Testimonials

Projects and Partnerships Specialist, School Program

“The Flourish team of Mary Nanavati and Laura Gini-Newman recently partnered with our team at the Rick Hansen Foundation. Mary and Laura’s enthusiasm, understanding of curriculum and ability to apply it to learning resources are all excellent! I look forward to continuing to work with the Flourish team.”

Principal, Bramalea Secondary School

“Flourishing Mindset for students at Bramalea Secondary School served as an inclusive space for students to explore who they are and ground themselves. The intentional programming led by Mary and Laura empowered students in their learning and decision making. Lessons and experiential learning opportunities provided new learning and thinking where students were centered, identity was placed at the forefront and engagement was highly consistent. Students completed the program with much more confidence and were given the opportunity to implement their goals and plans within the school community.”

Director, Lifelong Leadership Institute, and Retired School Administrator

“In July and August of 2021, Flourish provided the Lifelong Leadership Institute (LLI) with outstanding service within the context of LLI’s SummerUp experience which offered 18 programs to Ontario’s Black students from grades 8 to 12. Funded by the Ontario Ministry of Education, these programs were designed to foster academic renewal, provide opportunities for experiencing the arts, and present a runway for student leadership aspirations to take flight. LLI contracted Flourish and the founders, Mary Nanavati and Laura Gini-Newman, to develop and teach two of these programs: Becoming a Leader at School and Mathematics-Solving Problems in Everyday Contexts. Both programs offered students extremely engaging online lessons of the highest academic quality over 10 weeks. The pedagogical expertise of Mary and Laura resulted in excellent feedback from their students. For example, 100% of surveyed participants of the Becoming a Leader at School course left the program “believing they improved their leadership ability and developed a positive mindset”. One student said, “My main takeaways were learning how to apply and flourish my leadership skills outside my own head and planning leadership goals and roles for the future.” As well, 100% of the participants of the Mathematics course left feeling “better prepared for success in the new academic year” and “developed a flourishing mindset by being encouraged to become strong, independent decision-makers using mathematics.” LLI offers its thanks and deepest appreciation to Mary and Laura for their exemplary work as educators.”

Chair, Lifelong Leadership Institute

“The Lifelong Leadership Institute aspires to provide exemplary mentorship services to students enrolled in its signature program Leadership by Design (LBD). When it came time to provide training for mentors and parents of our LBD students, we turned to Laura Gini-Newman and Mary Nanavati at Flourish Co. The quality of the training Flourish Co provided reinforced our view that we had hired the best in the business. Their training sessions were defined by a depth of preparation and knowledge and also by the ability to make complex ideas easily understood. More importantly, their ability to authentically connect with a diverse audience was most impressive.

The LLI has opted to further plumb the expertise of Flourish Co. The company has been retained to write learning modules for a specialized mentorship platform that will advance the relations between our mentors and mentees. The LLI would be hard-pressed to find educators who are as effective and experienced as Laura Gini-Newman and Mary Nanavati.”

Executive Director, Community Justice Society, Halifax, Nova Scotia

“Mary and Laura offered training that aligned with the principles of our restorative work. Despite being in separate provinces, and in the midst of the global pandemic, they worked with me to understand our process, and then developed and offered meaningful content, which led to impactful discussions and learning. Mary and Laura’s dedication to personal and professional development will certainly help all of their participants flourish!”

Founder and President of the Alma Foundation

“Laura and Mary spent hours creating a clear understanding of our philosophy and the needs of the students and teachers we work with. Thanks to their deep experience and open-minded inquiries into our work, we we were able to create a teacher training program that truly integrates social-emotional wellbeing, critical thinking, and state-mandated curriculum that could be passed on to teachers and implemented in the classroom.”

College Board Representative, Canada

“As the largest facilitator of enriched learning in Canada, serving over 500 schools in every province and territory, Advanced Placement (AP) Canada is honoured to work with Flourish to open more doors to students from marginalized communities to pursue their dreams in post-secondary education. Through our national initiative to empower more young women to pursue Computer Science as a carrier and education opportunity, Mary and Laura are helping to train high school teachers and create resources that foster a more diverse and inclusive classroom. In a field that has traditionally alienated and segregated many groups, Mary and Laura are empowering a new generation of teachers and administrators to create inclusive learning opportunities that embrace the digital skills and competencies required to be successful in the future economy.”

Teacher, Ontario

“Mary has been a professional mentor and coach to me for over 8 years. In this time, her welcoming and encouraging approach has helped me to take risks, strengthen my leadership skills, broaden my professional network, and develop a greater sense of professional joy. I have also observed her transform school cultures into flourishing environments full of professional learning and mutual support. Whether you are seeking personal growth, or need help developing your organization, the team at Flourish Co will be exactly what you are looking for.”

Principal, Ontario

“Mary’s ability to listen to the needs of her clients and probe their thinking is exceptional. She is committed to assisting others to lead their most authentic lives through coaching that is grounded in acknowledgement, attentive listening, strategic questioning and visualization. I highly recommend Mary as both a coach and a mentor and am honoured to have journeyed with her in this process.”

Vice Principal, Ontario

“Having Mary as my life and career coach has been a profound learning experience for me. I am able to focus and set goals that enable me to work towards my potential. Mary is phenomenal in her ability to listen intently so that she can support and encourage me. I highly recommend that everyone get a coach. Everyone needs a champion and someone who believes in your abilities.”

Educator, Ontario

“Laura is an excellent coach. I’ve been fortunate to be a participant in many of her workshops, as a colleague in co-authoring teacher resources, and as a mentee developing my skills as a leader. Her ability to ask powerful questions fosters reflective thought that allows me to push and deepen my understandings. She has a positive attitude, is an effective communicator, and active listener which has increased my confidence and capacity as an independent learner.”

Coach, Manitoba

“Working with Laura was the best decision I could have made. She has guided me to do the hard work that needed to be done. Laura has such a positive attitude and supportive coaching manner that even when I was pushed out of my comfort zone and my thinking was challenged, I felt encouraged and excited to keep moving forward. She helped me look at things in a whole new way and she inspired me to be a much better leader.”