How Authentic Performance Class Helped a Recovering Wall Street Executive Access His Emotions and Become a More Authentic Speaker Bob Bedritis is the Managing Director of Oswego Wealth Management and a "recovering" Wall Street executive, having spent the better part of 20 years working with Merrill Lynch and UBS in San Francisco and New York City. He’s also one of my Authentic Performance acting students. Maternal is not a word I use to describe myself. Being a stepmother for over 12 years was the greatest challenge and most humbling experience of my life. Nonetheless, my motherly hen instincts kick in when it comes to my Authentic Performance acting students. I could not be prouder of the progress Bob made during the eight week term, nor more grateful for the courage, openness, and respect for the process and his fellow classmates that Bob – and each of the other students – brought to our Authentic Performance class experience. Bob and I met at his office in Lake Oswego and I asked why he took the class. Bob said when he signed up, he was motivated to take the next step in being a less “formal” speaker. He rarely moved away from behind the podium, and wanted to free himself from notes. He was starting to experiment with movement and body language when he met me. “When the student’s ready, the teacher arrives,” Bob said. “I was ready. I was ready to do something more, something different, to step into a more authentic speaking style.” The class gave Bob the confidence and freedom to take bigger risks. Everyone has certain emotions they access more easily than others. This was true for Bob, who had difficulty expressing anger. Bob comes across as a confident, unruffled leader, charming and engaging. Yet through the class Bob was also able to feel and express strong emotions, like anger. He said, “The process forced me to dig down and find emotions and ways of expressing them that were not natural for me. You created an environment where it was safe and easy to take these risks. All my classmates were of the same mind-set; we could go places together that we might not have been able to alone. I came to understand how to communicate emotions like anger and intensity in a more authentic and genuine fashion.” It surprised Bob that the emotions he felt, particularly during the improvisational scenes, were real – even in an artificial scenario. And he witnessed the same believability and growth in every person in the class. In recommending the class, Bob says: “When you stop trying new things, you stop growing as a person. Of all the new things I have tried, Authentic Performance profoundly stretched me in ways that I never could have predicted. Since class, I’ve received feedback it was a turning point in my ability to communicate.” Bob is a gifted communicator, and his work as a financial advisor fulfills his desire to make a difference and have a positive influence. He says, “My business is a platform to do what I’m passionate about, which is helping people find their higher purpose. When I have the pleasure, the opportunity, to work with people – to intimately help them with their financial picture – the conversation invariably comes around to purpose and meaning.” Bob works mainly with people who have spent their lifetimes becoming successful and helps them align their financial resources with what matters most to them. He’s committed to helping his clients define and develop their purpose, and to aligning their financial resources to be able to focus on that purpose. Bob and his wife, Michelle, fell in love with the Pacific Northwest upon moving to Lake Oswego in 2001; they have four children. Bob offers an ongoing educational seminar series. To find out about his free presentations and classes, sign up for the mailing list at www.oswegowealth.com, or contact Bob directly at bob@oswegowealth.com.
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