Testimonials
“Thanks so much Laurie. I am not at all surprised to see such a great response and feedback through the survey. My team really enjoyed the training session. You helped us put customer obsession on the front burner in a fun way.”
Neetika Sathe, Vice President, Alectra GRE&T Centre
“Laurie offered a two-day Management Training Program for our Management Team. We made groundbreaking steps forward as a management team as we learned to communicate better with each other and began to understand what makes a cohesive team. This was a very positive experience for all of us and Laurie is just an absolute pleasure to work with.”
Luella Hozjan, Human Resource Manager
"I like the way that Laurie could pivot depending on the discussion. One of the best programs I have attended in years."
Ralph Williams, Director Key Accounts, Alectra Utilities
“Laurie provided a customized customer service training program for the Leadership Team in our Long Term Care homes across the Niagara Region. Laurie connected with the participants and provided them the opportunity for self-reflection and enhanced opportunities on improving the client, family and staff experience in the LTC homes. The feedback from our Leadership Team was extremely positive and truly demonstrated the importance of the client experience. There were so many “aha” moments throughout the workshop! Laurie was able to assess the client’s needs and provide exactly what was required, right down to providing realistic examples and case studies. I look forward to working with Laurie again on future initiatives.”
Lisa Castellan, Human Resources Consultant, Community Services, Regional Municipality of Niagara.
Working with Laurie has truly been a benefit on a personal level and at the business level. From day one, she took the time to understand our business, individually meet each team member, and lay out a customized plan of leadership coaching. Her style of coaching is genuine in connecting with people, educating with thought-provoking questions and delivering strong applicable content. Our leadership team has experienced positive personal growth, has increased our collaboration efforts and has seen noticeable results incorporating the coaching feedback received from Laurie. We are happy in looking forward to our continued skill development working with her.”
Angelo Recine, Human Resources/Office/IT Manager, Cotton Inc.
“Laurie is a fantastic speaker. She is engaging, easy to listen to, and a great story teller. We saw high levels of engagement that we don’t typically see. Laurie is a natural!”
Adriana Covic, HRPA, Chapter Experience Coordinator
“Laurie did an excellent job at keeping everyone engaged and explaining the concepts in a fun and applicable way. Her use of tools, visuals, and analogies made the learning experience engaging and memorable. It was a very enjoyable experience!”
Antonietta Foti, CHRP, HRPA York
“Thank you for a fantastic virtual keynote and workshop. You are a force of nature as a facilitator and our team benefitted a great deal. You kept our team engaged virtually for the entire time! The feedback was awesome from staff. You delivered a strong message about the importance of our member service and the impact we can have on our business if we show our customers that we care and they are important to us.”
Alison Dantas, CEO, Canadian Chiropractic Association
"I brought Laurie in to do customer service training with my team. I think she is amazing. It was phenomenal I learned a lot and so did my team. They’ve already started applying the techniques that they’ve learned from Laurie today. I am very happy and impressed."
Onica Roberts, Walker Environmental
"Laurie is a dynamic and engaging facilitator who has the ability to make participants feel comfortable and at ease, leading to a greater level of learning transfer. We have had Laurie develop several customized training programs for our Four Diamond, Five Star property in the past, including leadership, customer service, health & safety and interview training. We find that the content of Laurie's training programs are consistently meaningful and relevant leading participants to an increased degree of involvement in the entire training process."
Ameer Wakil, Chief Operating Officer, White Oaks Conference Resort and Spa
"If you want to look like a rock star when picking a speaker for your event, hire Laurie Flasko!
Laurie is an inspirational and genuine speaker who inspires her audience to action. She was our keynote speaker at our annual conference this year and her morning session was like a fresh glass orange juice, starting the day off with a motivating and uplifting message. She is able to make her entire audience relate to her story and feel connected in their own stories. She draws the audience in, delivers a strong inspiring message and then calls the audience to action. Hiring her as our keynote was the best decision as she brought her professionalism and expertise; taking away much of the stress involved in hiring a speaker."
Carrie Paolone, Director of Events, Scotiabank Convention Center
“If you are looking for an inspirational presentation for your next event (virtual) with lots of practical ideas which will fire you up as a leader, create more smiles with your team, and boost customer service, Laurie Flasko’s “Dare to be Kind” presentation is a must-see. Laurie is a master storyteller. Her presentation was inspiring and had the group engaged the entire time with interaction in the chat box and activities. She is professional, responsive, and will leave your participants buzzing. I highly recommend her.”
Laura Stack, LEADERSHIP USA
"We recently wrapped up some customer service training with Laurie Flasko. And I can’t possibly say enough good things. Laurie you developed a customized training program. It engaged everyone. It was interactive and we had some great laughs throughout. Thank you so much for everything you did for us I can’t wait to work with you again."
Paula Potter, Chief Operating Officer , Saskatchewan Healthcare Employees' Pension Plan
Laurie’s on-line course and virtual group coaching helped me refocus my time and energy in areas that I tend to push to the side. It really helped me get back on track and I feel more balanced and focused on what matters most. I loved the connections made in the group setting and the practice framework of the curriculum. I would highly recommend taking this course.
Angela Carter, CEO, Westland Greenhouse Solutions
“I just finished my second course with Laurie - Personal Effectiveness- Reaching your highest potential - online. It was fantastic!! I learned so much about myself and areas I need to work on to be an effective leader! The coaching calls that came with it gave extra tidbits and ideas to help me be effective in my job. My first course with her was the virtual teaching course. I have learned so much about training as well as presenting it online. I have already used some of the techniques in my job. Laurie is a treasure. I feel like I have struck gold with this new connection, mentor, friend!!
Cheryl Taylor, Frank Cowan Company
In this current time, I think all of us are feeling really drained and a lack of energy. Reaching Your Highest Potential online course really helped me to achieve some personal goals to improve my effectiveness and incorporate the daily practices into my way of life. I was able to commit to the daily practices that Laurie endorsed - and she supported us though her coaching. Laurie is an awesome coach. I would highly recommend this program!
Jayne Paquin, Chief Human Resources Officer, PenFinancial Credit Union
“Laurie’s Virtual train the trainer program was fantastic! As a result I just had an interview and nailed my presentation - I will start teaching my first CIP instructor class virtually! Laurie helped build my confidence and give me the skills I need to be a great instructor. She shared her skills & knowledge, as well as demonstrated what a great presenter looks like. I would highly recommend it.”
Amy Fehrman, Senior Advisor, Desjardins
“Laurie‘s course really help me pivot my thinking. This course really helped me get my confidence back. I was reminded to lean into my strengths, reconnect with what I do well, and remember what my strengths are and why I am in this position. Laurie is such an experienced coach and facilitator that she was able to use her skills to make us all feel comfortable enough to share and be vulnerable, and that is actually where the most profound learning occurred. This was certainly a significant investment in my career. I look forward to future opportunities to working with Laurie through other impactful and powerful experiences led by her ability to coach and facilitate these sessions.”
Tara McKendrick, Executive Director, Canadian Mental Health Association, Niagara Branch
The 4-week course with Laurie on Personal Effectiveness was very timely, as we were all dealing with the effects of the pandemic. Thank you, Laurie, for setting me up for success during these unprecedented times! The daily practices were very useful to keep me focused on the positive, and to ensure my attitude and outlook were always pointing in the right direction for maximum effectiveness each day. There was such a wealth of information and tools that it is hard to do it all justice in just 4 weeks!
Dom Collado, Physio Therapist
“Three of my staff attended Success Starts Here, and I would highly recommend it. Working remotely has come with many challenges, including providing professional development and support during this time of change. This online course helped my team to build confidence, resiliency, and work on their emotional intelligence at a time when support and encouragement are needed most. “Aha” moments were achieved along with teamwork breakthroughs. All three would highly recommend the course and happy to have a year to continue working through the content. The added bonus is Laurie provides weekly group coaching during the month-long challenge period to reinforce skills and learning.”
Terri Bruce, Director of Programs, INCommunities/211 Central South
“I would highly recommend Success Starts Here to anyone needing a boost. I functioned on adrenaline for the first few months of Covid life, once things began to settle down, I was feeling really burnt out and less than productive on a regular basis. Success Starts Here helped me in so many ways. It really gave me the chance to re-focus and put into practice better habit’s that support both my productivity and my overall mental health. The group coaching sessions were also a fantastic experience as you could listen to how others were feeling and it made me feel less alone in this crazy journey we are on.”
Paula Potter, COO, Saskatchewan HealthCare Employees’ Pension Plan
This was a great learning experience for all attendees. Laurie used a variety of resources, tools and techniques to people engaged throughout the entire session. The content was relevant, applicable and easy to follow along. Thank you, Laurie!
Josie Lee, CHRL, Senior HR Business Partner at CNA Insurance
"I could feel our team warming up to you and embracing every word. Your message was personal, heartfelt, genuine and passionate. The Kindness Advantage was definitely a way to set our team and our homes a blaze with Love in action – kind acts being shown everywhere, by our staff and mangers, our residents and families."
Shauntelle Sandrin (Barnier), Director of Relationships & Marketing, Steeves & Rozema Group
“I really enjoyed every session. You have given us lots to think about moving forward, learned many things about ourselves, understand each other better, and so much more. You are an excellent speaker, very engaging, honest, let yourself be vulnerable, and made it a safe environment. I learned so much from you. I really appreciated this training and your style, and you as a person!” Thank you so much Laurie.
Cheryl, Distress Centre
“The Town of Fort Erie was re-energized by Laurie’s “Our Focus … Our Customer” training. As a result of her mystery shopping and staff survey, we found we did transactional business really well but it was the “human” side we needed help with, and she brought out the best in all of us. Beginning with the design of the program with the senior leadership team right through to the interactive learning with our entire organization, Laurie’s customized training left us all wanting more.”
Tom Kuchyt, CAO, Town of Fort Erie
“We hired Laurie this year to do our annual team finance event and we are thrilled with the result... I’m hearing positive things, how much fun everybody had, how interactive it was, the team spirit and just the happiness that is going around is absolutely incredible. Laurie has been an amazing person to work with and was able to pull everything together in a really short time frame for us and think outside of the box. We came to her with an idea and she just completely went with it and just above and beyond all of our expectations.”
Sheri Morin, Executive Assistant to VP & CFO, Henry Schein Canada Inc.
"On behalf of the International Association of Venue Managers, it is my pleasure to recommend executive coach Laurie Flasko, CEC, CSP, to organizations with a desire to improve leadership, team building, and customer service. Laurie focuses on perhaps the most desired of all behaviors…..kindness. Her heart melting journey is presented in a genuine and honest manner that quickly captures your attention, but more importantly leads to change. Kindness in today’s world is in sharp decline, making her message more powerful and the advantages more pronounced. Laurie’s message uniquely crosses all business types and areas of responsibilities."
Naz Sabripour, Executive Director, Pasadena Convention Center & Convention Center Committee Chair, IAVM
Brett C. Mitchell, General Manager, Overland Park Convention Center, Convention Center Committee Vice Chair IAVM
“Laurie kept us all fully engaged and enthusiastic. She helped me understand that no matter what field you are in, customer service is critical and virtually the same. She inspired me to be a better leader...”
Michele Martin, General Motors of Canada
“Many commented that it was by far the best and most productive team building exercise they had ever experienced.”
Carol A. Benoit, Manager, Citizenship and Immigration Canada
"I have known Laurie for more than five years in her capacity as a trainer and more recently benefited from her leadership coaching. Laurie possesses a strong understanding of the challenges that organizations and people face, especially in times of change. She is able to identify the root cause of challenges that lead to the development of thoughtful and effective people strategies. Laurie inspires trust, teamwork, and commitment. Her credentials speak for themselves and I can attest to the value of her insights and support."
Shelley Parker, Director, Customer Service
Alectra Utilities (formally Horizon Utilities Corporation)
“I attended a workshop by Laurie on “Kindness”. It wasn’t your ordinary Customer Service presentation. It blew you away with amazing ways to give back moments of kindness. You left the workshop, wanting to do something nice for someone. I bet a lot of Tim Horton coffees where paid for that day. Laurie is a must hear.”
Lori Dalton, Speakers Bureau
Laurie came to my all staff day to talk about kindness. She is an amazing and inspiring speaker and facilitator. In addition to the excellent content, Laurie also engaged staff in variety of activities and group discussions. Prior to the day Laurie worked with the planning committee to make sure her speaking engagement meets the needs of my staff and aligned with the culture of my division. I highly recommended Laurie!!!!
Julia Roitenberg, Director and Chief Nursing Officer, The Regional Municipality of York
"I just finished Laurie‘s teaching techniques and it was by far the best training program I’ve ever done!"
Kathy Metzger, Intact Insurance Company
"I have benefited greatly from Executive Coaching sessions with Laurie. She encourages me to be a fearless and ethical leader and to stick to our mission at Project SHARE to advocate and empower marginalized members of our community. I now slow down to speed up and take more time to plan my day. After a session with Laurie, I have the energy I need to be a dedicated member of a great team making a difference in Niagara!"
Diane Corkum, Executive Director
Project SHARE
"When I first connected with Laurie I had two issues I needed help with. The first was to tackle some short term goals, and the other was to examine where I thought I would be for the next five years. Laurie helped me with both. Our sessions were planned to fit my schedule and I always went away feeling that it was great use of my time. Laurie made me feel completely comfortable and that our conversations were confidential. I also always felt she had my best interests at heart and made me be accountable to myself."
Carrie Zeffiro, Executive Director
Pathstone Foundation
“She is a fantastic facilitator with great energy and really has a passion for the work she does. She is engaging and very genuine in her approach (you can tell that she “walks the talk”). Like no other, she customizes programs to suit the specific needs of the client group. I have worked with many, many facilitators in my career and I have not seen anyone conduct a more extensive needs analysis or customize the program right down to the smallest detail like Laurie has! In the end, she delivered a very interactive workshop that received very positive feedback. I would recommend Laurie, and in fact I have recommended her to many colleagues, in a heartbeat!”
Jennifer Lindley, Manager , Alectra
“This training was engaging, fun, and full of relevant practical application and resources for our team. Laurie’s unique value proposition is to create customized customer service training program based on our objectives and outcomes. She delivered results. Through a needs analysis she understood our business, customers and challenges. Our team went away with a renewed energy and positive attitude focused on team work and creating the customer experience.”
Allison Tyldesley, Director of Waste Management, The Regional Municipality of Niagara
“Hi Laurie, wanted to extend my gratitude for a GREAT 3 sessions with you in developing our leadership and further growth at Walkers. I thoroughly enjoyed the training (as well as the customer service earlier this year!) Wonderful tools, information and resources!”
Jenny Jones, Walker Environmental Group Inc.
“A full day workshop was created for our Customer Service department that was not only tailored to fit, but was engaging throughout. Our employees are still talking about it.”
Jeannie Slade, Brand Manager, Unilock
“Great session. Teamwork leads to success when it is embraced, nourished and allowed to grow to its full potential. Looking forward to being part of this developing teams ride to success.”
Les A. Lawson, CMA, Chief Financial Officer, Nunatsiavut Group Of Companies
I just finished with Laurie at the kindness advantage. When you hear the Kindness Advantage you might think this is going to be flaky. I was pleasantly surprised... Laurie really hammered home not just some airy fairy concept but this notion that when we engage in kindness it does affect your bottom line, it affects the culture corporately and the culture at large. I found it really informative and made me thinking about some cool stuff.
Carlo Rapino, Owner, Peterborough Axe Club
"The feedback I have received thus far is nothing short of outstanding!!! "
Dean Hill, Manager, Field Support & Project Management Office, Scotia Private Client Group
"… I have to say it was a fantastic experience… We were able to learn our strengths and weaknesses. A big takeaway for me was learning that just because I work one way does not mean that someone else on my team works the same way. Laurie gave us a really great experience. She is a great facilitator."
Nicole Root, Special events coordinator, Niagara 2021 Canada Summer Games
"…Laurie did a phenomenal job of bringing our team together!"
Bawe Nsame, Niagara 2021 Canada Summer Games
"At the Americana Resort we are host to a variety of guests and it is paramount to us that each of our guests feel like they are part of our family. We retained the services of Laurie Flasko and Associates to assist us in our efforts to raise our customer service to the next level. Laurie took the time to familiarize herself with our business and design a customized program for us that included leadership and customer service training as well as team building exercises. We were impressed with Laurie’s ability to conduct each session with the same level of passion and enthusiasm. Her realistic and down to earth approach to customer service made the content she delivered easily relatable to all participants. Laurie is a dynamic and engaging speaker who has provided our team with valuable tools that will allow them to grow both personally and professionally while delivering a higher level of service to our guests.
We continue to be appreciative of the ongoing follow up and support she provides to our team and look forward to our ongoing relationship. We would not hesitate to recommend Laurie’s services to any organization looking to strengthen their team."
James DiBellonia, Managing Partner, Americana Conference Resort & Spa
"Laurie designed and delivered an outstanding program for our team. She focused on team building, change management and the strengths of each team member. Her style of presentation was extremely effective and engaging throughout the entire day. Many commented that it was by far the best and most productive team building exercise they had ever experienced."
Taylor Glover, Walker Environmental Group Inc.
"Laurie is an experienced, kind, caring coach. Her coaching style and vast leadership experience helped me develop my leadership skills. her insight into personal growth and envelopment opened doors for me that I couldn't see without her help. I'd highly recommend Laurie as a professional coach to anyone seeking to move forward in their professional career."
Nicole Beauregard, Health Care Leader
“The weekend leadership team building session was an amazing experience. The obvious benefits of creating a more functional team notwithstanding, it was also a very effective exercise offering critical insights into yourself and your colleagues. I came away with a much better understanding of how a team should function and as importantly, what motivates individual team members. A very enlightening weekend!”
Geoff Goodyear, President/CEO
Universal Helicopters Newfoundland and Labrador LP
"Laurie Flasko gets my highest recommendation without any hesitation as an executive coach and mentor. I have had the honor of knowing Laurie for over ten years and I have gained respect and admiration for her. She has the ability to recognize and understand both business and personal items and help guide focus and attention where needed.
I found her guidance, suggestions and observations to be thought provoking and insightful. Laurie is masterful at guiding self-realization and improvement and has helped make me a better leader and person. Thank you Laurie."
Kevin Stone, Chief Operating Officer
Doyle Security Systems, Inc.
“We have an awesome reception team at WIN Health Solutions and we wanted to refine their customer service skills. We were very fortunate to have trained with Laurie Flasko many years ago and Laurie's passion for teaching and inspiring people to care and do their best in the workplace really created a lasting impression. Our team members enjoyed Laurie’s training session as she was engaging, delivered concise guidance, useful strategies, and all while maintaining her warmth, kindness infused teaching and playful energy. In discussing how our team found Laurie’s training, they all said it was exceptional! They felt they made great progress, learned many new things and the experience was fun. I would absolutely recommend Laurie Flasko to any small business looking to work on customer service, team building, creating a positive work culture.”
Laura Imola, Owner, WIN