The Gestalt Experience

Programs and events to ignite the leadership spark that resides within leaders

MEET THE FOUNDER

Maxine Attong

The Gestalt experience offers leaders different lens, fresh tools and unique events to enhance their leadership effectiveness. This experiential learning journey supports leaders to bring about change and to navigate this uncertain world while living and leading from their purpose.

Why I chose Gestalt

I’m really excited to share this Gestalt experience with you because Gestalt literally changed my personal and professional life.

As an accountant and process improvement expert my preference was for structure rigidity, inflexibility and control. This way of being that created former success did not transfer well to being an executive coach and facilitator. I needed to change.

The introduction to Gestalt has allowed me to be less structured and more intentional, less rigid and more compassionate, and less needing to be right.

Gestalt allows me to be bold and brave enough to abandon a need for structure and to embrace uncertainty. Now I observe forms that emerge in a room and trust myself enough to name them. These risk-taking returns deep rewards for clients as they are encouraged to step out of their comfort zones, thus enriching the experience for all.

I mirror what change can look like as I offer observation, share my emotions and bodily sensations while asking powerful questions.

The practice of not making meaning allows me to stay in curiosity and to be non-judgmental. Engagement is from a place of deep understanding and not from a problem-solving point of view

On a personal level Gestalt, has taught me to live in “here and now” of each moment. This translates to a deeper level of thought for and genuine interest in others. I have a heightened sense of responsibility for how and what I communicate to others. Intentionality has shifted truth-telling to honesty, from dreading feedback to appreciating the worst of it and trading in the single story for multiple realities.

Overall, I enjoy a calmer demeanor, and am more grounded, with less anxiety and stress. I no longer need to control, I am open to change and unpredicted outcomes. I relish in more meaningful relationships with deeper connections and have experienced new levels of trust.

The Gestalt Experience is my way of helping others to change and to release the true leader that lies within.

The Gestalt experience will change your life and help you be a more effective leader.

Our values

Bringing real change to the systems that we live, work and play within.

Learn

Experiential and relevant with immediate implementation solutions and tools.

Lead

Lead from where you are - your family, your community, your place of worship, your organisation.

Love

We love people. We love the work. We love that people are transformed through the work.

What is Gestalt?

Gestalt theory is a theory of human nature, personality and behavior that explores the integration of all aspects of ourselves.

It focuses on how we can achieve balance in our lives by accepting our basic needs and desires as well as acknowledging the obstacles that prevent us from achieving them. Gestalt is holistic and includes mental health as leaders are encouraged to identify their feelings and understand how they affect and are affected by their relationships with others.

Photo by PICHA Stock: people a conference

Why we work with Leaders?

Leaders share a one-to-many relationships with team members.

Leaders are the agents of change and when they are aware of their power and intentional about their actions, change will occur. We remind leaders of the systemic effect of change and that while it may begin with self, leaders can impact, teams, organisations, societies and the larger world.

Why Gestalt Leadership?

Gestalt offers us an alternative to the traditional model of leadership development.

It focuses on creating leaders who know how to lead others but may not have their own voices heard Gestalt leaders serve as catalysts for positive change within their organizations by promoting awareness and attention to the “here and now” experience rather than being defined by past experiences or external factors outside themselves (i.e., previous leadership positions, competition).

Photo by PICHA Stock: Women sitting on a couch

From the Gestalt Experience team and community

Interviews, Articles, Podcast and Updates

Article

She Failed When She Was Promoted

When we manage managers or other senior leaders we need to examine our leadership style and ask ourselves - What do I need to shift to effectively lead these senior leaders?

Executive Presence- The Missing Skill That May Be Costing You Your Next Promotion

Have you ever wondered why someone who is brilliant at their job doesn't get promoted? Recently, I coached a highly respected leader who, despite consistently delivering excellent work, was repeatedly overlooked for more senior opportunities. Like many high performers, she believed she needed to contribute constantly in meetings. She filled every silence, asked lots of questions, and explained her thinking in detail. Together, we worked on something that seemed counterintuitive to create her Executive Presence.

Insight

The Psychology of Money: Why Your Relationship with Money Matters More Than Your Budget

What financial story are you still carrying that might be ready to change? Most of us have learned how to manage money. Fewer of us have learned how to manage our relationship with money. That relationship influences and shapes how we spend, save, invest, negotiate, give, avoid difficult conversations, and even how we define success. Over the years, I've come to realise that changing our relationship with money rarely begins with a financial tool It always begins with awareness. In this article I share the framework that sits at the heart of my upcoming book, Money, My Secret Shame. This is a Gestalt-informed approach to understanding and transforming our relationship with money through four stages: • Awareness – seeing the patterns we didn't know were there. • Sense-Making – understanding the stories that drive our financial decisions. • Contact – facing the emotions we often avoid. • Action – turning insight into healthier financial choices. Whether you're trying to build wealth, reduce financial stress, or simply understand why certain money habits keep repeating, I hope this article gives you a different perspective.

Article

AI, Trust, and Change: What Leaders Need to Know for Q3 2026

Why human adaptation—not technology—will determine success in the second half of 2026

Insight

The Book Knew Before I Did

Have you ever started a project believing it was about one thing, only to discover it was really about something much deeper? That is exactly what happened to me as I watched my book "From Paycheck to Profit" morph into "Money My Secret Shame." All I could do was surender.