From my Speakers...
Elizabeth Strickler - Director, Media and Entrepreneurship at Georgia State University
Allison was my TEDx Atlanta coach and boy did she have a task. She took me from 14 pages of random ideas and difficult technology to 4 pages resulting in a 10 minute, coherent story. She is flexible, fun, and smart - always guiding the talk back to the audience's experience. She gave feedback in a variety of formats to keep the rapid pace needed to complete the talk in time. I highly recommend Allision, she is a wonder.
James WoolardJames Woolard CMO Freight Farms
Allison is a first class speaker coach and wonderful person. She worked with me on my talk at TedXStGeorge with a calm, simple style that sharpened and improved the final result - all the time with a collaborative but "moving it forward" style. I feel very fortunate to have worked with her.
Hannah Testa 17 year old Eco-Activist and Speaker at Hannah4Change
Allison worked with me on several occasions to fine-tune several of my speeches. She is a very patient and understanding coach who has excellent ideas to bring out the best in my speeches. She's a very good listener as well and skilled at crafting messages that are geared toward the audience and their needs. I will continue to work with Allison in the future and recommend her most highly!
Tee Faircloth- Innovation in Rural Healthcare
Allison is sharp and insightful, while also empathetic and hysterical. She really drilled down into a complex topic and extracted the core principles which made for an engaging speech. She is extremely patient while also spearheading the project forward. Allison's a true partner and an absolute pleasure to work with.
Tish Hevel CEO Founder The Brain Donor Bank
Allison helped me take what was a decent script and make it into an influential, engaging narrative that clearly moved a TEDx audience. Sure, I was already passionate about the topic that touched my family (www.braindonorproject.org) and I'd chosen some compelling words to talk about it. But Allison saw exactly what else was needed to give the message more impact and infuse it with the power it deserved. Thank you for helping me maximize one heck of an opportunity by adding real potency.
Claire Sewell Mason-Enterprise UX Lead at The Home Depot
I had the pleasure of working with Allison on a TedX style talk for the Customer Experience Summit in Atlanta. I came to Allison with a speech that I thought was mostly ready and just needed some final polishing. Boy was I wrong! Allison’s insightful feedback took what was an okay talk and made it into an impactful, engaging, and funny narrative that connected with the audience. She has an uncanny ability to pinpoint exactly what you need to tell the most engaging story, make the strongest point, and do it in a way that reflects your personality and quirks. I would highly recommend Allison to anyone who wants to take their speech to the next level.
Mike Zelkind- CEO 80 Acres Farms
Allison is a phenomenal speaking coach. She cuts through all the peripheral stuff in your mind and your speech and helps you focus on what really matters. She has a keen ability to identify the essence of your topic and professionally, which mean firmly yet without offending you, help you get that message out.
James Wells Professor of Pediatrics @Cincinnati Children's Hospital.
Allison is a wonderful speaking coach and was extremely helpful in my preparation of a TEDx talk. she provided insightful comments on how to make my very technical subject very approachable for a lay audience.
Audrey Jacobs-Vice President and Wealth Advisor at Bernstein Private Wealth Management
Allison is an AMAZING speech and writing coach. I was honored to give a TEDx talk and worked with many local coaches. I was afraid to work with someone remotely, but I was wrong. Allison was by far the most helpful and effective to edit my writing and delivery so that was impactful, tight and still reflected my passion and purpose. She reviewed a lot of drafts and recorded videos. She is patient, professional, efficient and an absolute delight to work with. I speak and write for a living and didn't believe someone could make me that much better, and she did!
Lucy Higgins-16 Year Old TEDx Speaker
Allison is an incredible speaker coach as she is willing to work with each speaker to find their own voice in their speech. She has shown me how I could improve my own speaking in ways that were suited just for me. She gave and continued to give advice in a loving manner which actually drives my desire to listen and improve. I truly am so grateful for all the kind of words of wisdom she gave me to make my speaking experience one I will never forget.
Yannie Tan - Atlanta International School
Mrs. Gars is a wonderful, enthusiastic and encouraging speech coach that is very experienced in the organization, structure and flow of speeches. I had the opportunity to work with Mrs. Gars on my project on inspiring students and adults to listen and enjoy classical music. I felt like she aided me with suggestions and advice to clarify my message to the audience. I believe that without Mrs. Gars, my speech would not be as inspiring to as many people as it had at the conferences that I spoke at.
Allison is an incredible speaker coach as she is willing to work with each speaker to find their own voice in their speech. She is a mentor in many ways as she helped prepare me for the event and support throughout. She has always communicated with me and been diligent in following through. She has shown me how I could improve my own speaking in ways that were suited just for me. She gave and continued to give advice in a loving manner which actually drives my desire to listen and improve. She has continued to reach out and be a mentor to me even after the event which truly speaks to her sincere desire to help those she works with. I truly am so grateful for all the kinda words of wisdom she gave me to make my speaking experience one I will never forget
Katie Nall, Ph.D. Disc Instructor, EFT Certified Practioner
It wasn't until I received the email welcoming me to present at TedX that the panic set in. How would I write an engaging talk, memorize it, and give it in the seemingly short amount of time allotted to the speakers? At that moment, I realized not only did I need coaching, I needed a much higher level of coaching than ever before. Through due diligence, I researched many coaches, interviewing three. What the coaches didn't know is I checked on the results of their clients' TedX talks - only one coach appeared to consistently produce high quality, memorable, and sharable TedX speakers - Allison Wonders Gars. Allison's skills as a TedX coach stem from her base of a quality life coach. Gently nudging her clients into greatness, Allison allows the client's natural ability to spring forth. From our beginning meeting, to the end when she presented analysis of the completed video, Allison shared her perspective in such a manner to encourage me to be greater. Undoubtedly, Allison's coaching propelled my TedX talk to hundreds of views in less than a day, and over 1,000 organic views on YouTube in less than 2 weeks. There are many TedX coaches available to choose - Allison Wonders Gars was the very best choice for me.
Tracey Stuckrath, CSEP, CMM, CHC, CFM Professional Speaker
Allison was wonderful to work with when strategizing and practicing for a new speaking opportunity. Her guidance and tips helped me streamline and focus the presentation since I was cutting a speech from 60 minutes to 10. Would definitely work with her again.
Jacob Cramer 14 year old, Founder of Love for the Elderly, lovefortheelderly.org
Allison is an absolutely phenomenal speaking coach. I speak regularly at lots of different events and seminars, almost always giving the same standardized talk about me and my organization. Nevertheless, Allison helped to turn my speech at TEDxCincinnati into something truly worthwhile. She helped me in so many aspects, and since working with her, my speaking abilities have improved greatly. The foundation of confidence in speaking that she instilled in me was so imperative while speaking at TEDxCincinnati. Allison is a brilliant speaker coach; I am truly honored to have had the opportunity to work with her!
Maya S. Penn--15 yr Old Entrepreneur--Maya Ideas - SEE MAYA'S TED TALK
Allison Gars is a fantastic coach. She is helpful, honest, precise, and pays attention to detail. I am a public speaker and I speak on a regular basis, but since working with Allison I have improved greatly. She is full of great tips and ideas, and I know that she truly wants to bring out the best in everyone she coaches. I couldn't have found anyone better to help me prepare for my speech for the TEDx Youth Unleash Our Power event. I feel I speak for everyone who spoke at TEDx Youth when I say she really "Unleashed Our Power".
Daphne Greenberg, Professor, Educational Psychology and Special Education Georgia State University
A BIG thank you to Allison. She worked wonders with me! I am used to giving academic talks, but due to her patience, commitment, and belief in me, I was able to translate my message into a Tedx Peachtree talk. When I first started, I had no idea how to give such a talk. But Allison helped me transform my ideas into a story worth telling. I loved how she was willing to give her all, work as often as I wanted to work, and spent time reviewing my drafts over, and over again. She helped me focus on my strengths and inspired me to keep reaching inside to find the story teller in me. She never gave up on me, and always exuded confidence that I would be able to do it. And because of her I was able to do it!
Raja Selvakumar--Student MIT
Allison is a fantastic Speaking Coach. While I already have had many experiences in presenting my work to other people and being on stage before, she had a clear vision of how she wanted me to speak to make my message clear both to her and the public. More than that, she was an understanding and charismatic person who went around and genuinely cared for each and everyone's personal story, and it was amazing to see the magic that she exuded in a span of less than two hours upon us individuals. I hope that she is able to continue to be the mouthpiece for the trumpet of words for individuals like those who spoke at TEDx that day!
Toren Anderson - Personal Branding Consultant & Co-Founder AidanCares.org
I have had the pleasure of seeing Allison speak, coach and host a large event. She is fresh, uninhibited and there is nothing canned or stale about her craft. These days it's not about perfect execution, it's about passion and speaking from the heart. Her ability and gifts cut to the chase to find the heart of the matter. She does it all with verve, positive energy and skill. I would highly recommend her. I have been in the event and public speaking industry for 30 years, she is great. She is living out her dream by helping others project their best selves. Forget Toastmasters, you need Allison!
Crystal Kadakia-Human Capital Consultant
Allison was my speaker coach for a TEDx talk. She was brilliant! She was supportive, acknowledging the work I had put into the talk, while at the same time, providing insightful guidance to improve the overall message. She helped to narrow a complicated topic to a more simple, easily understood, single message. I really appreciated her help - it was very constructive
Reminton Youngblood, Change4Georgia
I am a big fan of Allison! She is a positive, passionate, enthusiastic, and open-minded speech coach! If I was struggling with something, she found a solution! She was available to me whenever I needed her. Her advice and guidance made me a better speaker. I had a lot of positive comments after my presentation, so I knew she had prepared me right. I felt like I had a fine-tuned presentation that was focused on my IDEA worth sharing, creating maximum value for everyone. Because of being coached by Allison, I upgraded from business to first class! Allison loves her job and it shows. She put 100% into coaching me to be prepared for Tedx Youth, and that is what being a professional is!
Elizabeth Strickler - Director, Media and Entrepreneurship at Georgia State University
Allison was my TEDx Atlanta coach and boy did she have a task. She took me from 14 pages of random ideas and difficult technology to 4 pages resulting in a 10 minute, coherent story. She is flexible, fun, and smart - always guiding the talk back to the audience's experience. She gave feedback in a variety of formats to keep the rapid pace needed to complete the talk in time. I highly recommend Allision, she is a wonder.
James WoolardJames Woolard CMO Freight Farms
Allison is a first class speaker coach and wonderful person. She worked with me on my talk at TedXStGeorge with a calm, simple style that sharpened and improved the final result - all the time with a collaborative but "moving it forward" style. I feel very fortunate to have worked with her.
Hannah Testa 17 year old Eco-Activist and Speaker at Hannah4Change
Allison worked with me on several occasions to fine-tune several of my speeches. She is a very patient and understanding coach who has excellent ideas to bring out the best in my speeches. She's a very good listener as well and skilled at crafting messages that are geared toward the audience and their needs. I will continue to work with Allison in the future and recommend her most highly!
Tee Faircloth- Innovation in Rural Healthcare
Allison is sharp and insightful, while also empathetic and hysterical. She really drilled down into a complex topic and extracted the core principles which made for an engaging speech. She is extremely patient while also spearheading the project forward. Allison's a true partner and an absolute pleasure to work with.
Tish Hevel CEO Founder The Brain Donor Bank
Allison helped me take what was a decent script and make it into an influential, engaging narrative that clearly moved a TEDx audience. Sure, I was already passionate about the topic that touched my family (www.braindonorproject.org) and I'd chosen some compelling words to talk about it. But Allison saw exactly what else was needed to give the message more impact and infuse it with the power it deserved. Thank you for helping me maximize one heck of an opportunity by adding real potency.
Claire Sewell Mason-Enterprise UX Lead at The Home Depot
I had the pleasure of working with Allison on a TedX style talk for the Customer Experience Summit in Atlanta. I came to Allison with a speech that I thought was mostly ready and just needed some final polishing. Boy was I wrong! Allison’s insightful feedback took what was an okay talk and made it into an impactful, engaging, and funny narrative that connected with the audience. She has an uncanny ability to pinpoint exactly what you need to tell the most engaging story, make the strongest point, and do it in a way that reflects your personality and quirks. I would highly recommend Allison to anyone who wants to take their speech to the next level.
Mike Zelkind- CEO 80 Acres Farms
Allison is a phenomenal speaking coach. She cuts through all the peripheral stuff in your mind and your speech and helps you focus on what really matters. She has a keen ability to identify the essence of your topic and professionally, which mean firmly yet without offending you, help you get that message out.
James Wells Professor of Pediatrics @Cincinnati Children's Hospital.
Allison is a wonderful speaking coach and was extremely helpful in my preparation of a TEDx talk. she provided insightful comments on how to make my very technical subject very approachable for a lay audience.
Audrey Jacobs-Vice President and Wealth Advisor at Bernstein Private Wealth Management
Allison is an AMAZING speech and writing coach. I was honored to give a TEDx talk and worked with many local coaches. I was afraid to work with someone remotely, but I was wrong. Allison was by far the most helpful and effective to edit my writing and delivery so that was impactful, tight and still reflected my passion and purpose. She reviewed a lot of drafts and recorded videos. She is patient, professional, efficient and an absolute delight to work with. I speak and write for a living and didn't believe someone could make me that much better, and she did!
Lucy Higgins-16 Year Old TEDx Speaker
Allison is an incredible speaker coach as she is willing to work with each speaker to find their own voice in their speech. She has shown me how I could improve my own speaking in ways that were suited just for me. She gave and continued to give advice in a loving manner which actually drives my desire to listen and improve. I truly am so grateful for all the kind of words of wisdom she gave me to make my speaking experience one I will never forget.
Yannie Tan - Atlanta International School
Mrs. Gars is a wonderful, enthusiastic and encouraging speech coach that is very experienced in the organization, structure and flow of speeches. I had the opportunity to work with Mrs. Gars on my project on inspiring students and adults to listen and enjoy classical music. I felt like she aided me with suggestions and advice to clarify my message to the audience. I believe that without Mrs. Gars, my speech would not be as inspiring to as many people as it had at the conferences that I spoke at.
Allison is an incredible speaker coach as she is willing to work with each speaker to find their own voice in their speech. She is a mentor in many ways as she helped prepare me for the event and support throughout. She has always communicated with me and been diligent in following through. She has shown me how I could improve my own speaking in ways that were suited just for me. She gave and continued to give advice in a loving manner which actually drives my desire to listen and improve. She has continued to reach out and be a mentor to me even after the event which truly speaks to her sincere desire to help those she works with. I truly am so grateful for all the kinda words of wisdom she gave me to make my speaking experience one I will never forget
Katie Nall, Ph.D. Disc Instructor, EFT Certified Practioner
It wasn't until I received the email welcoming me to present at TedX that the panic set in. How would I write an engaging talk, memorize it, and give it in the seemingly short amount of time allotted to the speakers? At that moment, I realized not only did I need coaching, I needed a much higher level of coaching than ever before. Through due diligence, I researched many coaches, interviewing three. What the coaches didn't know is I checked on the results of their clients' TedX talks - only one coach appeared to consistently produce high quality, memorable, and sharable TedX speakers - Allison Wonders Gars. Allison's skills as a TedX coach stem from her base of a quality life coach. Gently nudging her clients into greatness, Allison allows the client's natural ability to spring forth. From our beginning meeting, to the end when she presented analysis of the completed video, Allison shared her perspective in such a manner to encourage me to be greater. Undoubtedly, Allison's coaching propelled my TedX talk to hundreds of views in less than a day, and over 1,000 organic views on YouTube in less than 2 weeks. There are many TedX coaches available to choose - Allison Wonders Gars was the very best choice for me.
Tracey Stuckrath, CSEP, CMM, CHC, CFM Professional Speaker
Allison was wonderful to work with when strategizing and practicing for a new speaking opportunity. Her guidance and tips helped me streamline and focus the presentation since I was cutting a speech from 60 minutes to 10. Would definitely work with her again.
Jacob Cramer 14 year old, Founder of Love for the Elderly, lovefortheelderly.org
Allison is an absolutely phenomenal speaking coach. I speak regularly at lots of different events and seminars, almost always giving the same standardized talk about me and my organization. Nevertheless, Allison helped to turn my speech at TEDxCincinnati into something truly worthwhile. She helped me in so many aspects, and since working with her, my speaking abilities have improved greatly. The foundation of confidence in speaking that she instilled in me was so imperative while speaking at TEDxCincinnati. Allison is a brilliant speaker coach; I am truly honored to have had the opportunity to work with her!
Maya S. Penn--15 yr Old Entrepreneur--Maya Ideas - SEE MAYA'S TED TALK
Allison Gars is a fantastic coach. She is helpful, honest, precise, and pays attention to detail. I am a public speaker and I speak on a regular basis, but since working with Allison I have improved greatly. She is full of great tips and ideas, and I know that she truly wants to bring out the best in everyone she coaches. I couldn't have found anyone better to help me prepare for my speech for the TEDx Youth Unleash Our Power event. I feel I speak for everyone who spoke at TEDx Youth when I say she really "Unleashed Our Power".
Daphne Greenberg, Professor, Educational Psychology and Special Education Georgia State University
A BIG thank you to Allison. She worked wonders with me! I am used to giving academic talks, but due to her patience, commitment, and belief in me, I was able to translate my message into a Tedx Peachtree talk. When I first started, I had no idea how to give such a talk. But Allison helped me transform my ideas into a story worth telling. I loved how she was willing to give her all, work as often as I wanted to work, and spent time reviewing my drafts over, and over again. She helped me focus on my strengths and inspired me to keep reaching inside to find the story teller in me. She never gave up on me, and always exuded confidence that I would be able to do it. And because of her I was able to do it!
Raja Selvakumar--Student MIT
Allison is a fantastic Speaking Coach. While I already have had many experiences in presenting my work to other people and being on stage before, she had a clear vision of how she wanted me to speak to make my message clear both to her and the public. More than that, she was an understanding and charismatic person who went around and genuinely cared for each and everyone's personal story, and it was amazing to see the magic that she exuded in a span of less than two hours upon us individuals. I hope that she is able to continue to be the mouthpiece for the trumpet of words for individuals like those who spoke at TEDx that day!
Toren Anderson - Personal Branding Consultant & Co-Founder AidanCares.org
I have had the pleasure of seeing Allison speak, coach and host a large event. She is fresh, uninhibited and there is nothing canned or stale about her craft. These days it's not about perfect execution, it's about passion and speaking from the heart. Her ability and gifts cut to the chase to find the heart of the matter. She does it all with verve, positive energy and skill. I would highly recommend her. I have been in the event and public speaking industry for 30 years, she is great. She is living out her dream by helping others project their best selves. Forget Toastmasters, you need Allison!
Crystal Kadakia-Human Capital Consultant
Allison was my speaker coach for a TEDx talk. She was brilliant! She was supportive, acknowledging the work I had put into the talk, while at the same time, providing insightful guidance to improve the overall message. She helped to narrow a complicated topic to a more simple, easily understood, single message. I really appreciated her help - it was very constructive
Reminton Youngblood, Change4Georgia
I am a big fan of Allison! She is a positive, passionate, enthusiastic, and open-minded speech coach! If I was struggling with something, she found a solution! She was available to me whenever I needed her. Her advice and guidance made me a better speaker. I had a lot of positive comments after my presentation, so I knew she had prepared me right. I felt like I had a fine-tuned presentation that was focused on my IDEA worth sharing, creating maximum value for everyone. Because of being coached by Allison, I upgraded from business to first class! Allison loves her job and it shows. She put 100% into coaching me to be prepared for Tedx Youth, and that is what being a professional is!
