Lisa Rossi
Co-Founder
Bonfire Strategy
Joe has helped me find my voice as a business owner and comedian. I’ve hired him as a coach for creative business meetings and to move me to the next level as a stand-up comic and improviser. Joe is a lifelong educator and his approach is careful and methodical. He gives helpful feedback and keeps his clients accountable to the risks they need to take to grow as creatives. Joe’s work is multidisciplinary and applies to achieving impact in both the business and theater worlds.
Bobby Rehkemper
Partner
Gourlery, Rehkemper & Lindholm, PLC
Great opportunity to get the wheels spinning about positive ways to harness the creativity of a collective group. So many ways the simple tools Joe introduced to us can be applied in our professional and personal lives. Fun and productive time!
Mark Hoag
President, MBMA Corporation
I came to the workshop with no ideas of what would take place, and the exercises we did helped reinforce how multi-tasking can affect productivity and how easily our minds can be reprogrammed. I look forward to working with Joe much more in the future; he has a lot to offer!
Carrie Copley
Love Your Life Coach
In just a short time of working with Joe, I see that by taking risk and not being afraid to fail can actually help me succeed further in life.
Justin Miller
Thought Partner / Business Liason
West Des Moines Community Schools
It was a fun and safe environment to learn and experiment with failing forward. Joe would be great in targeted P.D. for education and in public speaking for students.
Daniel Poe
Office Manager
Des Moines Eye Surgeons
We’ve done the usual team workshops- we wanted to have our employees do something a little different that they could have fun with. Joe listened to why we wanted a workshop, and then tailored a program to US. I participated in one of the 4 groups we set-up and I thought that it was really great. Taking fun interactive activities and tying them back to the workplace in a meaningful manner. Highly Recommend!
After working with Joe, we’ve noticed our staff is a bit more flexible and appreciative of each other. Highly Recommend!
Julia Buman
Home Instruction Visiting Teacher
Des Moines Public School
In just 6 weeks of working with Joe, many of my students have mastered or improved in some of the skills that make interviews so hard. I have seen students excel in verbal and nonverbal communication, metacognition, memory, and recall, listening, asking questions, eye contact, and executive functioning all in a fun, lighthearted atmosphere. Joe keeps the students engaged and craving more, as they learn skills that would be less than desirable. I highly recommend for any group that needs team building, communication skills, or showing emotion.
Matthew Lane
Teacher
DMPS Home Instruction
It has been an absolute pleasure getting to work with and alongside Joe. As teachers we are always asking students to take chances and understand that failure is how we learn. Joe has a real talent for creating a safe environment where students feel comfortable to share their thoughts and learning openly. Joe’s work, in just a short period of time, has impacted our high school students immensely. Many of the students we serve tend to be overly shy, or not terribly confident in their social abilities. I have seen many of our most introverted students really open-up from the activities Joe has done with the whole group. It’s been quite impressive to watch how quickly Joe has created a learning environment that is a place where our students feel safe, and willing to take chances they would have never imagined themselves taking. Students who came into this school year with not even the skill set of how to reply when someone says, “hello,” are now sharing in whole group. Sharing what they enjoyed in the day’s lesson and how they can apply it to their life.
Nicole Lee
Talent Acquisition Specialist
GuideOne Insurance
This team building was very well done and covered what we were trying to accomplish. The session was fun and engaging. I do think our team is working well together, and I feel the experience did bring us closer.
Hira Mustafa
Former University of Iowa Student President
Joe helped me understand that improvisation can be learned by everybody, not just the typical “funny guy,” in the room. Improv teaches you adaptability, which is a skill valued by all employers. I’m currently in the process of applying to jobs and interviewers frequently ask about my experience performing improv and are impressed by the skill. If nothing else, its a great talking point in a conversation and something that will help your resume stand out!
Joanna McNurlen
Consulting Team Lead
Improv helped me adapt to collaborating with different people. Working with different teams is essentially a performance, and it’s good to play equally nice with the testosterone-fueled Sports Illustrated salesmen and the more subdued Working Mother ops team. And when these people are making million-dollar decisions every day, it’s good to have practice getting out of your head and just think of them as another audience member.
Amanda Pichler
PAC Manager
Valley High School
Improv has helped to teach me to keep calm under pressure and to keep the the situation or conversation moving forward, even if there are clear road bumps. It’s also helped me feel comfortable to not be hesitant to get out there and show students to not be afraid to jump into a situation. Sometimes I have to make a fool of myself to do so, but the results get them motivated and thinking about the task at hand from a different viewpoint.