Should you attend a Tony Robbins event?

Curious about attending one of Tony Robbins’ high-powered and high-priced events, but still unsure if it’s right for you? Read on.

If you’re reading this chances are you’re looking for some kind of personal transformation. Perhaps things haven’t worked out for you in one or more areas of your life, or you’d like to improve upon some recent success.

Then you read (or a friend who’s a raving fan has talked to you) about one of the Tony Robbins events – Unleash The Power Within (UPW), Date With Destiny or any of the other events that his company puts on annually.

The idea of surrounding yourself with tens of thousands of other personal development lovers in a rock concert-like atmosphere, and receiving training on how to become a better person and gain more success from one of the most successful personal development trainers of our generation is very alluring.

I get it. I’ve been tempted many times so I can definitely relate.

My cousin even offered me a free ticket one year but I didn’t end up going as I couldn’t commit to the entire 4 days. #sadface

For the record I’ve followed Tony Robbins online for over a decade. I’ve listened to his podcast, watched him on Oprah, and read some of his books. As a fellow NLP practitioner, most of what he teaches around mindset resonates with me, and he’s definitely one of the most dynamic and entertaining speakers I’ve come across.

Here’s a TED talk he did:

Here’s an interview Tony did on The School of Greatness podcast with Lewis Howes:

This is a powerful gratitude process Tony shared on the Oprah show.

It’s one of my favourites. So much so that I rehearsed it and delivered my own version at a talk I did a few years ago at fastBREAK – an innovation series of rapid-fire interactive talks co-produced by Vibewire and the Powerhouse Museum. You could say I channeled my “inner Tony Robbins” that day

I tell you what, even with a room of 100 people instead of thousands like Tony is accustomed to, I could feel the amazing energy of guiding people through a process like that. Talk about a major dopamine hit!

So is Tony Robbins right for you?

Well that depends on a bunch of factors, including:

Have you attended other personal growth seminars and workshops recently? If yes, what was your experience like? What actions did you take immediately afterwards that have positively impacted your life?
What books, podcasts, teachings have influenced your way of thinking? Did any challenge your beliefs in a positive way?
Are you working with a life or success coach, or a mentor who can help you see your strengths and flaws and guide you to becoming a better version of yourself?
Are you “seminar junkie” i.e. addicted to the adrenaline highs of ra-ra type events but doing very little to actually implement the teachings?
Do you have an existing spiritual practise? That might mean going to church often, meditating regularly or doing other spiritual work.
Are you surrounding yourself with like-minded people, who can love you and accept you for who you are and can support you and push you to be your best?

If you answered “yes” to any of the above, then you may not need to attend a Tony Robbins event. I’d encourage you to learn more about the “Tony Robbins experience” before making your decision.

So what I hope to do with this post is to share some interesting insights that others have shared online, and give you a better idea of what you can expect from investing in and attending one of Tony’s events.

I’ve tried to find reviews which are balanced, offering pros and cons of the Tony Robbins experience.

Should you attend a Tony Robbins event? Read this post to help you decide if it's right for you or not. Click To Tweet

Online reviews of Tony Robbins Unleash The Power Within event

Online reviews of the Tony Robbins documentary – “I Am Not Your Guru”

The Netflix documentary gives a behind-the-scenes look at Tony’s flagship event “Date With Destiny”.

Here’s what a couple of people have written about it:

Do you agree with Tony Robbins’ views on #meToo?

In addition to some of the potentially harmful techniques and practises Tony employs at his events (read the first 2 reviews linked above of the Robbins documentary), Robbins has also lost long-time fans as a result of the comments he made about the #meToo movement – a movement to support survivors and end sexual violence – at one of his events.

As one person shared with me:

Loved the big T for years until I saw his treatment of a woman at one of his events in relation to the #metoo movement. And you know what – it was EXTREMELY interesting to see him verbally and physically NOT keep his shit together. I could see it in his body. Made me realise that I have NEVER seen anyone challenge him. And the things he said about his friends in corporate having a ‘tough time’ hiring ATTRACTIVE women. Give me a f—— break.

Here’s the original video of the incident that went viral online. Watch it and decide for yourself whether or not you agree with how Robbins handled the situation.

Tarana Burke, founder of the #meToo movement, shared her response on Twitter:

@TonyRobbins If you talk to more SURVIVORS and less sexist businessmen maybe you’ll understand what we want. We want safety. We want healing. We want accountability. We want closure. We want to live a life free from shame. That’s the reality of the @MeTooMVMT sir, do better.

— Tarana (@TaranaBurke) 7 April 2018

Robbins has since issued a public apology in response to the backlash:

https://t.co/rWJ2wob8Ap pic.twitter.com/vRzXEdXVoJ

— Tony Robbins (@TonyRobbins) 8 April 2018

So whatever your take is on Tony Robbins the man, there’s no denying that he does dish out some powerful wisdom. Such as this…

Alternative paths to personal development and growth

There are many ways to achieve personal growth and development, with varying degrees of intensity and pricing.

Here are a few that I have personally experienced and can recommend:

Attend a 10-day Vipassana silent meditation retreat (pay what you can)
Participate in a yoga and wellness retreat (if you’re in Sydney, Australia check out Happy Buddha Retreats)
Take an improv theatre/comedy class (contrary to what people might think, improv comedy provides the practitioner with many more benefits than simply laughter and is a great way to overcome anxiety)
Attend a contact improvisation dance class, or take up salsa dancing (or other social dancing)
Hire a confidence coach (I recommend the work of Ivan Chew and Christina Canters)
Do 100 days of rejection therapy
Schedule a “me day” (one of my former coaching clients regularly took “me retreats” out in nature)
Do Tim Ferriss’ fear setting exercise
Download the 1 Giant Mind meditation app and do the 30 day meditation challenge for free.
Purchase a pack of Ask Deep Questions cards and play with your friends, or people who you really want to connect with on a deeper level. If you’re in Toronto, Canada check out the local Ask Deep Questions meetups, or host your own if you’re elsewhere!
Sign up for Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) training. I recommend the work of NLP Marin in the US and Jon Low in Sydney.

Want personal growth without having to attend a Tony Robbins event? Here are 11 suggestions for personal development. #personalgrowth Click To Tweet

Choose what feels right to you

You can certainly attend a Tony Robbins event if that’s what you feel compelled to do.

As you can see, there’s plenty of others ways that you can get in touch with what’s important to you, practise self awareness and challenge yourself to grow. Without the hefty price tag.

Have you attended a Tony Robbins event before or thinking of attending one soon? I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to share your thoughts with me and my community.

Anfernee Chansamooth