Joan Starkowsky is a professional of excellence who has successfully carried the mantle of business leadership.
Joan Starkowsky is a professional of excellence who has successfully carried the mantle of business leadership. It is her proven excellence that allows her to know how to coach and consult to leaders who are looking to succeed in today's business environment.
Dorothy E. Siminovitch, Ph.D. MCC
Executive Coaching and Program Chairperson
Gestalt Center for Organization Systems Development
Joan kept us focused and facilitated an outcome that invigorated our team and drives our culture and client service structure.
Joan did a great job of leading the partners of Millennial Group through a personal mission/vision process that allowed us to re-engineer our corporate mission, vision, values and operating agreements. Joan kept us focused and facilitated an outcome that invigorated our team and drives our culture and client service structure.
Jesse Hurst, CFP, AIF
President
Impel Wealth Management, Inc.
Her knowledge of the home care industry is excellent, given her years in the business.
Mary Ellen Garofalo is one of the hardest working, passionate, committed, and grounded people I have had the pleasure of working with. Her knowledge of the home care industry is excellent, given her years in the business. Mary Ellen’s tenacity to develop relationships with all whom she comes in contact with, learn every market that her program serviced, create start- up programs in hospitals throughout the country, and really nurture those relationships with the utmost of care, are some of the reasons for her success.
Susan Ingalls
Regional Director
Bayada Home Healthcare
I highly recommend Joan Starkowsky for anyone who is looking to change, better their careers, and find happiness in life.
I highly recommend Joan Starkowsky for anyone who is looking to change, better their careers, and find happiness in life. At first, I thought I would attend a few sessions with Joan and be on my way to happiness, a sense of self, and a more productive career that was a better fit for me. However, I found it involves a personal journey with months of digging deep inside. By studying my behaviors, strengths, and challenges, by minimizing those holding me back while maximizing my potential, I came to realize that I am a special, unique individual with numerous abilities and talents…….and realized it's crucial we find our real "passion" in life. Joan takes you on that ride to find your passion and it is truly apparent that Joan herself lives her own passion while doing so.
Lucy S.
Reginal Manager
Nurse Practitioner
Joan is a pleasure to work with. I sincerely recommend her.
Joan worked as a coach-consultant to me and my team of four Vice Presidents for a year, meeting with us monthly. We worked in areas like strengths, building trust among ourselves and with our followers, and recognizing and employing a broader range of situation-appropriate leadership styles. Joan is an excellent coach! Even among a group of "seasoned" senior leaders, she engendered a remarkable amount of growth and development. Joan is a pleasure to work with. I sincerely recommend her.
Nancy Kerins
Senior Vice President
Educational Testing, Inc.
Mary Ellen maintained regular follow up visits with him long after the acute period had passed.
Mary Ellen managed the transition of my college aged son from his unexpected stroke (paralyzed from the neck down, on a ventilator with a feeding tube), until he was discharged from the rehabilitation hospital to our home. Mary Ellen maintained regular follow up visits with him long after the acute period had passed. She followed up with us often and made herself personally available to answer questions and offer advice and solutions. She is a true angel and professional and I am so grateful. My son no longer uses a ventilator or feeding tube and is living independently with home health assistance.
Jamie Chesman
Parent
I would highly recommend Joan to anyone seeking guidance on their career path.
Joan's ability to help you realize your goals, abilities, purpose and direction based on your internal drive is truly unique and extremely valuable. I would highly recommend Joan to anyone seeking guidance on their career path. Joan was wonderful, inspiring, and empowering to work with. Please feel free to contact me about any questions on her excellent work.
Emily Wengel
Research & Development
She taught me how to balance myself and work in a way that I could achieve a desired result.
I worked with Joan on some tremendous show jitters that I had before competition. In working with her and her horses and animals, I was pointed in a direction of inward. Joan guided me through an inner journey that allowed me to become aware of the lack of congruence I had. She taught me how to balance myself and work in a way that I could achieve a desired result. She has helped open many doors for me to allow for personal and professional growth.
Crystal Burr
Licensed Optician and Competitive Equestrian
I feel more individuals and businesses should invest in this type of analysis.
I engaged Sirocco Coach-Consulting to provide me an evaluation that included strengths, thinking and acting, and behavioral assessments. The process was thorough, and most importantly extremely helpful for me personally and professionally. I obtained a better awareness of my communication style and how I receive communication from others. Further, I gained clarity as to what type of social or work environment suits me best. I feel more individuals and businesses should invest in this type of analysis. Sirocco Coach-Consulting provided me with an extremely professional and valuable service.
Sanford C. Trado, CPA
True North Financial Group, LLC
Mary Ellen created a safe, judgment-free space where I could express my fears, and hopes, and feel the strength of the group.
Joining this small cancer group was a lifesaver, helping me fight against feeling alone and depressed. From the first meeting, I felt welcomed and understood by men and women who truly understood what I was going through. We all developed such a connection. Mary Ellen created a safe, judgment-free space where I could express my fears, and hopes, and feel the strength of the group. Beyond emotional support, I learned practical tips for managing my treatment days and connecting with resources I didn’t know, like the special dietician who discussed nutrition during cancer treatment.
Diana D.
Breast cancer survivor
She is an engaging, entertaining and informative speaker. Joan speaks from the heart.
I am pleased to recommend Joan to you. She is an engaging, entertaining and informative speaker. Joan speaks from the heart. You will not be disappointed.
Melinda Schumacher, MD
She not only walks the talk, she provides solid ground for her followers to walk with confidence and leadership competence.
I was a student in the International Gestalt Coaching Program when I first met Joan, who was the guest executive speaker to our graduating class. Joan's model of leadership and coaching was powerful. The many examples she shared with us through her own personal development impacted me personally. I learned the significance of "followership" when leading competent teams. Joan's wonderful use of humor as she shared her experiences with how her horses taught her to be an effective leader were extraordinary. She is humble, strong, vulnerable, direct, tough, and one of the most caring leaders in her industry. I could have listened to her leadership lessons for two more hours. It's not often that a leader shares their leadership lessons. Joan's honesty and courage with her team made me envious of all those who work with Joan. She clearly is committed to creating an environment where people can do their very best work. She not only walks the talk, she provides solid ground for her followers to walk with confidence and leadership competence.
Geri Grossman
President
My Executive Coach
She is a passionate professional and a true asset to any organization!
Mary Ellen’s compassion is evident in everything that she does. She is such a hard worker, an innovator, super creative, and has a great sense of humor. She is a passionate professional and a true asset to any organization!
Susan Ingalls
Regional Director
I found her story compelling and the presentation to have been beautifully crafted and engaging.
I had the privilege of sharing the podium with Joan Starkowsky at a conference on Executive Coaching sponsored by the Gestalt Institute. I found her story compelling and the presentation to have been beautifully crafted and engaging.
Jamie K. Stoller, M.D.
Executive Director
Physician Leadership Development
She has helped us engage our entire team in the process
Joan Starkowsky, in her role as a business consultant to the Millennial Group, has helped the partners be able to focus on what drives and motivates us to serve our clients. She has helped us refocus our efforts and have a mission-based service model that allows us to pursue our business and serving our clients with excellence. Her appreciative inquiry style of consulting, which focuses on what we do well and how we can make it better, is a refreshing approach. One of the things that we appreciate most about Joan is, as a business leader herself, she is not talking just in theory about what we do and how we do it. She has lived this in her role as president of a division of a major corporation -- and understands the human resources, operations and finance issues related to actually running a successful business. She has helped us engage our entire team in the process. Our team feels a pride of authorship and ownership over our mission and vision. She has also helped us with tools to help put the right team members in the right place, so that we can hire effectively and utilize the skills and gifts of each team member to accomplish our goals.
Jess W. Hurst II, CFP
Partner
The Millennial Group
After her presentation, I observed my medical team actually practicing how to de-stress themselves
Mary Ellen recently did a presentation on “Success Over Stress” to my medical team. Our jobs are so stressful with time constraints that we are tense every day. After her presentation, I observed my medical team actually practicing how to de-stress themselves, plus I vowed to be more intentional about setting short stress breaks for the team ongoing. No wonder she is one of our favorite presenters! She’s interesting to listen to and her presentations get results!
Karen W.
Team Leader BC/BS
Paradoxically, this realization helped me to own more of my power at work and in life.
My work with Joan and her horse, Sirocco, helped me connect authentically with myself and supported me to become aware of how I keep myself from owning my power. Paradoxically, this realization helped me to own more of my power at work and in life.
Laurie Zuckerman
President & Consultant
Zuckerman Consulting Group, Inc.
Even when I arrived at the barn, I was still somewhat suspect about equine assisted coaching.
Even when I arrived at the barn, I was still somewhat suspect about equine assisted coaching. After I chose my horse, Joan asked me several thought-provoking questions as she observed the horse's movements. Standing in front of the horse, I felt a profound sadness. I was amazed to realize the horse was mirroring the deep sadness in my own heart and soul. I cried like an untapped faucet, while the horse lovingly kept her head by my shoulder...It was like a thousand pounds was lifted off me that may have taken years to release in conventional therapy.
Mary Ellen Garofalo, RN, BA, CRRN, SPHR
Clinical Liaison Program Manager
Rehabilitation Specialist
I will soon retire, but I owe a lot of my success to you! Stay healthy and may you enjoy all of God’s blessings!
Yep, time does not stand still. Little did you or I know during our time together in sales that you mentoring me in the sales questioning process would prep me for my success in investigative cognitive interview skills, which I have been doing for the past 10 years. I will soon retire, but I owe a lot of my success to you! Stay healthy and may you enjoy all of God's blessings!
Ron Hawkins
Deputy at Harris County Sheriff’s Office
I feel fortunate to be the recipient of her outstanding insight and coaching.
Joan at Sirocco Coach-Consulting worked with our leadership team of which I am a member. I feel fortunate to be the recipient of her outstanding insight and coaching. Thanks to her ability to effectively use tools, such as Strengths Based Leadership, she was able to help us all better recognize our unique strengths and how as a team, we could more effectively leverage our strengths to greatly improve our output. Not only do I see the benefit of her work with us each day, I find work more enjoyable as well. I highly recommend her to anyone that is interested in growing as a leader.
Daniel Wakeman
Vice President & CIO
