FAQ’s

The workshops are designed for people who desire to accelerate their results and are motivated to have and experience what matters to them and those around them – now. We find those who benefit most from our programs are adults who have already achieved a certain measure of accomplishment, learning and success, and who are looking to take themselves to the next level of achievement in life.

This includes a very diverse group of participants of various ages, ethnic backgrounds, roles, and careers; ranging from CEO’s to retirees, athletes, artists, students, parents, community leaders, pastors, parents, and anyone committed to a better tomorrow.

Our workshops and coaching curriculum are presented in a unique format referred to as Experiential Learning. In this environment, learning takes place by being present in the experience, rather than by note-taking, memorization or studying. It is an active and co-creative process that supports each participant in discovering what is wanted and needed for them to accelerate to the next level of accomplishment in any area of their life.

Secondly, VIA our leadership and follow up program to Breaking Through, maximizes the results you gain in Breaking Through by adding an implementation and accountability module to your initial workshop experiences. Most workshop learning does not easily translate to real world results. By contrast we offer a follow up mechanism with a personal coach, an accountability partner, and small group support; each assisting you to transition the learning and develop the necessary habits that will create sustainable results.

The workshops consist of three types of activities. First, there are short lectures delivered by the trainer on such topics as honesty, trust, choice, intention and personal responsibility. Second, there are exercises designed to enable students to experience directly what the trainer has been discussing. Third, there are opportunities to share with other students what was learned during the exercise. The exercises vary in form. In some, students work alone. In others, students work with partners. In other exercises, students participate with either a small group or with the whole class. This interaction with other people in the course is a vital part of the coaching experience.

You will have an opportunity to participate in a variety of learning processes that allow you to look freshly and constructively at important areas of your life. The value that you derive from these exercises will depend on your willingness to participate fully, and to apply what you learn to your daily life.

Here are descriptions of the kinds of learning processes used in Breaking Through:

Interactive Discussions

Over the course of the workshop, the trainer will speak to the group about a variety of different subjects related to contemporary adult life and he or she will suggest a point of view, or way of thinking, about these subjects. The purpose of these discussions is not for you to agree with what is said, or adopt the trainer’s point of view, but rather to provide you with an opportunity to clarify your own attitudes and ways of thinking. In this way, you may become more aware of your values, your direction in life, and what you are committed to. You will also be encouraged to share and to become more effective in group situations, with the intention of improving the quality of your communications within your communities and with your colleagues, friends, and family.

Dyads

During the workshop, you will be asked to participate in several one-on-one interactions with other participants, which we call dyads. In a dyad, you may be asked to answer a series of questions, complete statements, and share about some of your daily challenges. Dyads provide opportunities to look honestly at specific personal issues, discuss new insights, and to support your partner in doing so as well.

Mingles

In a mingle, you will move about the training room, having brief interactions with many different people. As in dyads, your communication with other people during mingles is specific to that exercise.

Small Group Exercises

On the first night of the workshop, you be grouped with other participants to work with in a small group. Over the course of the workshop, you will have an opportunity to meet a number of times with your small group to discuss what you are learning and to share your experiences. You will also participate together as a group in certain workshop exercises. A graduate of Breaking Through will act as your small group coach.

Games

As part of the workshop, you will have an opportunity to participate as a team member with other participants in a number of different games. These games will allow you to see more clearly the role you tend to play in group situations and may reveal to you your attitudes regarding competition, cooperation, leadership, personal integrity and other aspects of interpersonal relationships.

Closed-Eye Processes

During closed-eye processes, you will be guided by your trainer in visualizing situations from the past and in creating a positive vision for your future. To facilitate relaxation and promote creativity, during these guided visualizations, background music may be played and the lights may be lowered during these exercises.

Sharing

At many points throughout the workshop, you will have an opportunity to share about yourself, what you are learning with other participants, and to listen to the experiences of others. This sharing may take place one-on-one, in small groups or in front of the entire workshop group.

Interactions with the Trainer

At times, you will have an opportunity to interact directly with the trainer. The trainer’s perspective is that you are capable of dealing effectively with the circumstances in your life, and that a stance of personal responsibility is more effective than a stance of powerlessness in the face of life’s demands. In addition, the trainer assumes that you are striving for joy, fulfillment and a sense of accomplishment in all areas of your life. Interactions with the trainer will allow you to examine your attitudes, assumptions and behaviors, and to gain clarity and/or new perspectives that can positively affect your future.

Homework

At the end of each day, you will be given a homework assignment to be completed before the next day’s session begins. The homework is designed to assist you to reflect on your experience, bring greater clarity to what you are learning and prepare you for the next day’s session.

Our curriculum is specifically developed to enhance and develop emotional intelligence in one’s everyday life. According to Daniel Goleman, the leading authority on the subject, our overall success in life directly correlates to the degree of emotional intelligence we possess.

There are five components to Emotional Intelligence:

• self-awareness (understanding of your own moods, emotions and drive and how they impact others)

• self-regulation (thinking before you respond, and suspending judgment of others and yourself)

• motivation (developing a passion for what you do that transcends money and status, and pursuing goals with energy and persistence)

• empathy (understanding the emotions of others)

• social skills (the ability to develop rapport and intimacy to create and manage relationships)

Our graduates report a dramatic increase in these five areas of emotional intelligence. The reason being is that emotional intelligence is best cultivated in an experiential and coaching environment. Our personal development and leadership development courses, combined with coaching expands emotional intelligence in the areas of communication, relationships, and learning to effectively and ethically lead others.

Many people tend to share and invite people to attend the workshops the same way they share and invite people to see a movie they recently saw and loved. They are convinced you will love it; they don’t want to say anything that will keep you from going to see it; and they don’t want to reveal too much about the movie/workshop in order to avoid ruining it for you.

On our part, we encourage graduates to share as much as possible about what to expect and to give people the information they need in order to make an informed decision. And, in staying with our movie analogy, keep in mind any ten people watching the same movie will have different opinions about what they like and don’t like.

Here’s what we say; while the workshops can be, and usually are entertaining, engaging, and are never perfect, they are extremely effective as a coaching process to assist people getting from where they are to where they want to be in a short span of time.

No. We are not “problem oriented.” Our coaching process is designed to deliver a new set of results or accelerate people’s ability to have more of what they already have. Breaking Through and VIA are designed for people whose lives are working and who recognize there is always more available. Participating in the workshops is an excellent way to realize this potential.

Transformation is reflected in every aspect of life. The ability to consistently produce results on the job, with less effort and energy expended, is the most common job-related result people experience after completing our core curriculum. Other results often reported include:

• Breaking out of comfort zones, and excelling beyond self-imposed limitations.
• More risk-taking and taking on of challenges.
• Ability to handle stress more effectively.
• Becoming a team player to increase overall company performance.
• Ability to manage others more effectively.
• Recognition of areas that may not be working, with clarity in finding solutions to the problem.
• Increased clarity in career direction.
• More satisfaction with work and accomplishment.

Training facilitators to lead either of the Breaking Through coaching workshops is a process that can take three to four years. The training process is a true apprenticeship. Candidates learn the role of the facilitator by spending literally hundreds of hours in a live workshop environment, modeling the ways of thinking, speaking, and interacting of senior facilitators. This is a rigorous process that demands not only intellectual understanding, but also internalizing the principles of the workshop fully at the emotional and experiential levels.

We strive to model the principles we teach, therefore, we are continually examining our results and outcomes. We constantly review the written and verbal feedback we receive, and typically look to our graduates and the impact this work has in their homes, jobs, and communities, to check in with our results. We are also big believers of continuous improvement and use feedback, suggestions, and graduate strategy sessions to continually improve our support and the services we offer.

We know different people have different opinions on this. While every course includes the opportunity to share publicly, much of the sharing is done in small groups or dyads (two people working together). Those interchanges are designed for your privacy and to get to meet new people. By the end of the week many people wish they had shared that time with their friends, colleagues and family members. Ultimately it is really a personal choice with no one answer for everyone.

I would like to address the first question first. Usually when I hear this comment and I check with the graduate, they are still very satisfied with their progress and with the tools they obtained.

You have to remember this is a coaching process that helps people get from where they are to where they want to be. Not a process that gets someone else to where you want them to be. They may be looking for more confidence or to become a more effective parent. But you want them to become more honest. Well, while we might agree with your wish, we are not their parents, nor are we dogmatic in our approach. We focus on giving them the tools and strategies that will assist them in reaching their goals; not our personal wish list for them.

To the second question, while we want, and intend, for everyone to gain in many multiples that exceed their investment of time, money, and effort, there can be a small percentage (5% or less) who won’t make any meaningful changes or manifest few new results in their life.

While we are unaware of anyone or anything that satisfies everyone, we enthusiastically stand behind our coaching curriculum. This is why we offer a total satisfaction guarantee. All you need to do is complete both parts of Breaking Through, and if for any reason you are not satisfied, (including being less-than-impressed) we will joyfully, without hassle, refund all of your investment as long as you let us know you want a refund by Wednesday following the Part II graduation.

Ultimately, signing up for our coaching and workshop sessions is no different from joining a gym – there is no gain unless you use it. Consider this parallel. You and your friend can enroll at the gym on the same day, and three months later one of you has lost 25lbs. and 10 inches, and the other is exactly the same as the day you started. Why? Because while you both have access to the same tools, fitness coaching and equipment, you must also have the desire and drive to access what’s available to you. The treadmill doesn’t wake you up in the morning and press the start button. YOU have to want to live a healthy lifestyle and step onto the machine and challenge yourself. If you don’t use your gym membership, does it mean the treadmill and free weights don’t work? Of course not, and the same goes with coaching. If you are ready to develop yourself to achieve your next level of success in life, the learning modules, discussions, and the expertise of the coaches will support you in creating extraordinary results.

No. Our workshops are not faith-based, but honor and respect the world’s religions and spiritual traditions. In our workshops we provide an opportunity for open dialogue on some of life’s questions. These are often the same life questions and values that are explored in religion, in philosophy such as honesty and trust, choices, personal responsibility, integrity and so forth. An exploration into one’s core values often causes participants to deepen their personal faith. To that end some participants experience an enhanced sense of spiritual connection.

No. We have no aspirations to become a church or a religion. We are a coaching company. We do not tell people how to live their lives, nor give participants a new set of beliefs to live by. We do assist people in defining their core values, but have no dogmatic point of view of what someone’s core values should be. Our experience has been that those who regularly attend church, read the Bible, etc., find our work enhances and is very much in congruence with their faith and practices.

Yes. Feelings of uncertainty and even skepticism are a natural part of most new experiences. It is likely that your considerations, those things you consistently give consideration to before making a decision, are normally present whether you’re making a decision to take Breaking Through, change your career, or make any investment.

No. We have never provided or been asked to provide incentives to a graduate. Our students simply experience such powerful results in their lives that they want to pay the experience forward and share it with those they care about. We are grateful to our graduates for their commitment to have the people they hang out with, or work with, attend our program. We want you to know graduates enroll others because it is inherently fulfilling to play a part in someone else’s success and transformation.

No. Breaking Through is a coaching curriculum for dynamic living and, as such, is not designed to assist people to deal with problems such as alcoholism or chemical dependency. If you need support in this area we encourage you to seek qualified professional help. To maximize the value of the workshops, you will be asked not to drink alcohol or take any non-prescribed, mood-altering drugs during the 5-day workshops. If you are dependent or recently dependent on alcohol, marijuana or another similar, we require six months of being clean of all drugs, and six months of sobriety before you would be eligible to attend Breaking Through.

Yes. In order to maximize the value of the workshop for all participants, we require that you attend all five consecutive days as scheduled.

Here are Breaking Through, Part I workshop hours and Breaking Through, Part II workshop hours:

PART I SCHEDULE

Wednesday
6:00pm – Midnight

Thursday
6:00pm – Midnight

Friday
6:00pm – Midnight

Saturday
10:00am – 10:00pm

Sunday
10:00am – 1:00pm

(ending times are approximate)

PART II SCHEDULE

Wednesday
6:00 PM – Midnight

Thursday
11:00 AM – Midnight

Friday
11:00 AM – Midnight

Saturday
10:00 AM – Midnight

Sunday
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

(ending times are approximate)

Pack comfortable, casual, attire. You will be active in the training, so wear clothes and shoes you can move in. We recommend dressing in layers, so you can adjust to the temperature as you become more or less active. Food and liquids are not permitted inside the training room, but please bring light snacks for breaks. There is an area outside the training room that includes a refrigerator where you can store your items and eat.

There are numerous hotels within a ten minute driving distance. It’s always easy to secure a place to stay with a fellow participant who’s participating in the same workshop if you will make your need known at the first break on Wednesday evening.

Yes it is. And we are more than happy to assist anyone who has special needs.

We are committed to a safe environment which takes into account all of CDC guidelines. We are social distancing, requiring masks, disinfecting door handles, seats, bathrooms, and chairs

You can register by downloading our registration form BT1&2 Registration Form.

Then, email, or mail the completed form and tuition to our office address.

Registration is complete when we receive your completed registration form and tuition payment.