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This 73-Year-Old's "Waterfall Practice" Will Skyrocket Your Creativity and Confidence
Dr. Gary Wohlman
Entrepreneurs Gone Wild
February 21, 2025
Sponsored by
Guys, we’re “THIS” close to being able to host you at Idyllwild Woods Retreat Center!
This project started as a crazy dream that hit me, plopping fully-formed into my brain while I was driving. Can you imagine coming home and saying…
“Hi honey! Ok, hear me out… how about we sell everything and move up to some land in the Smokies and build an entrepreneur retreat center? It’ll be awesome! We’ll put in some geodesic domes, build all kinds of cool off-grid stuff, and start hosting really cool people. Whaddya say?”
Bless him, my hubby said, “Sure. Sounds like fun.”
Well, it’s been a long road, but we should be seeing that first geodesic dome on-site in the next few weeks. We’ll deck it out to be super comfy, gorgeously glampy, and perfect for a getaway where you can unplug and reconnect with yourself. Come write a book, like our first guest plans to do. Come plan your next move. Come play or rest or read or have a romantic getaway.
We’ve got a crazy good deal going. Here’s where to get it.
A Waterfall, a Mountaintop, and a Microphone
Picture this: A 73-year-old man perched atop an Australian mountain, surrounded by kangaroos, speaking into a microphone connected to the world via Starlink. Sounds like the setup for a joke, right?
It's not. It's Dr. Gary Wohlman's office.
The "Presentation Doctor" has come a long way from his New York roots. Literally and figuratively. His journey from Big Apple academic to antipodean speaking guru is as unconventional as his methods. And those methods? They're changing the game for public speakers everywhere.
From Diving Board to Soapbox
Gary's story begins on a diving board. As a champion springboard diver and gymnast, he learned early on the power of physical expression. But it wasn't until a fateful meeting with a psychiatrist that he found his true calling.
"Son," the psychiatrist told him, "I see a young man with such creativity, such intuition. Don't follow the traditional path. Go where the human potential movement is just starting."
Gary's whole body shouted "yes."
So he did what any sensible person would do. He became a court jester.
The Jester's Journey
Hawaii. The Soviet Union. New Zealand. Australia. Gary's path reads like a particularly eclectic travel blog. At each stop, he honed his craft. Body therapy. Improvisational theater. Psychodrama.
The result? A unique blend of physical, emotional, and verbal techniques that transform even the most tongue-tied presenter into a communication powerhouse.
The Waterfall Practice: More Than Just Hot Air
Now, about that waterfall.
Every day, Gary sits in a natural rock formation under a cascading stream. He breathes. He vocalizes. He moves. It's part meditation, part vocal exercise, part interpretive dance.
This daily ritual, which Gary calls the "Waterfall Practice," is at the core of his methodology. It's a series of five specific breaths and sounds, each corresponding to different parts of the body and aspects of self-expression:
"Ah" - Opens the heart center, releasing tension and promoting receptivity.
"E" - Frees the speech center, encouraging clear and confident communication.
"I" - Connects with the spine and core, grounding the speaker in their identity.
"O" - Honors circular processes and interconnectedness.
"Oo" - Grounds the speaker and helps manifest their vision.
Each sound is accompanied by specific body movements and visualizations, creating a multi-sensory experience that aligns body, mind, and voice. This practice isn't just about vocal warm-ups; it's a holistic approach to preparing oneself for authentic, powerful communication.
From Stiff to Stellar: The Wohlman Way
Gary's approach is simple. Well, sort of.
Identify limiting beliefs
Replace with empowering self-talk
Encode new beliefs through multi-sensory exercises
Structure content for maximum impact
Deliver with full-body engagement
Easy, right?
Not quite. But it works.
The 12 Ways: Encoding New Beliefs
One of Gary's most powerful techniques is what he calls the "12 ways" exercise. This method is designed to encode new, empowering beliefs into the speaker's muscle memory, replacing limiting self-talk.
Here's how it works:
Identify three keywords that represent the new self-talk.
Express these keywords in 12 different ways:
First person ("I am...")
Second person ("You are...")
Third person ("He/She is...")
Plural ("We are...")
Shout it
Whisper it
Mouth it silently
Mime it
Sing it
Say it in gibberish
Write it down
Express it as a court jester
This multi-sensory approach ensures that the new belief is integrated on multiple levels - physical, emotional, and mental. It's not just about positive thinking; it's about embodying a new way of being.
The Mind-Body Connection: Beyond Traditional Coaching
What sets Gary's approach apart from traditional public speaking coaching is his emphasis on the mind-body connection. While many coaches focus on content and delivery techniques, Gary's method integrates physical, emotional, and verbal elements to create a holistic transformation.
His "Wohlman Method for the Whole Person" combines stretching muscles with corresponding affirmations spoken, whispered, and sung in rhyme. This unique approach catalyzes physical, emotional, and creative release, helping speakers overcome deeply ingrained patterns that may be holding them back.
By addressing the physical tension that often accompanies emotional blocks, Gary's method allows speakers to access a more authentic and powerful form of self-expression. It's not just about what you say, but how your entire being expresses it.
The Proof is in the Presentation
Just ask Janeen Sonsie, international speaker and managing director. She credits Gary with transforming her "unstructured sort of rambling presentation" into a "highly structured and professional" masterpiece.
Or Rosita Perez, Speaker of the Year in the USA, who gushes, "Without theatrics, you were theatrical. Without drama, you were dramatic"
High praise. But can it work for everyone?
From Boardroom to Living Room: Zoom-Era Speaking
In today's world of virtual meetings and webinars, Gary's techniques are more relevant than ever. After all, engaging an audience through a screen requires even more energy and presence than in-person speaking.
His advice? "Get out of your head and into your body." Even if that body is sitting in a home office chair.
The Final Act: Your Turn
So, what's the takeaway from this tale of a septuagenarian speaking savant?
Simple. Public speaking isn't just about words. It's about presence. Energy. Connection.
And yes, maybe even a little court jesterhood.
Ready to transform your own presentations? Dr. Gary Wohlman is just a Starlink connection away. Visit drgary.club to book a discovery call and start your journey from stressed to stellar speaker.
Who knows? You might just find yourself under a waterfall someday. (Or, at Idyllwild Woods, sitting in a creek.)
Let Me Be Perfectly Clear: I Do Not Run, But…
Dance like a fool in the pasture? Sure.
Climb the hills at the retreat center like a goat? Working on it.
Go to town on the elliptical at the Y while jamming on some sweet trance mixes an old DJ friend made? Embarrassingly YES (though I try not to “dance,” if you could even call it that)
But IF I were to pick up running at age 57 (highly unlikely), I think I’d use RunDot to help me train.
Why? Well, it’s pretty cool having such a customized training program, taking my genetics and environment into consideration so I’d avoid injuries.
Plus, there’s the obvious perk of not having a human coach yelling, “YOU RUN LIKE A GIRL! PICK ‘EM UP PUT ‘EM DOWN. MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!”
That’s why I was pretty happy that RunDot sponsored today’s newsletter. If you’re training for a big race, why not let a bot train you? Mebrahtom “Meb” Keflezighi uses it, and that dude’s crazy fast.
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Do you qualify?
You are a good fit if you check these boxes:
You train with a GPS-enabled device
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Do you meet these criteria?
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