Testimonials
XCORE LITE
Before B-SPOKE, my team was undergoing transitions and I had just taken on new, larger responsibilities at work. I was eager to always prove myself, but wrestled with this idea that proving my capabilities was equivalent to simply doing more work myself. When in reality, what I really needed to focus on was ensuring my opinions were heard, being more of a challenger, and delegating, in order to be seen as a leader. The B-SPOKE process liberated me by providing the necessary tools to be aware of my natural leadership voice, as well as addressing my tendencies that were limiting me from becoming more influential. This led to more effective 1:1s with my manager, where we had stronger alignment on expectations, mentorship on how to bring out the best in myself, and even helped lead to a promotion later that year. I encourage anyone who is interested in building influence, understanding team dynamics, and/or improving their work/life balance to begin their B-SPOKE journey. Thank you, B-SPOKE!
RAI AVILA | PRINCIPAL ACCOUNT MANAGER BRANDED SPORTS APPAREL, GOOGLE
"Before my journey with the B-SPOKE group, I struggled with communications and influence - rather than building relationships intentionally, it felt like the positive relationships just fell into place, while I struggled to improve relationships that didn't come as easily. While I still have ways to go in developing my own leadership voice and ability to influence, B-SPOKE coaches helped me see certain tendencies that limited my communication & influence; more than anything, the B-SPOKE program provided the conceptual framework, knowledge, and practice I needed to improve. Specifically, the concept of the "Five Voices" helped me better understand the motivations and different communication styles of my various stakeholders - equipped with this knowledge, I tweaked how I communicated with different stakeholders, built trust & credibility, and moved projects in the right direction. I recommend the B-SPOKE journey to those who are not only looking to better communicate & influence, but who are also looking to better understand their own styles & tendencies. B-SPOKE coaches provide powerful 1-1 coaching, and the learning journey with a group of peers is incredibly powerful."
LARRY ZENG | INDUSTRY MARKETING MANAGER, SPECIALITY RETAIL, GOOGLE
My journey with B-SPOKE has been enlightening. Before B-SPOKE, I had leadership roles because I was asked to take on those roles, but would never actively seek them. B-SPOKE has liberated me by giving me a systematic way to let my voice be heard. I have more confidence in my leadership roles because I know that I belong and can communicate better in leading others. I would endorse this B-SPOKE with others because it has a wide variety of applications. I have found it useful for both my business and personal life.
CAROL SIEM | SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST, LA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
I was wrestling with understanding myself and wanting to better my work culture by understanding my teammates.
I am more aware that everyone has their own style and it really has helped me improve my interactions with others. It doesn't sound like much but it's something I use everyday and it has really improved my life.
I highly recommend B-SPOKE to everyone because I see the value and how everyone, no matter what your current situation in life is, can learn something that they can use to improve themselves afterward.
SERENA TA | PHARMACIST, CONCIERGE PHARMACY
I wanted people to see me objectively for who I am. I also found it challenging working with people with specific personality types and was struggling with how to effectively work with them.
XCORE LITE liberated me by giving me the tools and knowledge to help on how to effectively work with specific personality types and I’m confident I will be able to be a lot more effective moving forward in both my work and also personal life.
LAURENCE CHIU | STRATEGIC CLOUD ENGINEER, GOOGLE
Before signing up for B-SPOKE I was all over the place and very much a heavy set. Now that I have pretty much completed the second class of B-SPOKE I have lost 25 pounds, and have completed my prerequisite coursework for a nursing program. I feel a lot more liberated than before and can continue to pursue and push my career and myself all around. I view B-SPOKE as a course that will help others like myself be the best they can be and can help conquer challenges you have. It is well worth it!!
- NICHOLAS YIP | BOARD MEMBER OF NAAAP SAN JOSE
I made the choice to act on the call to carve my own path as an artist, a therapist and coach and a spiritual director for the year of 2020. Then the pandemic came, and I got furloughed from my day job and my plans for career and financial expansion went to a screeching halt. That put me in the sea of self-doubt, not sure what is the next step, questioning myself on my decision. That’s when I came across NAAAP-LA’s Signature Voice program from B-SPOKE. At that point, I wanted to figure out more ways to be being seen and being in my power so I wanted to go for things that can help me with that process. Throughout the cohort program, I experienced deep sense of empowerment and developed self-ownership of who I am and what I have. A clear moment of stepping into self-ownership was when we were learning about the support/challenge matrix and the importance of becoming skilled in both being supportive and bringing in challenge in all areas. Through that session, the combination of warmth, honest feedback and self-awareness from the coaches helped me be truthful about myself while still inspired by the possibility of becoming a liberator. The process, the leadership, the people in the cohort and the curriculum made B-SPOKE a top-notch company in leadership coaching. I would definitely recommend them for executive coaching, organizational and personal development.
XERES VILLANUEVA | FOUNDING BOARD MEMBER, WE EMPOWERMENT CENTER
I didn't "think" I was wrestling with anything. I believed my life was good, and any frustrations I experienced with people from time to time was just a normal way of life. I was accidentally invited to B-SPOKE and I will be eternally grateful for the experience because it allowed me to become aware of how I present myself to the world and how others may perceive me, and what makes me feel genuinely liberated in this world. It also allowed me to see others more objectively to bring that sense of liberation for them during our interactions.
People close to me and who know me well will often use the word "passion" to describe how I share my ideas with others. I have always enjoyed passionately sharing my thoughts because I genuinely believed it would improve their quality of life. Through B-SPOKE and learning the Five Voices, I have realized how that is a trait that is innately in me. I became more comfortable embracing my natural tendencies, but I also learned how not to make my tendencies overbearing for people with other voices. Without understanding the Five Voices, I would have taken any negative feedback personally, but I now know that it is not something I should take personally. Objectively understanding why people respond differently to my passionate idea(s) has been a real liberation for me.
It will allow you to see the world with a different set of lenses. If you feel like you are seeing the world with a clean set of lenses now, going through the cohort with B-SPOKE will make you realize how that set of lenses may not have been as clean as you thought it was, or it was only clean at certain circumstances. Truly understanding your tendencies and others' will be like seeing the world with a clean set of lenses that changes focus at all distances and helping people walk a clearer path with you.
If you feel like you are walking through a fog now, well, then don't wait and get your pair of magical glasses through B-SPOKE.
People that are close to me and know me well, will often use the word "passion" to describe how I share my ideas with others. I have always enjoyed passionately sharing my ideas because I genuinely believed it would improve their quality of life. Through B-SPOKE and learning the Five Voices, I have realized how that is a trait that is innately in me. I became more comfortable embracing my natural tendencies but I also learnt how not to make my tendencies overbearing for people with other voices. Without understanding the Five Voices, I would have taken any negative feedback personally but I now know that it is not something I should take personally. Being able to objectively understand why people respond differently to my passionate idea(s) has been a real liberation for me.
It will allow you to see the world with a different set of lenses. If you feel like you are seeing the world with a clean set of lenses now, going through the cohort with B-SPOKE will make you realize how that set of lenses may not have been as clean as you thought it was, or it was only clean at certain circumstances. Truly understanding your tendencies as well as others', will be like seeing the world with a clean set of lenses that changes focus at all distances and helping people walk a clearer path with you.
If you feel like you are walking through a fog now, well then don't wait and get your pair of magical glasses through B-SPOKE.
SUJAN HONG | PROFESSIONAL AFFAIRS, ALCON
I have been on my self-development journey for some time now. I am always on the look-out for tools and resources to help me understand myself on a deeper level. I thought I know myself pretty well, but I wanted to take this “knowing” to the next level. What this means to me is, I wanted to be able to have a super candid and authentic relationship with myself, I wanted to understand why I do what I do, the way I do it, how I really work. I wanted to see myself more wholly and embrace myself more fully as a person. I believe that being able to embrace myself more fully is how I can truly thrive.
I also believe being my best version is how I can serve my purpose and contribute to the world around me in the best way possible.
I was doing all the right things. I was reading tons of self-development and leadership books, taken a bunch of personality assessments, had mentors, completed some leadership development programs; all provided me the tools I needed to continue growing. I was growing, but slower than I knew I could because I was mostly doing it on my own. I knew I needed soundboards, support, and interaction with like-minded people. I wanted and needed to do this with people who are serious and excited about their own and others’ personal growth.
I discovered the B-SPOKE Cohort! To be honest, I wasn’t really sure if the months-long program was really for me because I already had more than enough on my plate. I told myself to sign up anyway. I recognized I was looking for more than a couple of days of intense training. I wanted and needed the partnership, guidance, and support. I thought the B-SPOKE cohort could provide all of that.
As I was sitting through the sessions, I was comforted and excited knowing I have found my group of people. The B-SPOKE coaches showed that they are living what they’re teaching and they genuinely wanted to help me understand the tools AND how to apply them. I was, everyone was, always encouraged to share and ask questions. It was a safe space to learn and grow alongside individuals who were embarking on the same journey.
I’ve found the partnership, the guidance, and the support that I was looking for from the B-SPOKE cohort. I think it’s an amazing program that you get to do with some incredible people. I am always about sharing great information and resources. I would say if you are serious about your self-development and personal growth journey, and if you don’t want to do it all by yourself, this is a program you do not want to miss.
— LILIAN PHUNG | HR BUSINESS PARTNER, ADP
XCORE PRO
I was trying to find direction on how to improve my leadership skills. My former manager was talking about developing Executive Presence but did not give specifics about how to obtain that. I reached out to multiple folks to determine what it is and how I can chart a course to achieve it.
XCORE PRO helped me in multiple ways:
• The support-challenge matrix helped me be more aware of where I am when I communicate with others and how I can move between quadrants during a conversation. I’ve used this to help repair a relationship with a report since I was naturally a dominating person and by shifting to a more supporting quadrant, I’ve since practiced more liberating techniques.
• By understanding my nature, I’ve been more aware of how present and detail oriented my communications have been and skipping out on social/impromptu relationship building. I’ve since purposefully started discussing topics that are personal to folks and help me understand them better outside of a work context.
• I’ve also been more focused on building my influence and widening my social network especially in light of the pandemic. I’ve also arranged for my group to get together by randomly selecting 3 cohorts of 3 folks just to improve social interaction in the team.
• The cohort system also helped me find a variety of folks to share and discuss issues that I am faced with. They provide both a great support system and a constant source of challenge to think outside the box of my Guardian nature.
XCORE PRO changed the way I view my communication with others and by doing so, I feel that I am more equipped and prepared to tackle the difficult challenge of improving my Executive Presence, leadership and influence with others. It was an amazing journey for me to be able to apply these tools immediately and see dramatic changes to how folks respond.
CLINT CHUA | MANAGER, GOOGLE
When I learned about XCORE PRO I was in the process of trying to take my leadership and influencing skills to the next level. While these are always good to work on improving, I was an individual contributor and looking to move into managing a team.
One of the fundamentals of the journey moving from IC to managing is moving from projects to people, coaching and developing others. XCORE PRO helped in several ways, first by providing tools to help understand myself, how I am perceived, and how I perceive others. My manager and skip level both saw my journey of self awareness and desire for developing myself and others through the tools and reflection provided in the XCORE PRO program and have enabled me to take a management role on the team to continue this journey.
I thank God for the opportunity and especially the timing of being able to participate in the XCORE PRO program. XCORE PRO provides materials to learn from, a cohort to share experiences with, and personal coaching that directly impacted my actions at work and influenced my interactions with my team. I would recommend this program to anyone who wants to continue to develop themselves and others. I think everyone would be better for having attended and taken the materials to heart.
MIKE BRAZIL | PEOPLE MANAGER, GOOGLE
I participated in XCORE because I was a struggling new manager who made several mistakes in my first year managing in the US. Yes, I had successful management experiences in Taiwan before, and I wondered why my previous successes couldn't be replicated here.
XCORE PRO provided toolkits for me to properly evaluate and reflect on the why's that kept bothering me. Knowing that I was in the desperate pit of despair helped me to get out of it effectively: sometimes people just need to see the roadmap, and they'll recover from it, and I'm one of those people. The practice and interactions in my group also help me understand how other people would react and why they do that. This liberated me further because I can better interact with people and resolve potential issues because I know why people react the way
they are.
In short, I highly recommend the XCORE PRO training to anyone who is a manager or leading people. It not only provides you the toolkit you need daily, but also liberates you to liberate more people.
ARTHUR HSU | SENIOR STAFF SOFTWARE ENGINEER, GOOGLE
Before XCORE PRO, I struggled to know why I worked hard, but I couldn't get my career to grow as fast as I wanted it to be.
After attending XCORE PRO, I learned about my own 'nail-on-the-head' and the art of communication skills between different people.
The support and challenge matrix really helped me to understand my issues at work. I tended to protect my bosses and colleagues but challenge myself all the time.
I started to apply what I learned in XCORE PRO, and intentionally challenge my boss and colleagues to liberate myself and the people around me.
I also tried to understand where people are coming from and communicate with them to understand.
That process wasn't easy. However, the best part of XCORE PRO is to have career coaches who walked beside me to support and challenge me whenever I felt stuck or in the pit of despair. This is something very different from any traditional career training. If you want to break free from your old self, I highly recommend XCORE PRO to everyone.
FLORENCE TANG | SENIOR UX DESIGNER, GOOGLE
I felt something was wrong with my team synergy when solving a challenge. Progress was hardly made. No results were generated from the meetings. I don't know what exactly is wrong. More importantly, I don't know what I can do to improve the situation.
From XCORE, I learned frameworks that can boost my impact on the team. The frameworks involve team collaboration patterns, the best ways to collaborate with each type of teammate, and strategies to impact a person to deliver a new idea. With these tools, I know it's crucial to balance support and challenge and how to do it; I know what my nurturer teammate cares about, I know when I have an idea and a plan, how to deliver it to another person more efficiently. XCORE provides the tools I need or will need and makes me ready for the challenges.
Besides the knowledge, I also gained first-hand experiences from the cohort. The experience is very practical and of high value that I cannot access elsewhere.
XCORE is an excellent place to acquire systematic, structured knowledge about leadership. The experience and people you get through XCORE is priceless. Want to know how to boost leadership? XCORE is the choice.
— BOKAI CHEN | SOFTWARE ENGINEER, GOOGLE
In December 2019, a colleague I respect invited me to a training session titled, "breaking the bamboo ceiling", which was an eye-opening discussion about cultural influences and how they can affect leaders' styles and effectiveness. I learned a lot about how the skills and behaviors that helped me succeed as an individual contributor might not be enough to get me to the next level.
When Jim and Abraham offered a longer, more in-depth exploration of these topics in 2020, I jumped at the opportunity. I was looking to learn and develop the skills that might get me that next promotion. However, during the course of the year, I found myself considering and using the insights I was learning to improve the relationship with my children, and finding more liberation and life satisfaction there. I have four children, and surprisingly to me, they were not at all alike in their responses to challenges to grow, and in their individual needs for support along the way. My son turned out to be much like a former manager of mine in temperament and focus, and I was able to practice the kind of communication with my son that would have been effective with that manager, and watch my son actually appreciate the feedback and grow as a result.
I highly recommend XCORE for much the same reasons I recommend an MBA. Each of those programs builds a logical foundation and framework around knowledge that would otherwise be intuitive and "squishy", and provides learners like me with a rich toolbox to use when working with stakeholders, teammates, and family.
JULIAN HSU | GOOGLE TEAM LEAD & SOFTWARE ENGINEER
XCORE was an eye-opening experience for me! Before XCORE, I was struggling to understand some of my own life & work patterns (e.g., things I enjoyed / quickly felt exhausted for), and also lacked deep understanding of communication / work styles of others (e.g., what types of work they liked and how they liked to be communicated with). XCORE was a rewarding journey that I had with Abe, Jim, and many other cohort-mates, where we systematically looked into ourselves and learnt from each other. One specific example is the support-challenge matrix that I learnt & practiced during our XCORE sessions, which I have been using ever since to intentionally calibrate and seek feedback for my interactions with my family and co-workers. I would highly encourage folks to join the XCORE journey to learn with Abe and Jim if they can!
BO HSU| GOOGLE TEAM LEAD & SOFTWARE ENGINEER
Before XCORE, I didn't even really know all the things I needed to wrestle with. Looking back, I see that I was so overwhelmed by anxiety from things like imposter syndrome or fear of failure that I was running away from my problems and only making them worse. I was also rapidly burning out from living a life in which my well-being was my last priority.
XCORE provided structure, accountability, and tools that helped me realize where I'm at, where I want to be, and how to get there. It helped me identify and gain confidence in my strengths, made me aware of my blind spots, and provided a safe community of peers to share victories and struggles with. Every session, XCORE equipped us with practical tools that I was able to apply and share with my coworkers and family.
For example, after the very first session of this cohort, I shared my learnings with my manager and a few coworkers. Our candid conversations about what I was learning made it possible to give each other honest and constructive feedback without hurting anyone's feelings. Some of these relationships used to be sources of friction and anxiety for me. Yet just with my basic knowledge at the beginning of XCORE, we were finally able to work through issues that had been around for months.
I highly recommend the XCORE experience for anyone who wants to put in the work to become the best version of themselves they can be. You'll also have the invaluable support and 1:1 coaching of Jim and Abe. Sometimes we all give up just a little too soon. Having Jim and Abe's personalized insights and guidance made all the difference between resigning myself to a dissatisfying reality and breaking through to new horizons.
ROSLYN LI | GOOGLE CONTENT STRATEGIST
Before XCORE, I was discontent at work. I felt that there was a lack of manager support for my career growth and was unaware that I was often stressed. Going through XCORE equipped me with the tools that helped me discover how my unique set of strengths and weaknesses contributed to both of those outcomes. These tools helped me ask for the specific validation and support I needed and resulted in a substantially stronger relationship with my manager. They also helped me understand the existence and root of my stress, leading me to find better work life balance. I highly recommend XCORE to anyone that wants to improve their work-life balance, better manage their career, and build better relationships with their colleagues, managers, and even friends and family.
KEVIN WU | GOOGLE SOFTWARE ENGINEER