Surviving the Narcissist:

Dealing with Difficult People

Narcissism has become a buzzword in our society. Whether someone is truly a narcissist or just difficult to handle it is affecting the way everyone works, lives and interacts. With this informative deep dive, we will explore what narcissistic behavior really is, how to spot a narcissist, traits of a narcissist, what you can do if you are dealing with someone who exhibits narcissistic traits or at the very least is just difficult to deal with. Enjoy practical solutions to what is a growing business and societal issue.

• Learn the traits of a narcissist and how to identify them
• Examine narcissistic behavior and strategies to manage it
• Implement strategies for communication with and responses to, narcissistic people
• Manage difficult people even if they aren't narcissists

Conquer Your Stress: Go from Worrier to Warrior

practical stress reduction techniques, self-care, work/life balance

Perfect for high stress individuals and professions such as first responders, teachers, executives and medical professionals.

It's estimated that stress is responsible for 60-90% of doctor's visits and, one million workers miss work each day because of stress, costing companies $602 per employee per year, according the American Institute of Stress.

It is imperative that we recognize that stress is not the problem - it's our reaction to our stress and we can learn to control it. Acquire cutting edge self-care techniques - affirmations, visualization, mindfulness techniques and mini-meditations - that staff can do on their own for better health. A stress-free staff is a productive, healthy and happy staff. Dr. Gruver will share her decades of experience and you will walk away inspired to make positive changes in your life, your company and your staff.

Objective Points:

• What is stress?
• How stress is impacting your bottom line and your health
• Stress indicators
• How we relate to stress is the key
• Cutting edge stress reduction techniques
• Vital health and well being
• Learn to meditate even if you think you can't
• Master practical techniques that you can do in the moment to stop stress

This Workshop can include an option for 3 to 6 consultation sessions with Dr. Kathy Gruver in groups or with individuals.

Overcoming Resistence to Change

No one likes change, but it is an inevitable part of life. Explore the seven most common reasons that we are resistant to change. Some of these are completely subconscious and others we are well aware of. Learn the hidden reasons that we want to stay unchanged and ways we can shift to a growth mindset and be more open and willing for those inevitable changes in life. This interactive presentation offers usable solutions to get your psyche ready to accept those changes in your life. Perhaps you'll even start to instigate changes that were previously shy-ed away from. Fun, educational and always thought provoking!

Objective Points:

• Review and learn the 7 most common things that keep us resistant to change.
• Master practical, customizable techniques that can help expand mindset and minimize common resistance.
• Discover which is your most common block and which techniques will work best to help you eliminate your fears and resistance.
• Explore exercises to empower you to embrace change and even seek out ways to accelerate it.

Say What?! How to Communicate Anything to Anyone

Objective Points:

• Defining effective communication
• Being fully present
• React or Respond: take a pause
• Flexibility
• Different communication styles
• Practical exercises to help get your message out

Efficient and effective communication is so much more than just "listening" and repeating back what you think the person just said. It's about being present and fully in the moment, it's about taking a pause to choose whether you respond or react. It's about understanding the lenses through which other people are viewing the world and themselves, and adapting to that lens. It's about having the flexibility to adjust your communication to match that of whom you are speaking to, and it's about not being hesitant to ask questions, clarify, and dig deeper on an issue. Many people feel like they aren't being heard, but in reality aren't clearly communicating anything to hear. Dr. Gruver's background consulting with individual clients, psychology and hypnotherapy training, presence and mindfulness study, and learning different communication exercises and styles combine to create a comprehensive and practical program to help you get your message to those who need to hear it.

Hear more on the C and E Shop Talk Podcast

Work/Life Balance; The Key to Increased Productivity and Enhanced Health

Finding a way to balance work responsibilities with home life and personal needs is increasingly more difficult in this fast paced world. Explore ways to decrease stress at the office while making healthier choice at home.

Learn:

• What to look for to see if you are stressed
• Explore how stress is affecting our health and work life
• Discover ways to eliminate the stress response in a matter of moments using the breath or a simple mini meditation. Think you can’t meditate? I’ll show you how
• Learn a mindfulness technique that places you back in the present moment to truly enjoy your time at home and increase focus at the office
• Practice incorporating all of your senses to go on vacation when every you need it. No matter where you are

Just be yourself but who the hell is that?

Using ego states for optimal performance

It’s pretty obvious to most of us that we have different aspects of our personalities that come out in different situations. We are different around our parents than we are our boss. We have a different attitude and persona when dealing with children than we do dealing with our coworkers, or hopefully we do. What if we can examine these different states, get to know them and call them at will to help us achieve more and optimize our time and performance?

Using ego state theory we can identify the working aspects of our personality, name them and learn how to bring forward our best self for the situation at hand. Practical, easy and effective techniques to help you be the best you you can be.

Objective Points:

• Learn what ego states are and how they are formed
• Discover your ego states and how to map them for optimal execution
• Gain practical knowledge of techniques that will bring different states in to the executive to handle the task at hand
• Explore anchoring techniques to guarantee the right aspect for the job is available to you
• Learn to negotiate with states in conflict (i.e. one wants to rest, the other wants to plug away at work)
• Find techniques to help with hurt states or states that are overtaking a situation when a different state is actually needed

Speaker Training

Best Audience: Individuals, Corporate Executives, Scientists or Technical Researchers, Sales Groups

This consultation program is designed to empower you or your department to incorporate public speaking and acting skills as well as the power of presence into your presentations. Dr. Gruver will demonstrate how it's done and leave you with actionable tools. As a former actor, director, and producer, Kathy has worked with actors and speakers for decades. Learn to be comfortable on stage, TV, or radio, how to use your body language to convey your message, and how to craft a story for an emotional journey.

The Speaker Training is conducted via individual or group consultation(s).

Improv Class

Do you ever wish you could communicate with more eloquence and grace, able to respond quickly and accurately to the flow of the conversation? Have you ever walked away from an exchange thinking, oh man I wish I would've said…? Using the art of improvisation can benefit your communication skills, reaction time, and ability to think on your feet.

Knowing how to respond to what is given to you in any environment will help you be more successful in your work and personal life. Kathy Gruver has been studying and performing improvisation since seventh grade, performing for both private and public audiences as well as corporate venues. She will teach you the rules of improvisation and how specific improv games can help your communication. A fun and educational way to enhance communication and build teams. Oh, and have some fun and laughs along the way.

Women's Transformational Retreats

Twice per year, I offer a Women's Transformational Retreat. We travel to some of the most beautiful and sought-after destination locations such as: the Caribbean Islands, Santa Barbara and San Diego, CA, Colorado, and Bainbridge Island. There, as a community of women, we will have the opportunity to get reconnected with nature and our deeper selves. This retreat is all about taking action, so be prepared to shake it up! Each of us will make life affirming transformational changes in our lives, connecting with new friends along the way. Curriculum: meditation, mindfulness, personalized instruction, dance, yoga, nutrition and mindful meals, hikes, free time, and trapeze (location dependent).