Review Detail

Coaching Weekend: May 2012: The Experience

Coaching with Nick Sparks and Fran Anderson during a 4 day stay at New York, because there’s no other way to put.

Where to start?

Well, Driving from Montreal to New York I had a great deal of time to wonder if this coaching session would be right for me, whether the weekend would be a success and whether all promises will be met.

Thursday: Had some complications about arriving in the Empire state, but Amy convinced me that the first night really helped to set the tone for what the weekend would give. So I made the necessary arrangements. She also told us to be ready, as the week -end would be life changing. I would’ve liked a better pre-warning for the term “life changing” though, haha because let me tell you….

We all met up and I was surprised to find Fran Anderson standing there amongst the group: Nick, a female instructor and my colleagues for the weekend. I was expecting a smaller group, but right off the bat I felt somehow aware that the weekend was not to be what I was expecting.

Thursday Night: Information was laid down, the curriculum and all formalities, then we hit the town. Being around these guys felt more real, much like good friends hanging out, showing us a thing or two about social interaction, it was never superficial and always very personal and real. They immediately had me hooked to the week end ahead. Nick Fran and Christina made us do some exercises and had me hooked to a “pushing your boundaries” mentality because push our boundaries they did.

When I got back to my hotel I jotted some VERY valuable notes down and tried to rest. After a promising start like that, I slept like a baby.

Friday: First lessons, classroom. A good portion of the day was spent analyzing, learning and working on the initial phase of our transformations. Nick did an amazing job of individually tailoring and revealing our strengths and weaknesses almost as if he had known us for a long time. Though Fran was not there during the day, the two female instructors did an amazing job! After that day, I came out of the classroom with a jewel that I will remember for a long time to come Thanks Christina!

So, between class and the evening, we were all sent home to rest which of course is tough when your anxious to see what will happen. This was my first big challenge. To understand “having your limits pushed” is one thing. But being in the presence of that feeling is an absolute other and I’ll tell you why…

Friday Night: First night out after the lessons. Real rough time. Nick brought us into some tough spots, but he was always there, ensuring that what felt like some of the biggest blow outs I’ve never experienced were inconsequential. Fran definitely helped to keep me motivated as at each pause I took, Fran would have some words that would hit deep into what I was doing. Without a doubt, I was already beginning to feel the wear and tear of my identity by the end of the night. I certainly questioned myself a few times but Nick and Fran were always there proving otherwise. But the real motivator came when seeing the two other guys also push themselves. It definitely kept my spirit moving.

There’s a fine line between the feelings of courageousness and that state of being in courage. Friday Night revealed to me that fine line, a line I never would have seen if Nick and Fran hadn’t been there to show how ridiculously easy it could be. By the end of that night, during the final minutes, my two colleagues looked real beat and I was definitely wanting to collapse. Then with a smile, Nick says “Guys tonight was the toughest night of them all and you survived it!” to which Fran laughs and says, ” Yeah, You guys are going like tomorrow ”.

I went back to my hotel room, curled up and wondered to myself, “what the fuck”.

Saturday: I wake up, half dazed, feeling good in my head after what Nick and Fran said. I stretch looking forward to a good day.

Between the classroom session (pretty intense stuff), and the night out, we were given a good amount of time to get some rest and feel refreshed. Unfortunately I spent a small part of that time thinking about what was going to happen. At some point I panicked and reached my final, personal hurdle. I seriously considered getting back in my car and going back home. Was it worth all the trouble?

I took a nap, cold shower and a quick meditational release (Sedona Method) and was out the door a man with a resolve. It was time to do or die trying.

Saturday Night: Fran wasn’t kidding when he said, “guys, remember… SLUTTY SATURDAAAYS! ” Haha, God, it was awesome. I don’t know what to say, I think everyone was feeling it that night. We started off at rendez-vous and headed into the night. First bar we hit, we just spread like a swat team right through the door, BAM BAM BAM! girl here girl there and girls everywhere! Man, it was awesome! We eventually reconvened onto a pretty and big group of girls, had a great time, and then proceeded to meet, greet, flirt and escalate with every possible opportunity at the bar. Then, we were off to the next bar. The second bar went just as well, and normally this particular bar was one we all felt a little uneasy with (My colleagues and I). Always, Nick and Fran somehow cut soul deep with their insights and kept pushing us to the next level. If Friday night was the night where the fine line between feeling courageousness and being courageous was revealed, Saturday night was the night that pushed me way past it.

Never in my life could I have imagined myself walking up to a table of some real cute girls, sit down, wrap my arm around one, introduce myself and watch as they all light up and try to gain my attention!

I would occasionally look to see how the other guys were doing and let me tell you by the end of this program I saw two guys who had changed completely! Technically, they were still the same guys I met on Thursday, only something was different, something that can only be experienced, not explained Over all, Saturday night ended great as we all sat back together listening to Nick’s awesome Braveheart-like speeches that made us feel even better than we were already.

Sunday: Sunday morning, I woke up tired, exhausted both mentally and physically, I wanted some orange juice and something to eat. Fortunately, the ending of this weekend was no where near. We all met up with Nick, for some final words and brunch. Nick, always great, always awesome, starts a romance with the waitress, but never forgetting us, gives us a final “looking forward” type lesson, where we are to go from now. The closure really set the cap on the entire experience because I didn’t feel limited to only this weekend, and I could see it in all of our faces that we were eager to head into the world of tomorrow with our new found identities.

Overall, it was an amazing experience, full of memories and fun. Definitely as Life-Changing as they say, cheesy but true lol. If I could do it again, just for the sheer fun of it, I would. It was a roller coaster of experiences, that once experienced can never be undone and an experience that will enrich your life for a long, long time.