“The only way I can describe Leading from the Heart and Wisdom of Transformation seminars is ‘life changing.’ The breathwork and individual coaching Cynthia also provides with these programs has enabled me to break through armor and release ‘baggage’ I’ve been carrying around for years. I will always be grateful to Cynthia for her part in my healing process.” –Dr. Bonnie L. Ness, Chiropractic Plus
“Cynthia’s transformative powers are enormous! In her total acceptance of each of us–just as we are–she will never suggest that we change. Yet in not doing so, she facilitates transformation in each of us beyond description or belief. By the end of her sessions, you’ll hardly recognize the ‘who you were’ when you began. Cynthia’s professionalism, compassion, and extraordinary psychic abilities make her a teacher and healer of the highest order.”–Brenda Scanelli, President, American Realty of Tidewater, Inc.
“Cynthia, thank you with all my heart for the work we have done. I feel like a princess who has just awakened after 42 years of sleep. There are unlimited possibilities all around me . . . .and all I have to do is reach out and take one or two or three. . . I am awake and alive and living for the first time!” —L. Merchant, Artist and Reiki Master
“Cynthia helped me see things in a totally different light. When I first went to Leading from the Heart, I felt like I was trying to “just hang on” in life. After I began taking Leading from the Heart and meeting with Cynthia for coaching sessions, I remember feeling like the blinds had been opened in a dark room that I had been living in…. my life. I began to see things so differently, to see things I had been missing. Cynthia has helped me to see how I create my own life and how I can make my life everything I want it to be! I am and will always be grateful for everything she has done for me and for helping to guide me down a much happier and much healthier life path. She has made such a difference in my life!! I recommend “Leading from the Heart” as well as “Wisdom of Transformation” for anyone who is ready to make a change and really LIVE their life!” –Deena Stevenson, Trainer, USAA
“Thanks Cynthia! The Shamanic energy work was so helpful and very life changing. As you know, I had been struggling for some time with some heavy emotions. The interactive work we did was very helpful in terms of releasing those emotions on a cellular level and setting me free from them. I feel like a new person! I have had the privilege of experiencing all the forms of bodywork you do at your office and I would say, without a doubt, that the shamanic work was the most powerful for me. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to experience immediate positive changes with any issue they have been struggling with.” –Nancy Hickman, Social Worker
“Cynthia’s classes and personal coaching sessions have been exactly what I needed to help me clarify a vision for my direction in life. Without her positive encouragement and expert guidance, I do not think I would have had the courage to try to write a book about my experiences as a teacher. I have just completed my book with her coaching support! I am now writing my second book. I’ve learned so much about myself in the process.” –Patricia Davis, Educator
“Cynthia’s Leading from the Heart is masterfully architected and powerfully delivered, jam-packed with jewels of knowledge; the quality and relevance were unsurpassed!” –Suzan Kaufman, Director, Corporate Development, Dollar Tree Stores
“Leading from the Heart was one of the best investments of time, energy and money that I have ever made. I learned so much about myself and where I am in my life on a professional and personal level. The benefits of the program experience were enriching and will last a lifetime. Cynthia’s style of group work, which I will call ‘compassionate facilitation’ enabled all of us in the group to gain a better understanding of who we are and where we are in our lives.” –Marcus L. King, Administrator, Hampton-Newport News Community Services Board
“Cynthia distinguishes herself as a teacher and mentor. With compassion, she provides practical steps to help us look deeply into our lives. Leading from the Heart is a remarkable and memorable experience. It has deeply touched my life.” –Lynda Bernstein, Interviewer for Stephen Spielberg Holocaust Documentaries, & Senior Donor Relations Officer, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
“I have taken Cynthia’s course Leading from the Heart: Effective Life Strategies for Men, and I have utilized Cynthia as a personal Coach. My decision to work with Cynthia has been one of the best and most rewarding decisions, personal or business, I have ever made. Her work can be characterized by its focus on helping her clients understand themselves and fundamental human behavior, and by helping them achieve goals and skill levels they either did not know they could achieve, or were previously unwilling to try. Cynthia truly ‘leads from her heart’ in her work, but does so with a practical and business perspective born of many years experience in working with people at all levels of life’s spectrum. Cynthia is a wonderful instructor, and she is a most effective personal coach. I consider my time spent with her the best investment I could have made to guarantee a rich return on my most important asset–life itself.” –Tom Wood, Manager, Landmark Communications
“I had always wanted to write a book and had difficulty moving into action with my plan. Through Cynthia’s expert coaching, I achieved a life dream–the writing of my book Life Skills 101. Were it not for her support, encouragement, and efforts, my book would still be just an idea waiting to happen. I am truly grateful and indebted to her for helping change my life!” –Tina Pestalozzi, Director, Global Protocol and Etiquette Services
“Working with Cynthia, both in the Leading from the Heart programs and through individual coaching, has enriched my life in many ways. I am learning to work toward balance in all areas and to help bring the true ‘Self ‘ out to the forefront. I value Cynthia and her ‘heart work’ more than mere words are able to express. I am working toward realizing my deepest desires and dreams. Through individual coaching I have discovered pieces of myself that have been dormant for decades. With Cynthia’s gentle coaching style I am working through the process of ‘re-membering’ the parts of my life that have been dark and shut away and bringing to the forefront the brighter, lighter soulful person I really am.” –Carol Russell, IT, City of Norfolk
“What can I say about Leading from the Heart? It works! No, it’s not a magic pill you take and suddenly you’re enlightened. It’s more like taking a class for your soul. Cynthia is the instructor and guides you through the course. With her help and your hard work (yes, it takes hard work and commitment), you can reach an awareness of yourself that will help you through life. For the men out there, it’s good to talk with other guys about your concerns and feelings. These things aren’t exclusive to the female gender. Talk helps! Thanks, Cynthia.” –Jonathan Piro, Musician
“It’s important for men to have a place where they can openly discuss their fears, emotions, and feelings with others—how they develop and how to process them. Leading from the Heart provides just that forum. I found it invaluable in forming life strategies to make decisions, strengthen relationships, and deal with career transition.” –Charles Nusbaum, Jr., Denver, Colorado (former Vice President, Charles G. Nusbaum Realty, Inc., Norfolk, VA)
Breathwork with Cynthia is a very important part in my healing process. She integrates her energy expertise, body work and coaching abilities into a safe and gentle session so that I leave the office feeling empowered and secure. My own creativity and intuition is beginning to flower, resulting in a more fulfilling personal and professional life. I have been working with Cynthia for several years, and it seems like her skills and strong intuition grow and advance as I do. No session is ever the same, which is very important to me as an experienced practitioner and receiver of bodywork.” –Kelly Kindelberger, Bodywork Practitioner
“Through working with Cynthia, I have received a calmness. . . a stillness. . .a peace in my life and a language of choices, not of ‘haves’ and ‘shoulds.’” –Fleta Jackson, Freelance Designer
“Solomon once said: ‘When getting, get understanding.’ . . .The Leading from the Heart men’s program gave me an excellent opportunity to better understand who I am and where I want to go in life! I highly recommend that men, in all walks of life, take this course for whatever understanding they seek.” –Peter Mark Shaw, Professor of Business, Tidewater Community College
“Cynthia has helped me through her unique perceptions and intuition about relationships, not only with others but with the relationship we hold with ourselves. Through her coaching, I have looked deeply into my own process and gained tremendous insights. She has given me tools to greatly enhance the quality of my life and how I am being with others.” –Rexanne D. Metzger, Vice President, Davis Interiors, Ltd.
“Taking Leading from the Heart and following up with the Wisdom of Transformation was possibly the greatest gift I have given myself since my marriage and giving birth. I had reached a point in my life where I was looking over my shoulder at ‘what could have been,’ experiencing too much bitterness and overwhelmed with the feeling that I was spinning my wheels in my potential as an artist, mother, wife, human. . . .I needed help. I needed tools. This I received, and so much more, from my work with Cynthia Bischoff. The group experience is powerful in that you realize that you are not alone, and as Cynthia often reminded us, ‘As one grows, the group grows’. . . .The spine of the work is the Journal which is organized and arranged in such a thoughtful and artful manner by Cynthia. . . .What have I gained? A continual quest for greater consciousness, an appreciation for the NOW, and clarity which helps me daily. I’m aware of my gifts. I’ve learned the power of forgiveness. A great bonus is that my husband took the men’s version, and what that has done for our marriage is miraculous. Now we have a common vocabulary. Life is no longer a struggle. It’s a beautiful challenge. I am so grateful for Cynthia’s commitment to her vision.” –Lucinda McDermott Piro, Actress and Teacher
“Cynthia uniquely works with her intuition and business knowledge. She has helped me with all aspects of life—from career to very personal issues. She provides exercises that have challenged me to really think about myself. One recommendation of hers will result in thousands of dollars of commissions for me! Finally, I have the coach and mentor I always wanted.” –J. Harrington, Mortgage Planner
My Leading from the Heart Experience by Susan Krohn, Owner, Worth the Wait Consignment Shop
Every once in a while you do something that is totally worthwhile, something that fulfills every expectation, something that actually exceeds your expectations. That something for me has been participating in a course called “Leading from the Heart—Effective Life Strategies for Women.”
This 8-week course is led by Cynthia Bischoff, a very accomplished business communications trainer who truly leads from her heart. It does not do her justice to simply tell you that she has been a consultant and coach since 1980, that she teaches in ODU’s MBA program, that she has been named one of the top ten best instructors in the nation, that she has published three books and has authored a videotape series, that she successfully leads training workshops, does individual coaching to help maximize your personal performance, conducts women’s support groups and weekend retreats.
Cynthia’s true essence is her heart and the way in which she accomplishes asll that she does; her charisma, charm and passion for what she teaches. She is truly one of the most “evolved” women I have ever met and I am known to be skeptical—just ask some of my friends! When my good friend, Lynda, implored me to take this course, I was hesitant. Would this be just another group of women whining? Getting together to network their business endeavors? When my friend told me that she had taken the course three times and had continued to learn more and more about herself and how to change behaviors, attitudes, and habits that no longer served her, I started to listen. I had just made a life altering decision myself, to leave my career for a new business venture and a better quality of life. A change that meant a certain degree of risk, much less money (at least for the short term), more time with my husband and son, trading in 70 hour weeks for 40 hour weeks, . . .the chance to get back to what I really loved. . . . I was finally listening to my own heart so it seemed exactly the right time to take this course. Another great decision!
I would have to take several columns to describe what I have learned, not only about myself, but how to access my own truth and to create a plan for making life-long changes toward so many things. As Cynthia puts it in her first session, “Accessing Your Truth,” “. . . the heart is the interface of the body, mind, and spirit. To lead from the heart, you first look deeply into yourself to access your own truth.”
Cynthia helps you do this in a masterful way as she leads you through this 8 week odyssey of self awareness. The sessions are limited to no more than 9 women, and in my own group of 8, I have met and heartfully connected to the most amazing, inspiring, and substantial women. The sharing has been powerful and we have all connected in a very personal and permanent way. Each of us has the ability to live and lead powerfully.
In this 8-week program, Cynthia Bischoff helps us understand how to find our own personal way to accomplish this. The 8-week Leading from the Heart program (2 ½ hour sessions) includes a coursepack, program journal, course supplies, refreshments, two individual coaching sessions, and parting gift. It is rare that I recommend something with this much passion, but for me, it has been truly enlightening.
My Experience in the Leading from the Heart Program by Beth Bilderback, Marketing Assistant, Downtown Norfolk Council
I think probably everyone has gone through at least one part of their lives when they are figuratively spinning a roll of masking tape in their hands, trying desperately to find the end. Last January I was struggling with just about everything in the canon – a failed marriage, a new identity as an unemployed single parent, returning to my hometown after over a decade away from it. My sister, who had never heard of Cynthia Bischoff or her Leading from the Heart program, passed along to me a flyer she’d received about an upcoming ‘Heart to Heart’ event and strongly suggested I go to it. You’re having a hard time right now, she told me. Maybe this will help you find a job. And so I did, expecting some sort of networking gathering, and ate hors d’oeuvres and sat on a big comfy couch and listened to the women around me, some of whom were coming for information like I was, some of whom were giving nothing less than testimonials to the power of what they’d experienced in under Cynthia’s tutelage. Something about the power of what I heard made me sign up for the next session. And thus I began a process that I can say without exaggeration, completely altered my way of thinking.
Okay, you might be thinking. Is this like Amway? Is this some guru cult like situation? And what were in those hors d’ouevres? The basic premise of the program is that all of us have the potential to live and lead powerfully. In 8 weeks, participants are provided with useful tools for living life more consciously and with greater overall balance. You may have heard a version of some of the information in Leading from the Heart before. Many spiritual practices advocate, for example, living with conscious intent and making the most of the present. There are a lot of people around these days advertising “life coaching” services of one sort or another. But Cynthia Bischoff is different. A respected educator who has taught in the Old Dominion MBA program for many years, she is simultaneously warm and professional, charismatic and low-key, in a very real world trustworthy way. In other words, this is not an 8 week support group led by some whispery voiced New Ager in Stevie Nicks drapery (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Cynthia is one of the few people I know who possesses deep wisdom but who I can also imagine taking out the garbage.
The first class met in the evening and it was not the love fest I’d expected from the introduction of a few weeks before. There were eight of us sitting there nervously on the aforementioned comfy couches trying to briefly describe ourselves. I broke down while trying to tell who I was personally and professionally. These can be hard questions and at the time I honestly had no idea of the answers to either one. But slowly, over the weeks, our little group became tightly interlocked. We talked about facing our fears, about the effect of our “tribes” on how we behaved, about how hard we tried to let go of what hurt us, about what we kept hidden, about finding our rightful paths. Leading from the Heart is not group therapy – there are flipcharts and handouts and video clips, all of which I found immensely reassuring in the face of so much vulnerability. Women, after all, are for the most part natural “sharers” and the classes undeniably provide a safe environment in which to be oneself. But we were all there not just to vent, but to learn. And the most important lesson I learned, as each week a certain comment, quote or anecdote snapped up more and more tiny window shades in the closed up house of my mind, was to trust myself. And that answers I was searching for lay within me – I had only to access them in order to know the truth of what was to be done.
I took a leap of faith when I took Leading from the Heart and a somewhat bigger one when I continued by taking the follow-up series, the Wisdom of Transformation. Since then I find that I am calmer and walk with my head up instead of down. I listen to my intuition and write down my dreams. Mostly, though, I am not so afraid.
Cynthia also does a Leading from the Heart series for Men, a wide variety of one-day workshops and individual coaching, during which she can help you implement new skills, look at life issues, evaluate behaviors, and move forward toward the life you really want.
“Cynthia’s transformative powers are enormous! In her total acceptance of each of us–just as we are–she will never suggest that we change. Yet in not doing so, she facilitates transformation in each of us beyond description or belief. By the end of her sessions, you’ll hardly recognize the ‘who you were’ when you began. Cynthia’s professionalism, compassion, and extraordinary psychic abilities make her a teacher and healer of the highest order.”
Brenda Scanelli, President, American Realty of Tidewater, Inc.