My name is Jordan Toma and I am 35 years old. 

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From a young student dealing with learning disabilities and feeling helpless to parents and a system that I thought didn’t understand me and could not help me, I never felt I was good enough for anything, not good enough to become something.

 

I always felt I would amount to very little, however, I have achieved success in my life. 

 

I have made it my life goal to share everything I did to change my life from what I thought it would be to what I have become.

 

Today, I am a top Motivational Speaker in the United States. 

 

I promise you, it was not easy. I have a story just like you - because we are the same. I know and understand your struggle, I have lived it my entire life. It took me this long to understand: My Struggle is My Strength.

 

I went through the first 18 years of life thinking my learning disabilities would prevent me from simply being normal. Being successful wasn’t even a thought, I was too busy focusing on how different I thought I was from everyone. 

 

Over time, I learned My Struggle was My Strength. 

 

Today, I wear that like a badge of honor. 

 

I want everyone to know just how hard it was and how I became the person I am today because of it. 

 

You and I are the same. I want everyone to wear this badge of honor alongside me.

 

My life has been a roller-coaster with learning disabilities. Those two words dominated my life throughout school in a very bad way. It devastated my confidence, my self-esteem, my self-worth, my awareness…

 

Back then, I did not know My Struggle was My Strength. I constantly compared myself to everyone around me: my friends, my family, my parents, even people I didn’t know. I felt I would never amount to anything in life, that they were all better than me, smarter than me, more normal than me and could do more than me. 

 

I let that define me and my mood, my attitude and feelings. In my mind the words learning disability became a label plastered on my shirt for everyone to see, laugh at and know I was different. I always felt I was not as good as everyone else and I never would be.

 

I always felt lost and helpless in class. I struggled with listening, reading, paying attention, being present and of course trying to understand why I couldn’t pick things up like everyone else did. I remember sitting in class and telling myself I am going to really try hard to understand everything and be a normal student but I just couldn’t grasp the material. The struggle was real and it led to a requirement of special lessons. 

 

Special lessons led to other students and so-called friends calling me dumb. I also allowed this to control me throughout high school.

 

After graduating high school in 2008, Centenary University accepted me into a life changing program called Step Ahead. I remember when I moved into the Centenary University dorm, the summer I turned 18, filled with fear and anxiety. I went into the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror and promised I was going to change, I was going to change my life and that name tag that had dominated me up to that point. 

 

From that day forward, I stopped being who I thought I was and started becoming who I am. 

 

I started working harder and harder until I had an understanding and started building a foundation of confidence and belief in myself.

 

Brick by brick, it brought me to where I am today, here with you. 

 

A new journey has begun for me, a journey where I show everyone how to start their journey. 

 

Young people, young students, parents, teachers, and pretty much everyone struggling can relate to my struggle, because your struggle is my struggle. 

 

I will help you create a foundation of belief, confidence, work ethic and everything in between to become the best person you can be and equally important: never, ever allow anything to stop you from becoming your most in life. 

 

I know that sharing my story, my struggle and how I became who I am today, will inspire you - and everyone. 

 

I want to help you understand you can do it, too! 

 

Book an event today and let’s start our journey together!

 

- Jordan Toma 

I'm Just A Kid With An IEP

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The Jordan Toma Experience

Welcome to The Jordan Toma Experience - an unbelievably uplifting experience for everyone: Conferences, Students, Faculty and Parents… where Jordan shares his personal life story, his struggles, his failures, and his realization that his struggle was (is) his strength, that inspires everyone (all abilities).

 

Jordan’s energy, enthusiasm and encouragement are infectious and engaging with his audiences. Jordan’s events motivate, build confidence and character, empower audiences, promote kindness and empathy - and then some! 

 

Jordan generally speaks for 1 hour and 20 minutes - with a 2 hour total time allotment requested to allow him to connect with students individually after the event (which is also an important part of the event).

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While Jordan shares having IEPs* in school, his messages are universal and relatable to everyone who has ever struggled.

 

Jordan can present two (neighboring) events in one day.

A minimum of two events must be booked for Jordan to travel (outside the NJ/Metro area).

Book Jordan Toma today!​​

*IEP = Individualized Education Program

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