John McFadzean
Award Winning Public Speaker
Published Author
Award Winning Travel Writer
Stand Up Paddle Boarder
“No matter how many of John's adventures you read about online, nothing can rival hearing about them up close & personal with the very man himself. John's warmth, wit, charisma & passion for global travel & paddleboarding shine through blindingly taking you on a wonderful, winding & epically colourful journey; capturing & immersing you deep as if you were right there on his adventures alongside him. Sharing the highs & the lows, John's honest accounts speak right from the heart guaranteeing to leave you on the edge of your seat, smiling & seriously inspired. This is one adventurer definitely not to miss! Highly recommend!”
Clare Rutter. (www.clarerutter.com) Chelmarsh SUP Fest. August 2023.
“I recently attended the SUPfest 2023 weekend and, as well as all the paddling going on, one of the highlights of the weekend was listening to the man that is John 'SUP the World' McFadzean as he took us all on a whistle-stop journey of some of the fantastic places he has paddled so far in his quest to SUP in every country around the world. John's style of telling his stories from his travels draws you in and takes you there with him as he recalls each place with great detail and passion. An excellent speaker and storyteller, I can't wait to see where he is off to next. Great man, great shirt and he is Scottish ... what's not to like?”
Steve Nelson Founder and Manager/Activities Coordinator, Beyond Boundaries East Lothian (BBEL). May 2023.
“We had the pleasure of John attending our Safety, Skills and Fun camping weekend to entertain us with his tales from around the world. We loved his amazing stories of his SUP adventures, told in his own unique engaging style. He has given a lot of our members the motivation to go out and create their own adventures and stories. Thank you John for being a friend of the group and hope to see you again soon!”
Ant Metcalfe. Norfolk Paddle Meet-Up Safety, Skills and Fun Camping Weekend . April 2023.
“Our little team are pretty honoured to have John McFadzean, aka SUP The World, as a friend of the group. Several times we have asked John to give up his time and entertain us online with some of his many stories. Always been captivating, clear and funny, John leaves us feeling inspired and ready to look for our own adventures, no matter how big or small. Thanks John, and we can't wait to see you again soon!”
East of England Paddlesports. Oli Jordan, Andy Large, Jessica Ashley and Matt Payne. February 2023.
“What a fantastic keynote talk at Chelmarsh SupFest 2022. John always sets out with new tales and new adventures. What I think makes his delivery so special is the human content. Not only did we all get transported on the physical journeys but we share in the emotional highs and lows. It was no surprise that so many people are inspired to follow in his paddle strokes and are motivated to push a little and see what is possible. If you can paddle 5 km why not 10? By the end of this talk everyone was setting themselves a new personal goal. It always feels a privilege to share these moments and personally I can’t thank you enough.”
David Partridge. SUP Instructor, Founder Chelmarsh SUP, veteran paddler! August 2022.
“John is a master storyteller! From the first sentence I was gripped. His ability to paint a picture in the mind of his listeners using just his words is incredible. From desperate situations to moments of hilarity to sombre despair, John was able to encapsulate them all with his inspirational talk. I truly felt like I was on the adventure with him, enjoying the highs and suffering the lows. He held the emotions of the audience in the palm of his hand. You won't regret booking him to speak at your event!”
Jon Doolan. Adventurer, Author and Editor. June 2022.
“I loved listening to John’s talk about his paddleboarding adventures at Yestival 2022. He immediately catches your attention and holds your interest. You feel that you are there with him and enjoying these amazing SUP adventures. The presentation is very well paced and sets you up for some really thoughtful questions about life and your hopes and intentions for the future. John has accomplished so much as a paddleboarder and yet does not set out to impress, but inspire and encourage in a genuine and generous way. I loved his honesty and natural interaction with the audience. Do book him!”
Jo Moseley, author of Stand Up Paddleboarding in Great Britain and Host of The Joy of SUP - the Paddleboarding Sunshine Podcast. June 2022.
“John is a truly engaging and inspirational speaker. His delivery was perfectly pitched for the theme of our event, offering a perfect balance of amusing anecdotes and motivational insights from his SUP adventures. His thought provoking talk concluded with a touching reminder to get out there, embrace life and find your adventure.”
Robyn Dawson. Red Paddle Co. Red Rideout Windermere 2021.
"John; thank you so much for coming to share some of your stories with us. You’ve so many incredible experiences I know everyone was enthralled by your tales and could have happily listened to you all night. Good luck with the rest of the paddles and we can’t wait to have you back with us to hear more of your escapades.”
Andy Bartlett. YesStories London. January 2020.
“John's an engaging and popular speaker with great delivery and storytelling skills which really connected with our listeners, so much so, we've invited him back!”
Simon Hutchinson. SUPfm Podcast. August 2020.
“John McFadzean is an inspirational speaker, to say the least, and was a 'spark in our lives' guest on our podcast because he is just that... a spark in our lives! John's passion comes across in his storytelling, in the most intriguing manner that makes you want to know more about his journey. John can motivate any audience to set fear aside and say yes more, to live a more fulfilling life. After all, that is what life is all about!”
Shannon Arner, host of the Arner Adventures Podcast. December 2022.
“Thanks for taking the time to talk to the Red Paddleboard Owners Group about your travels, it was a truly inspirational conclusion to the groups monthly challenge which had involved the group documenting their paddleboard exploits around the world. Your stories were told with good humour and provided much needed motivation to dream big and explore.”
Mike Leach. Red Paddleboard Owners Group. January 2021.
“Having followed John’s adventures on his Sup the World Facebook feed, and getting to know him a little, we asked if he would give a talk to our East of England Paddlesports group and share his exploits. He didn't disappoint, his friendly style combined with fascinating adventures told in a humorous and compelling way kept us all entertained. Even better was his Q&A session allowing our members to quiz him for ideas and advice for mini adventures of their own. A fascinating insight to an exciting journey around the world. Who knew it involved a Pink Flamingo !! We will be asking John to come back and continue his stories and adventures with us and we hope to paddle with him in person soon.”
Andy Large. East of England Paddlesports. February 2021,
"WOW! We had the pleasure of John McFadzean speaking at our SUP Festival at Chelmarsh Sailing Club. John is an exceptional speaker; from his opening line you are hooked and transported onto the journey with him. His stories take you on a rollercoaster of ups and downs with some giggles along the way. Our audience was absolutely captivated and I hope that we can secure John for our next SUP Fest here at Chelmarsh Sailing Club."
Craig Jackson. Chelmarsh SUP Fest 2021.
We were very fortunate to have our local SUP explorer, John, speak at our Halloween paddle event. John’s presenting style is engaging, fascinating and amusing. His humble stories of bold stand up paddle boarding exploits are always inspiring, giving listeners the idea that they could have their own adventures, no matter how big or small. And the audience are definitely left wanting to know more!
Lucy Pearce. SUP North. October 2021.
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