On May 30, 2017, Filipino motivational speaker Pocholo “The VoiceMaster” Gonzales conducted an In-Service Training for the non-teaching staff of St. James Academy in Malabon. Around 50 school employees from different departments attended the half-day training which was held in the school library.

With the theme, “Change your Mind, Change your Life,” the training focused on shifting the mindset of the participants to approach life and work on a more positive light. Pocholo started by sharing his journey of being a voice artist, youth advocate and motivational speaker, as well as the challenges he had to overcome to become the person he is today. He spoke about his career as a voice artist and how he built his own company, and used his story as an example of how being passionate about one’s work will fuel them towards success.

Pocholo also talked about national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, whom he considers to be the epitome of greatness and excellence of Filipinos. He challenged the participants to discover their own greatness and their purpose just like our national hero. Pocholo also gave the audience several reflective questions to help them identify their purpose.

After a snack break, Voice Care Queen Ada Cuaresma took the stage to conduct the second half of the training. In line with the theme, Ada talked about dealing with people in the workplace. She led the participants through a series of activities that would help them improve their communication skills, and how they manage conflict with their colleagues. She also taught the participants to shift their mindset towards confronting people who disappoint or break expectations in the workplace.

In the end, Pocholo came back onstage to leave one last powerful inspirational bit to the audience. “Availability is your best ability.” Pocholo reminded the audience that the present is the only moment they have control over, so that they can maximize their time and live to be the best version of themselves.