of youthful exuberance , and encouraged by her parents who enrolled her into the program, was excitedly anticipating  being an active participant of  John’s legacy!

We all knew instantly that this young lady wanted to make a difference and that she would!

Well, she did not disappoint , and recently held her first seminar cum workshop , speaking to a full house and making a grand impact. She may be one of our Young ones, but she is someone that we are all proud of for her courage and willingness to take action!

We met with Holly to ask her a few questions that our younger readers, in fact our readers of all ages, will appreciate!

Why did you join the John Maxwell Team and what has been your experience of it?

I initially joined the John Maxwell team when I was 18 because I knew I had a talent for public speaking, and that I would use that in some aspect of my future career. Now I am 20, and I can still say that joining the John Maxwell team has been the biggest blessing in my life. I have learned so much from it and met so many amazingly SUPPORTIVE people. I don’t know if I’ve felt more support anywhere or at any time in my life than with the people I’ve come in contact with through the team. Because of what I learned through John Maxwell, coupled with the support from my parents, I have finally come to know what I want to do with my life. I would love to make as much of a difference in the lives of young women as I possibly can by teaching them about self- worth, confidence, and leadership. I know now that I can pursue that as a full time career, rather than simply pursuing it as an “extra little thing when I have time…(which usually means I won’t do it…)” I’m excited!

What did you have to overcome in view of your extreme youth to deliver a seminar on your own?

Being young definitely presents its challenges, but a positive mindset helps overcome those. In fact, one of my best friends from the JM team, Mark Moffitt, really improved my confidence when he told me that age doesn’t really matter. He helped me realize that though I am young, people would be impressed by my drive and vision. When I told people I was putting on a motivational seminar this summer, many people were very surprised, but I mostly received support. I met with a few business minded people who, after learning what I was doing, supported me 100%, and promoted my seminar. I spent a lot of time calling people to invite them to come, and honestly, most people responded very positively. The biggest problem I ran into was people being out of town! All in all, my confidence, the support of the JMT team, and the support from influential people, were all factors in people’s view of the seminar that outweighed my youth.

 What is the average age of your audience and does it also include grown people?

I invited both young women and their mothers to come to my seminar, so the age range was very wide! Most of the girls were between ages 11-18.

To what extent have you relied on other people to fill your room?

My mom and I worked together to fill the room. I had support from other people, but they only got a few extra people to come! I really did most of it myself haha! (Another testament to age not being a huge factor)

Were you scared to do this and how did you overcome this?

 I just want to say that I was really scared at first to put on the seminar. I was scared about losing a lot of money, scared about failing, scared about looking dumb, and scared about being too scared to ever do it again if any of those things happened!! I prayed a lot about it though, and I knew God was telling me to do it. So, I went on faith when challenges presented themselves and knew that God would help me. I had to work really hard to pull everything off, but the end result was amazing! I had so many people come up to me after and thank me for what I was doing. I have notecards from all the participants at the seminar, with really positive genuine feedback. One mom even came up to me a few days later and said that when she picked her daughter up, she couldn’t stop talking about all the things she learned!

Everything about that day was so fulfilling. I will never forget it! I am doing my second one this summer, and I can’t wait to see how everything grows from there.   

What advice would you give other young people who would like to do what you are doing?

 My advice would be to take any opportunity you can to connect with people who inspire you and learn from them. I would also encourage having confidence and just pushing forward… The best advice I have ever gotten comes from the movie Apollo 13. My mom repeats it all the time “failure’s not an option!” … Be brave and go for your goals because you can accomplish things that nobody else can do in the same way. You really can make a huge difference. Taking risks is scary, but even if you help uplift just one person, it’s worth it!

About Holly

Holly achieved early success as a leader and public speaker by becoming the youngest ever certified coach, teacher, and speaker with the John Maxwell team. 

 Holly’s passion for personal development as well as public speaking and motivating others to achieve personal success prompted her to join the John Maxwell Team.

A few months after being certified, she graduated high school with honors, and is now attending Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

Growing up in an entrepreneurial family, she learned the importance of discipline, structure, and knowledge of self-worth in the endeavor of achieving goals and success. She has personally used these skills in order to reduce stress, while maximizing outcome and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. “I want to make a difference, and I am excited to go on a journey of personal growth with you!”