Here are some comments from past participants in the program. Keep in mind that most of these people began with lots of questions and doubts about their potential to succeed in the program. What they did have was an open mind, and a willingness and desire to learn and change.
“Being part of this group has been so helpful to me right from
the beginning, when you had us go around the circle and people shared a
limiting belief. It was painful to hear, but so good for me to see that – it’s
not just me feeling these things! Here I was, with a group of
intelligent, appealing, very capable adults – and all of us had some limiting
belief: Not good enough, Not worthy, Not smart enough, Not lovable, etc.
It allowed me to see and really understand that this is a universal problem - a
part of the human condition. It was so clear to me that these things weren’t
true about them! That cracked open the door of possibility that the
limiting and negative beliefs I held about myself also might not be true.
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It felt like such a gift to able to be open with others about these kinds of thoughts, rather than secretly holding a kind of shame and fear that someone would see my inefficiencies and faults and feel disdain toward me. Instead the group process became an adventure in looking at our lives and looking within with gentle honesty, considering new perspectives and learning important skills.” S.D.
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“For me, the concept of a workshop leader as an entertainer is founded on a belief that motivation and inspiration come from external sources. At the end of the workshop, I might feel a lift in energy, a feeling of enthusiasm and hope, and I might even want to attend another workshop or to buy one of his books. But in the end, those feelings fade, and I'm left without any lessons, any growth, any new knowledge; I feel that this was more about him than it was about me.
The difference in your style, Ann and Mark, is that it speaks to authenticity. There is a realness to your approach that makes me feel that change is doable. You don't just lecture, in fact, you don't really even tout your own stories, you weave in little bits of your story here and there, and that makes me feel that you're doing this not for the fame and glory, but because you really want to help people change. And there are some other distinct features of your style: You don't profess to provide “the only truth or the only right way to do things”; you throw out little seeds and allow us to take them or not. So many times during the program I'd catch one of those seeds and three or four days later, I'd discover the growth of a new concept or a new perspective. You create an environment where learning is a dual process between teacher and student and where learning continues beyond the classroom. |
And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the incredible value of being taught by you and Mark. I feel really fortunate to have been exposed to a healthy, positive, playful, functional relationship.
So what I want to say is that the course curriculum is not separate from your teaching style. Each is an amazing outgrowth of the other. They work in harmony to not only create a unified whole, but to provide a foundation of success that speaks to each individual unique participant. I wouldn't tweak a thing! Thank you!" Carolyn |