Photo courtesy of Randy Stewart, Wikipedia
Businessman, author and philanthropist Tony Robbins, a well known motivational speaker, has released a documentary on Netflix, in what is the latest installment in a long line of exclusive releases for the online streaming service.
Born Anthony J. Mahavoric, Robbins has more than 30 years of motivational speaking and teachings under his belt. He has written several books and holds seminars around the country, spreading his knowledge on how to live life to the fullest and overcome deep, personal issues. Netflix’s hour and 55 minute-long documentary, titled “Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru,” follows Tony Robbins and his team through his preparation for his yearly six-day seminar “Date With Destiny,” which is based in Boca Raton, Florida. 2,500 people attended the event filmed in the documentary. The seminar is a full-blown production: Robbins is translated for non-English attendees, and accommodations are made for the hearing impaired.
This film grants viewers never-before-seen, backstage access to the inner workings of Robbins and his life-changing event. The seminar is broken into several different topics, including relationships, and Robbins even calls for people who are dealing with suicidal thoughts. The seminar is extremely interactive, leaving no room for people to be shy or withdrawn from what is going on. It’s truly a group effort; Robbins encourages audience members to call their fellow attendees “teammates.”
Tony Robbins holds nothing back. He gives attendees nothing but the truth, calling people out on their lies and telling them when they are holding back. Robbins selected people from the crowd, and walked from the stage to wherever they were sitting, creating a one-on-one interaction, allowing both the audience and the documentary to focus on the person and their issue. He calls these interactions “breakthroughs.”
One such testimony came from a young girl named Sienna, who is having issues with her father. Robbins is able to reach deep into that problem, and help the girl resolve it by creating a better relationship between the girl and her father. Another emotional testimony comes from a young woman named Dawn, who had grown up in a Brazilian cult named "Children of God," a group reputed to be built around sexual abuse and the theory that love is generated through sex. Robbins is able to get through to this woman, who had wanted to take her own life. She had been struggling with the true meaning of love, but knew that it was out there somewhere. Robbins helped set her on the path to find it. Robbins even broke down, as he was so touched by Dawn’s story. Robbins offered to teach her his ways, by setting her up with a coach who would teach her how to coach people and become a motivational speaker herself. Robbins truly is the real deal, as is this new documentary about him.
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