Testimonials
Our Grads' Stories
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"I dared let go of the secure branch I was clinging to, to soar up and fly..."
"The Mastery propelled me headlong into my life, straight to the parts of it I didn’t want to look at. I opened a door to take the reins of my life and I haven’t let them go since. No, not every day, but when I want to give up and blame the world for everything that’s gone wrong, the seed that was sown back then reawakens and won’t let me. I made a connection with my joy that has stayed with me; more than ten years after “my” Mastery, I can still feel emotions that were awakened, my life has changed. I forgot to grow old and took the path less trodden. I dared let go of the secure branch I was clinging to, to soar up and fly, and it’s been noticed by other people. Once someone came to pick me up at the railway station and before I could say anything, said “There’s this space all around you. I’m signing up for the next workshop!” And she did!"
- Chantal Fourcault
"The Mastery is not for the faint of heart and it is the only place that has had me face myself and be bold, brave, and seen. It has become my line in the sand "Who I was before Mastery" and "Who I am after the Mastery". It rocked my world and I am grateful for all it has done for me and my life."
- Kelsey DuPont
"A messy divorce left me fragile..."
"I attended the Mastery Weekend workshop in March 1994, anticipating it would help me explore my creative side. What impressed me the most was that the facilitator, Larry Gilman, was rarely at the front of the room. The participants led the workshop, with Larry assisting from the rear. It was everything I had hoped for, a noisy weekend where each of us was pushed to create opportunities to be heard. I was left with new confidence that inspired me to keep writing my short stories and later to be bold enough to embark on a stand-up comedy career. I became an enthusiastic member of the Mastery community, made many new friends, and assisted in the workshop many times. I introduced others in my life to the program. These years were difficult for me. A messy divorce left me fragile with diminished self-esteem, followed by another messy relationship that gave me a child before crashing, leaving me with a ten-month-old daughter to raise. My Mastery friends stood beside me throughout these troubling times, offering encouragement and help. I participated in a Mastery support group that met weekly for years. I took the Next Step weekend when my daughter was almost two. There, I met my wife, Yvonne, and together we have built a prosperous life and loving family. When I moved out to Tsawwassen to join forces with her and her kids, my connection with the Mastery and my Mastery friends faded. Although I left the Mastery, the Mastery never left me. I retired from business seven years ago and now fill my life with writing, guitar playing, and other creative endeavors. Now, at age 76, I intend to parachute myself back into the Mastery community, renew some old friendships, and see what’s happening there now."
- David Anderson
"The essential difference between this and other workshops is the delightful surprise of follow-up meetings reflecting the facilitator’s and assistant’s true commitment to helping us sustain our positive shifts and breakthroughs."
- Helena Smeenk Pritchard
"The Mastery defined and extracted a person I never thought I would find in myself. It did more in three days than I could have done in many years."
- Opal Gamble
"Beyond the threshold of The Mastery is the experience of being alive."
"Everyone who has taken The Mastery of Self Expression will say that it changed their lives. I’ll take that a step further and say that it saved my life. The experience of the Mastery at its core, is the experience of seeing and being seen. It is an exploration of the brilliance that resides in all of us. It is the place where your uniqueness, your humanness, meets life. Not only does it meet life, but it embraces life, shakes life up, and places you at the center of your experience. It’s been several years since I’ve taken the Mastery, yet the level of awareness, consciousness, and presence that I discovered there has stayed with me. Reclaiming my creativity at The Mastery opened a door for me. A door that cannot be closed. I can shut it, slam it, or ignore it, but always I return to walk through it, again and again. Beyond the threshold of the Mastery is the experience of being alive. The Mastery taught me how to be alive in the world. I am forever grateful that I stumbled into the Mastery experience."
- Robin Lynn Heath-Shaw
"What a way to come alive, wake up, and be in the present moment. Juicy! Heartfelt! Awesome! Sincere thanks and appreciation."
- Anneliese Kraehling
"The Mastery opened up a whole new world for me. I accepted myself, but at the same time challenged myself more. The Mastery is a journey that will go as far as you let it."
- Fisher Stevens, Academy Award-Winning Director & Producer
"It was the most profoundly energizing and life-changing experience of my life. We all left as different people than when we came. I witnessed people being set free and the chains falling off. Absolutely Incredible!"
- Donna Inglis
"My relationships - personal and business are richer and more meaningful..."
"I left the workshop feeling more energized, more confident, and more powerful. What was the payoff? I can summarize it by saying greater self-awareness, personal mastery, self-esteem, and self-confidence. But more important to me is what those things have done to the quality of my life - I am clear on who I am and what I want, I am passionate and excited about my life and my choices. My relationships - personal and business are richer and more meaningful - including a willingness on my part to deal head-on with conflict and to let people know exactly what's going on with me - what I'm thinking or feeling. I am sometimes astounded by how exhilarating it is when I take risks to experience new facets of myself and my potential and by how powerfully I am able to create what I want through conscious choices and actions. My willingness to take risks has definitely expanded my creativity."
- Trish Brydon
"This workshop exceeded my expectations on the first evening! I discovered my inner strength and zest for life that had been lying dormant for years. I have a passion for living my best life after experiencing this transformational weekend!"
- Debra Wallace
"The weekend I did my Mastery - I can safely say that it was the most playful, exhilarating, exciting, challenging weekend in my entire adult life. It is clear that I stretched my boundaries regarding self-expression, participation, playfulness, and my ability and willingness to create. My participation, as it is a very participatory weekend, is the reason for its lasting effect on my life."
- Hank Melanson
"it meant I wasn’t walking through the world alone anymore."
"I was young when I took the Mastery, 23, and had taken other personal growth courses before. The Mastery was the first time I connected with a whole community of people and felt like I belonged. When I think about how I felt that way, all I can come up with is that I was challenged to show what was real for me and then accepted, while doing that. It was the first time that I learned by experience, with other people being honest about what worked and didn’t work, in relating to each other. I was part of a follow-up support group for quite a long time, years, and it meant I wasn’t walking through the world alone anymore. I did have a lot to learn about healthy boundaries and finding a balance between supporting myself and others equally. After the Mastery, I started living my life, looking into other people's eyes, instead of being caught in my head all the time. It has enriched my life so much that I can live that way. Over the years, I have found that when I slow down and look into people's eyes, they are just waiting for someone to do that. I work as a physiotherapist and being able to be present like that helps others feel safe and accepted by me, even when they are in pain, and that is such a gift for both of us."
- Mary Meltzer
"I attended the Mastery workshop as a greenhorn. I’d never done this before in any form. I was amazed at all the crew - back row, assistants, and leaders. I am leaving feeling a huge obstacle in me has been identified and conquered. Many thanks!"
- Wendy Beresford
"I arrived with hesitation and left large and in charge. I was proud of myself for giving 100% and know that it maximized what I got out of the weekend."
- Wayne Pritchard
"I have been doing work for many years, including therapy, Forum, and Satir to name a few. This experience has been the most powerful, exhilarating, releasing workshop I have ever experienced. If our political leaders attended, our country could lead the world to healing."
- Deborah Cardiff
"I believe it gave me valuable tools to work with every day."
"For me, the Mastery was an incredible, amazing, intense, passionate, fun, crazy, emotional, enlivening and inspiring weekend. It was also a place of safety where I could look inside to see who I was, and where I was, and release some self-imposed blocks to expression and freedom. I believe it gave me valuable tools to work with every day, and it permitted me to move forward, to consciously choose more for my life."
- Sheila Mombouquette
"The Mastery can almost guarantee self-transformation. The individual levels of honesty and integrity are evident to all observers and participants. The content is safe and respectful. It is a gift to everyone you care for."
- Gloria Taylor
"I walked in looking, feeling, and believing myself to be a lost, unloveable, and unbeautiful outsider; I found my true self, and I am present, loveable, loving and loved, gorgeous and I belong! 3 intense days with amazing facilitators, assistants, and a group of new friends who have all become my deepest and truest connections."
- Camy Grewal