Amanda Van Den Elzen

When you reach out, I'll set up a discovery session to meet with you and understand your goal in hiring me. Oftentimes, I can use information from your organization to strengthen my message and tailor it to your audience. I can combine some of my stories to make the most impactful talk possible. Here are some ideas for sessions I offer:
- "Branding Matters." This topic will dive into the importance of being intentional about your brand and what others grow to expect from you. Participants will learn to consistently craft their personal brand through the way they look, speak, and interact with others.
- "Sponsorship versus Partnership." This section will highlight the importance of understanding your stakeholders' business needs and demonstrating real ROI/value in the partnerships you form with them. The audience will learn how to explore a business need with curiosity, set expectations with a solution that aligns with both the business need and their own abilities, and deliver a measurable value by enacting the solution.
- "It's okay if you crash." This topic will explore the importance of having a growth mindset and how to overcome failures. Learners will relate to my stories of public failures and learn how to reframe a negative outcome as an opportunity for growth.

I am also an accomplished trainer on Generative AI foundational skills and use cases - complete with some motorsports stories thrown in for fun.

Hi, I’m Amanda Van Den Elzen, and I speak on professional development, intentional branding, and how to use Generative AI in your day-to-day work. My sessions are energetic, honest, and rooted in real-life experience from both the corporate world and motorsports.

I spent nearly a decade at U.S. Venture, Inc., with the last five and a half years focused on learning and development. I led training on development plans, innovation, technology adoption (like generative AI and Microsoft Power Platform), and helped teams across the company solve business challenges through skill development.

My career path has been anything but conventional. From the racetrack to the office, I’ve gathered a wealth of experiences that shape my approach to growth and leadership. I founded Racer on Demand, a company dedicated to helping racers build their brands and connect with fans through modern motorsports marketing. This venture is close to my heart — it combines my love of racing with my commitment to growing others.

I also co-manage VDE Racing, our professional short-course off-road race team. My husband Chris and I have built the team from scratch into one of the better-known and better-funded programs in our motorsport. Together, we strategize growth, build sponsor partnerships, and lead fan engagement — and yes, once a year, I suit up and get behind the wheel myself. These experiences have taught me firsthand about marketing, personal branding, leadership, resilience, and strategic thinking — lessons I bring into the talks I give.

In my sessions, I blend storytelling with strategy. I aim to help people grow their skills and confidence in a way that feels approachable and actionable. Whether it’s navigating a corporate environment or building a racing program from the ground up, I believe the takeaways are universal.

I am able to present either in-person or virtually. Here are some considerations for each:

In-Person:
- In a small group in a quiet space, I am comfortable projecting my voice to be heard without a microphone
- In a larger group or a busy space, I am comfortable with a handheld or clip-on microphone
- My presentations are more impactful if I am able to share a presentation. I can provide a presentation ahead of time to be shared by a producer or I can bring my laptop to present.
- Monitors capable of showing speaker notes OR a podium with space for my laptop are preferred, but not required.

Virtual:
- I am experienced leading interactive virtual sessions on Teams and Zoom and technically savvy enough to figure out most other platforms.
- I am capable of monitoring the chat, sharing my own presentations, etc.
- A virtual producer is always a great add to make sure things run smoothly, but not required for my sessions.