Daniel Seddiqui
Founder of Living the Map, Multi-time International Bestselling Author and Most Traveled Person in American History
He’s been called the real-life Where’s Waldo and for good reason. Daniel Seddiqui has traveled the entire USA over 20 times becoming the Most Traveled Person in American History. He sang with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, shot archery with members of the Cherokee Nation, produced music in Nashville, built furniture with the Amish, and emerged dusty from the coal mines of West Virginia, among many dozens of other immersive experiences.
Daniel's widely known for his journey of working 50 Jobs in 50 States -- an expedition he created through struggles to land a job after college. His continued journeys are inspired by curiosity and the will to discover, while his ambitious endeavors garnered worldwide media attention, earning titles like The Ultimate Networker and named by USA Today as the Most Rejected Person in the World.
It doesn’t stop there. Daniel has been fueled by a lifelong love of maps, seeking meaningful connections, and fearlessly tackling societal challenges, eventually charting a course to become a multi-time international bestselling author, keynote speaker, career and culture analyst, and travel entrepreneur. His work has been featured on many mainstream media outlets; CNN, Fox News, Psychology Today, TIME, Inc., MSNBC, NPR, Today Show, Newsweek, World News Tonight, Wall Street Journal, C-SPAN, Associated Press, Reuters, USA Today....
Daniel has spoken to over 2 million audience members, inspiring students, corporate executives, educators, political leaders, and everyone between to live purposefully, curiously, and fearlessly. He is the founder of Living the Map, which raises awareness of the varying cultures, careers, and environments around the globe through outreach, educational endeavors, and community building. His journeys have focused on diversity & inclusion, social injustices, economic and workforce development, leadership in innovation and entrepreneurship, local community asset-building, building traditions and legacies, instilling the dignity of work and pride, and executing optimism-driven strategies.
His dream of living the map is about generating things in common with others, understanding new perspectives and creating authentic experiences. Daniel is the epitome of making a dream a reality, overcoming enormous challenges with an unwavering curiosity and love of people. He lives by the motto, “If the why is strong enough, the how becomes easy.”
Daniel Seddiqui graduated from the University of Southern California, where he studied economics and competed in athletics.
He has been invited to keynote national career conferences, like National Career Development Association and Cooperative Education and Internships Association. He’s keynoted on many college campuses; Stanford, UC Berkeley, Harvard, Columbia, Virginia, USC, Ohio State, Minnesota, and Missouri. Other organizations include TEDx, Department of Education, Society for Human Resource Management, Rotary Int., and MENSA.
A homegrown Californian, Daniel learned how restrictive an environment of familiarity could be. He realized how small we make our world until stepping out of our comfort zone, whether it’s our field of study, environment, or fear of failure. Daniel’s a strong proponent of exploring the many great opportunities that exist and still to be created.