My colleague and I were presenting on a topic that was really important to the work we had done…read moretogether and would be seen by thousands of people online. We were looking to get some coaching, just to make sure that how we presented the topic, ourselves, and represented our business was the best it could be. We worked with Donnie, over several sessions. I've done a lot of speaking engagements, and feel pretty confident in my ability to present - both in person and virtually. So I wasn't quite sure, to be honest, if I would get a lot out of this session. What I walked away with from our time together was a whole lot of improvement to my presentation skills. It wasn't just about how I spoke etc - but also on the actual content I was presenting too. We were really focused in on how to create the most impactful message at every moment of the presentation, so that our attendees would walk away feeling like they got something great out of it. Hands down, our presentation was 1000x better because of our work with Donnie. And I'll be back in a heartbeat the next time an important gig comes up. Whether you're new to speaking or a seasoned veteran, they do a really good job at providing the feedback needed to take what you're doing to the next level - and all in the service of not only you, as a communicator, but the people you're speaking to.

I worked with Donnie! Let them wave their magic wand over you and watch the transformation. I am…read moregrateful to my daughter for suggesting Donnie and full of power and promise from What I have learned. #priceless

Kristy is exactly what the doctor ordered! In a time when I needed her most, I reached out to…read moreKristy after reading her glowing reviews right here, on Yelp. My original ask, please help me write clearly and concisely to help make my boss happy. After a few sessions, she helped me realize that being a good writer comes from within, and it starts and ends with writing about things we are passionate about. Through my time with Kristy, she unlocked a belief in me that I didn't know existed. The courage to realize when I wasn't in a work environment that fostered growth, passion or creativity to instill good writing. I'm still on that journey in finding what's next for me, but when I do, she will be one of the first people I reach out to with an update. I highly recommend Kristy, not only for her exceptional skills and expertise, but for her heart. She's a one-of-a-kind teacher and one that will put in the effort to help you succeed in your writing or creative storytelling. She helped me refine my process and relearn old grammar rules that I had forgotten. If you're like me, or any of the others that have worked with Kristy in the past, reach out - we promise that you will not regret it!

I might be a professional writer, but words fail me when it comes to how valuable, generous, and…read morehelpful Kristy is as a writing coach. I actually like to think of her as more as a writing therapist. Kristy is one of those gifted teachers who not only sees where you are, she knows where you need to go, and can offer a roadmap to get you there. What more can a writer ask for? I came to Kristy with a partial book manuscript, after a long health crisis had rocked my household. I was still depressed and depleted after nine months of nursing my partner back to health, feeling awful about myself that I hadn't worked on this project for so long. Worse still, I felt completed disconnected from what I had written so far. I couldn't remember why I was writing it--a huge crisis in confidence. I remember saying to her, "I don't know if I can do this." Kristy's gentle optimism carried me through, believing in the book even when I couldn't. I'm delighted to say that after six sessions, the book is complete. Writing is lonely and hard! I encourage you to let Kristy make the process a partnership--get the help you need.

I cannot say enough good things about Art School of SF Bay! The instructors, Maria and Lana, are…read moreabsolutely amazing--they have been incredibly helpful and supportive throughout both of the courses I've taken (Key Elements of Fine Arts for Beginners and the Realistic Open Art Studio). Even though I had some prior experience, the classes on portrait drawing and proportions were highly valuable. While the abstract art component wasn't for me, every single skill they taught was ultimately put to use in my final project. Thanks to their wonderful guidance, I've created paintings I never thought I was capable of making. I highly recommend this school!

My almost 7-year-old has been attending this school since she was 5. Why? Because she genuinely…read moreenjoys it. She loves that she is never bored. Every week she learns something new: new styles, materials, and techniques. Sometimes they focus on painting, other times on sculpture or different forms of art. Katia and Sara have both been her teachers, and she has felt happy and supported with all of them. Like with many activities at this age, it took a couple of weeks for her to fully adjust and feel familiar with the environment but consistency made a big difference. As parents, we appreciate seeing her come home excited and proud of what she created. It is easy to notice how much she has progressed over time and we get very excited when we see her project. We also appreciate the communication style of the school. They provide a high-level overview each week of what the kids will be working on, which keeps parents informed without overwhelming us with too much information. On the administrative side, tuition payments and renewals are simple, and the staff has always been friendly and helpful whenever we have had questions or needed help resolving any mistakes on our part. We also love the location. Depending on the day and who is with me, it is easy to wait nearby at the library, a coffee shop, or a restaurant while class is in session.

Amazing lectures. So well prepared. Love the whole atmosphere. People are so helpful.read more

As an employee of USF, I have had the opportunity to sit in on a couple of Fromm lectures. If it…read morewasn't for that, I wouldn't have the chance to experience this opportunity for myself for another 30 years! I think the website summarizes the Fromm program much more eloquently than I could: "Founded in 1976 by Alfred and Hanna Fromm, the Fromm Institute for Lifelong Learning is an educational program for retired persons at the University of San Francisco. The program offers daytime, noncredit, college-level courses in a wide range of academic subjects. With a faculty of over forty emeriti (retired professors), the Institute presents approximately fifty courses each year over three eight-week sessions: fall, winter and spring. While the Fromm Institute creates a peer age setting in its classrooms, program participants also have the opportunity to interact with the multigenerational community while on USF's attractive and accessible campus." They also offer an amazing holiday program complete with holiday luncheon and special lectures. Highly recommended for your parents and grandparents to keep them mentally stimulated!

I've taken a class taught by James Sansing at Fort Mason time after time over the years, Art &…read moreAssemblage Workshop: the Re-Contextualizing of Objects. I wouldn't return if it wasn't any good. Assemblage (say it with a French accent to impress your friends) is, simply put, an art form where found objects, everyday articles and whatever you got are glued or screwed together to make freestanding sculptures or wall hangings. James' class is very low key and freeform. It's actually more of a guided workshop than a structured class. James brings in huge bins of junk, debris and discarded materials which might consist of doll heads, driftwood, electric appliance parts, photographs, toys, old telephones and what-the-heck-are-these-things. James supplies tools and glues. Many students bring materials from home. Then the students take the materials and put them together to complete their own masterpieces. There's a lot of "networking" that goes on between the students. It's fun to go around to the different work tables to see what the others are doing, and many times we offer suggestions or take advice from each other. I've stolen some of my best ideas from other students. James is very low key and non-judgemental but he has a subtle way of guidance that is always helpful and inspiring. He is a master of tools and adhesives, and he is a great problem solver when it comes to assembling art where a student is unable to figure out how to put something together or needs another eye to see what works best in the way of balance, color, etc. Besides being knowledgeable in the utilitarian side of things, James is an accomplished artist with a very strong vision of his own that is not forced on anyone else. On top of that he's a very likeable man. If you are looking for a very structured class with a teacher who has a definite agenda and a syllabus, I wouldn't recommend this class. If you're looking for a class that is freeform but has a steady mentor who is there if he is needed but is savvy enough to know when to stand back and let your creativity flow, then this is the one for you.

CCSF Fort Mason campus has changed my life... even that is an understatement…read more I first found out there was an art campus at Fort Mason from getting a CCSF flyer in the mail. Months later, I went to their annual holiday sale to see just what kind of art was being made there. The depth and variety is amazing to me given how, all things considered, the building is kind of small. City College only takes up two floors of building B. Painting, drawing, ceramics, sculpture... it's all there. I'm one of those people that resorts to drawing symbols of stick figures when asked to draw a human. Now that I've been taking classes here, I can actually draw a person to their likeness. One of the best things about the Fort Mason campus is the incredible diversity it attracts in students. Obviously there is a lot of ethnic diversity, but it's the age diversity that is such a joy. I've literally had classmates ranging from 18 to 94. The range of ages adds so much to the classroom's energy. Everyone is there because they want to be there and they're all at different stages in their life. All this life experience elevates the work and it's inspiring for everyone working there. The teachers are great too. They make it such a pleasant, encouraging, and supportive environment. I was kind of intimidated when I took my first class. I had flashbacks to grade school and was worried I'd be the only one that didn't already know how to draw at least a little bit. My worry was for nothing. If you are thinking about taking a class here, do it!

This is a course in whole life design. It's for busy, successful people that haven't made time to…read moreaddress the things that matter most. They work off of the 'buddy system' and you get weekly coaching calls from a life coach plus 3 in-session workdays. After I did the course, I got a totally new relationship to my body, achieved tremendous things with my career and my personal relationships flourished. This is a must-do course, I'd consider doing it once a year!

Going into the bootcamp from a remote environment, I had the mindset that it would be both…read moreoverwhelming and difficult to make friends. While the remote experience was a little strange at first, it became very comfortable as the class continued on. The classes were run well with little to no technical difficulties, and I found it easy to create a regimen around the class that helped me balance the classwork with life in general. Yes, at times it was stressful, but there are a number of resources available (including your soon to be classmates/friends) that will help you progress. Taking breaks and doing things outside of coding is a big part of bouncing back. Since many projects were group projects, it was easy to get to know some folks in my class right away! My cohort was fairly large and consisted of many outgoing characters who I began to cherish the more I worked with them. GA is one of the most rewarding experiences I've had in my life and I hope that anyone who is interested in a boot camp strongly considers GA for their experience as well. A special shout out to Kenny Bushman, Michael Petty, Yulia Tsernat, and Adonis for being such a wonderful instructional team!

No longer a public facing school, now they just teach AI courses to businesses and "enterprise…read moregroups". It has gotten much more difficult for these kinds of institutions to give out incorrect hiring info and get away with it. Like giving out info that x% of students went on to be employed even though maybe 90% of those folks are working gig jobs or in restaurants. I checked this place out long ago for UI and no one there could give me hard numbers on how many students went on to employment in that field. It was just one big sales push. One young woman told me we could "go to a private room and talk about it." It's probably easier to give incorrect info without witnesses. At the time they emphasized on their site about how many pizzas you would eat while studying there. That was a big red flag. $8k-$14k buys a lot of pizzas.

Highly recommended!…read more Debankur turned what could have been just another certification course into a genuinely learning experience. He has that rare mix of deep product-management expertise and a natural gift for teaching. He constantly tied frameworks back to situations he's navigated at high-growth companies. Those anecdotes made the lessons feel immediately actionable for my own work. If you're considering the Product School PMC program, choosing a cohort with Debankur will give you both the knowledge and the momentum to level-up in Product Landscape.

I have written a review several times and several times it has been deleted. Apparently they don't…read morelike viewpoints that go to the heart of the matter. This company was started by people in the tech industry, and since they have launched the median income for a product manager has plummeted when taking into account inflation especially. It is basically operating under the format, similar to massage schools. Before the massage schools massage therapy was a well earning specialty. Same here with product management. You will also find that they work directly with networks that supply avalanches of people with H1B visa that get into the large tech companies claiming that national US talent cannot be found somehow and place them at tremendously cut rates inside the mega corporations and successfully bypass national talent. Especially from one specific large country that has the vast majority of their applicants fill out their documents, falsely claiming that national talent cannot be found and perpetrate massive fraud on the US citizenry. It's like a giant infestation spreading. I know because I have worked for many of those firms and I have worked with hundreds of them. I've also participated at product school myself so I know exactly what this is.

I would give it a 5 if not for the parking which is really not this business' fault of course…read moregiven San Francisco is one huge hilly parking garage at times.My wife and I had the deal where you pay a set price and have a series of sample entries they are preparing for that day! It was awesome! It almost doesn't matter if I explain what the portioned dishes were because if/when you go it will be different and constantly rotated I am told.I will tell you this,for the combine price of $65 at the time my wife and I went and yes this was a while ago but I had one of the all time finest multi ethnic meals I ever had here! If they still have sample lunches you will as well! *** 4.75 points Folks!

Life-changing. I suppose prison could be listed as…read morelife-changing, too, so let me say: Life-enhancing! A thousand valuable words and lessons packed into a few days. Dozens of warm new professional relationships. Fascinating, invaluable craft and writing sessions. Brilliant critiques. Consistently lovely facilities and amazing food.

I feel very lucky to have experienced Lit Camp 2014. The atmosphere, faculty, and food (I have to…read moremention the food!) were superb, and the top notch agents and fellow writers I met there have been career-changing. Thanks to Lit Camp, I met a handful of new and trusted readers who continue to give feedback on, and influence my work, and I have been honored to correspond with three extremely helpful literary agents. If you are considering whether or not to apply for Lit Camp...do it!