TESTIMONIALS
Gary Hirson's training, I believe, is an absolute must for organisations that are raising up leaders, or team units that need cohesion, or individuals who need the tools to become an example in the workplace. I personally have seen first hand on multiple occasions the impact that Gary's training has had on my day-to-day work life. Do yourself a favour and participate.
We had the privilege to be coached as STADIO's Academic leadership team by Gary. His innovative approach to breaking down barriers and enlisting the participation of everyone was truly remarkable. It was entertaining, and his juxtaposition of what distinguishes management from leadership had everyone thinking. Moreover, his course material is of high quality and adds significant value to the whole exercise. Each issue is discussed and contested, and he makes certain that everyone's point of view is heard and that their contribution to the overall experience is considered. Gary comes highly recommended by me.
Gary Hirson has an amazing capability to make the often complex principles and practices of leadership and self-awareness relevant and of value to his audience, whatever their background or experience. No participant leaves the venue able to say 'I didn't learn something!' At STADIO, Gary is one of our facilitators of choice whether for post-graduate students, new students (school-leavers) or staff training and development.
When I enlisted Gary's services I had no idea what to expect. Although I've been following his videos for a while this was my first foray into the world of life-coaching. I desperately needed someone to assist me with getting out of a few problem-areas. Gary guided me towards a position from where I could re-energize myself among other things. He certainly asked the questions I needed to hear, and also answer for myself. I see these sessions as an investment in myself, and forging ahead with more clarity. I can easily recommend booking Gary.
It is profound watching Gary Hirson at work, engaging in a programme that invites young people in their teens to think for themselves. Because of his innate sense of equality and respect for his participants, Gary accomplishes a coaching environment with a target market who are often quite resistant to this kind of engagement. Gary’s workshop asks teens to examine significant questions such as: what do you really want to achieve with your life and how do you intend to accomplish that dream? It was a real pleasure to see the learning environment Gary created that enabled the group (14-16 years olds) to take this question on board with enthusiasm, creativity and rigorous thinking.
What a pleasure it was to work with Gary - he really helped me in a time where I was in need of guidance. What really impressed me are his active listening skills where he gave me his undivided attention and provided me with tools that elevated my way of thinking and the way I perceived myself as well as the way in which I take on my 'future' head on. He provided me with a sense of agency, and allowed me to view the uncertainty in a positive light!
Gary Hirson was hired to run 2 weekend sessions on Goal Setting for my staff and for a group of teenagers who live in our care. With both sets of people Gary could not have been a better coach. He was engaging and passionate and knowledgeable. Working across the various ages and abilities was not an issue for him and he dealt with both groups in the most professional manner. The workshops were held a couple of years ago but the staff and children are still using the methods he taught us today. I would not hesitate in using Gary again and recommend him with my whole heart.
I wasn’t familiar with much coaching prior to working with Gary. In the beginning. I wasn’t sure what to expect initially, but Gary has possibly given me the best coaching I could’ve asked for. Our coaching session was quite a few year ago, 4 years ago to be exact. However, the information and coaching has played itself out over the years and I to date, I feel extremely confident in applying the thinking behind all the sessions I have had with him. I genuinely have to thank Gary a lot for his coaching for where I find myself today.
Professional, interactive, creative, innovative, rewarding, adaptable, resourceful.
Gary is a confident speaker, and comfortable in front of young people, which is difficult! The group he mentored as part of our work together were teenage children living in a cluster foster care scheme in the Western Cape. They were unmotivated and difficult to reach initially, but the second day proved Gary’s enthusiasm for his topic was much of the motivation they needed. Gary used analogies teens can relate to, and was friendly and professional. On subsequent house visits after this training session, the teens would regularly talk to me about their dreams and goals in relation to what they learned from Gary. I would recommend Gary for training, coaching and mentorship opportunities.
Gary's ability to be able to listen to me and mediate problems and issues I've had has always come from a place pulled from real past experiences. That approach he has is more genuine than other coaches I've worked with and allows the 30 minute sessions I have with him to feel more significant giving a unique worth to each individual session. He's made me feel comfortable to let my guard down, like anyone I'm not gonna be in the best state of mind when our session arrives, but the space he's created has a dynamic that I feel I can be true with him, I can tell him I’m sad or stressed and he has always adapted our talks effectively from that in my opinion. There's always a smooth flow of conversation that so far I feel is having an improvement with my personal goals in mind.
To hear Gary talk about his ups and downs reminded me that not everything will go smoothly 100% of the time. Even though I have faced challenges and experience things going wrong in my creative journey as a student, I realized after Gary's speech that it is no longer something I should be terrified of. Instead, I should embrace the detours life throws my way, and as long as I do not give up, I will achieve my goals. I enjoyed Gary's spirit and perseverance in life. Something that stood out was that no matter what, we should keep on going and figure out what we love, become good at it and do the best we can. Gary is also very passionate about his craft, and overall, his speech was engaging, inspirational, and most of all, reassuring and comforting.
We, as creative students, had the privilege to listen to Gary Hirson as he gave us a talk about his creative journey in both photography and life coaching and even publishing. He was very inspiring when he described how he overcame the challenges he had to face. I definitely learned that it is ok and sometimes even necessary to take a detour on your creative path, it might not get you where you want to be now, but it will in the long run. Gary's stories resonated with me, as I'm sure it did with other students. One thing that I will remember from what Gary said is that you can't control what people will think of your work, but you can control your own consistency and passion for what you do. Be confident in your work and everything that you do. Thank you, Gary, for the inspiring talk.
Wow, Gary, everyone is raving about your talk!! Thank you sincerely for the wonderful inspirational talk you gave the pupils. The feedback we got from them was very positive. On behalf of Tracy, our headmistress, staff and pupils who have all asked me to convey their thanks and appreciation for your time and sound effort to get the pupils to read, which was a great success! You successfully got them gripped!!I think you should market books and get paid for it. At break today, the library was filled to capacity!! The staffroom was abuzz after your presentation. THANK YOU sincerely.
Thank you Gary for sharing your own journey of self-discovery and for opening our girls’ minds to all the possibilities imaginable. But just as importantly, for getting to the root of it all, because ultimately If we don’t know who we are, then how can we know what we want? A significant and salient challenge for us all.
I need to thank YOU very much for running your incredible Leadership workshop with our students. You not only captured the essence of the characteristics and implications of good leadership in life, but also provided such meaningful and entertaining activities for the students. They were talking about it today as well. I know that every single one of them appreciated the opportunity.