How did THAT become
THIS?
I follow ordinary things back to where they started. A workplace rule nobody remembers choosing. A family story that somehow shaped three generations. Five ordinary minutes that eventually became the part of the story that mattered most.
Then I keep pulling the thread until the room starts seeing its own story differently.
I tell stories about how one thing becomes another.
I’m Drew Tolbert, an Alabama author, consultant, and storyteller who grew up in the tiny rural community of Corner.
In my day job, I work inside contact centers helping teams rethink how they schedule people, organize work, and solve problems. That means I spend a surprising amount of my professional life asking some version of one question:
Outside of work, I’ve written time-travel novels, trained in fingerprint science and crime scene investigation, managed sales teams, worked as a private investigator, and accumulated enough strange stories that eventually I had to start writing them down.
My talks work the same way. We start with something interesting, weird, funny, or completely ordinary. Then we pull the thread and see where it goes.
No guru routine. No guilt trip. No pretending I’ve figured out life.
Just a good story, a better question, and something worth talking about on the drive home.
Five talks. Five different threads to pull.
Choose the one that fits your room, or tell me who will be there and I’ll help you figure it out.
Why Do We Do It That Way?
Most bad rules started as good ideas.
Every routine, policy, tradition, and “that’s just how we do it” started somewhere.
Somebody had a problem. Somebody created a solution. Somebody else inherited it. Eventually the original problem disappeared, but the solution stayed.
In this funny, story-driven keynote, we trace some of those origin stories and ask the question most organizations eventually need to face:
Does this still make sense, or have we simply forgotten why we started doing it?
The goal isn’t to tear down everything old or defend everything familiar. It’s to understand how we got here before deciding what deserves to stay.
Best for: Chambers of Commerce, associations, leadership teams, company meetings, kickoffs, church staff and boards.
Also available as a 90-minute interactive workshop.
That’s Not How I Remember It
I was one of the fastest pizza makers in Alabama. I also worked at Domino’s. Both are true.
Memory, evidence, perspective, and framing have a funny way of turning one event into two very different stories.
Drawing from family arguments, customer interactions, and crime scene training, this talk explores why disagreement doesn’t automatically mean somebody is lying, incompetent, or acting in bad faith.
The takeaway:
better questions to ask before deciding who’s wrong.
Best for: Teams, HR events, educators, customer service organizations, contact centers and leadership groups.
What If Five Minutes Changed Everything?
Someday, the five minutes you miss most may be five minutes you barely noticed.
A question about a few ordinary minutes eventually became my first time-travel novel.
This talk follows phone calls, conversations, delays, car rides, and small stretches of time that seemed forgettable until life gave them an ending.
This isn’t a productivity talk. It’s a different way of noticing the ordinary life you’re already living.
Best for: Civic clubs, banquets, employee appreciation events, community gatherings and churches.
Scrooge Got Better
Don’t stop the story too soon.
We call people Scrooges as if everybody forgot the second half of the book.
Scrooge was a miserable old miser. That’s completely true. It’s also a terrible summary.
We do the same thing to real people when we turn someone’s worst year, worst decision, setback, or label into their permanent description.
The takeaway:
an accurate chapter isn’t necessarily the whole story.
Best for: Schools, nonprofits, graduations, churches, recovery programs and second-chance organizations.
What’s for Lunch?
One day I went to lunch. Eventually, I had three kids.
There were several steps in between. That’s exactly the point.
A lunch became a conversation. The conversation became a job. The job led to a person. Somewhere down that ridiculous chain, an ordinary decision became an entirely different life.
The takeaway:
you don’t have to solve your entire future. Sometimes you just need to make the next good decision.
Best for: High schools, college orientation, youth leadership programs, young professionals and graduations.
Your organization has an origin story too.
For selected events, I’ll dig into the history of your company, organization, town, school, industry, or community and look for a story worth bringing into the room.
The best version of a Drew Tolbert talk shouldn’t feel like a speech that could have been delivered anywhere.
It should feel like it belongs in your room.
What you can expect
- 20 to 60-minute keynote formats
- 90-minute interactive workshop option
- Clean, audience-appropriate content
- No selling from the stage
- Programs designed to finish on time
- Business, civic, student, community and faith-based versions available
- Based in Alabama and available throughout the Southeast
Why this guy?
Fair question.
I’m a workforce management consultant who works with contact centers and spends a lot of time studying how people, work, and systems fit together.
Before that, I managed sales teams, worked as a private investigator, trained in crime scene investigation and fingerprint science, and spent enough time at Domino’s to become unusually fast at making pizza.
I’m also the author of the Oak Tree Series, beginning with Under the Oak Tree, a coming-of-age story built around time travel, ordinary decisions, and what happens when one small moment changes everything.
Somehow, all of those things turned out to be connected.
Which, honestly, is kind of the point.
Before you book
Where is Drew based?
Drew is based in Alabama and primarily serves events throughout Alabama and the Southeast. Travel outside the region can also be discussed.
How long are the talks?
Most programs can be delivered in formats ranging from 20 to 60 minutes. Why Do We Do It That Way? is also available as a 90-minute interactive workshop.
Are the talks appropriate for faith-based organizations?
Yes. Drew can adapt selected talks for churches and faith-based organizations while keeping the same story-first approach.
Are the talks appropriate for schools?
Yes. What’s for Lunch?, What If Five Minutes Changed Everything?, and Scrooge Got Better are especially well suited for student audiences.
Does Drew offer local community or nonprofit rates?
Yes. A limited number of dates are kept available for Alabama schools, churches, civic organizations, and nonprofits at community-friendly rates.
Can Drew speak about his books?
Yes. Author talks, library programs, book discussions, and conversations about the real stories that inspired Drew’s fiction are available by request.
Which talk should I choose?
You don’t have to decide before reaching out. Tell Drew who will be in the room, what kind of event you’re planning, and what you want people talking about afterward. He’ll help you choose the right program.
Bring Drew Tolbert to Your Event
Tell me about your room.
Tell me who will be there, what kind of event you’re planning, and what you hope people are still thinking about the next day.
You don’t need to know which talk you want yet.
Drew Tolbert · Alabama Author, Keynote Speaker & Storyteller
drew@drewtolbert.com