"The Superpower of Personal Development Impacts Students Test Scores and Resiliency" with Michael Warwick of Exam Magic

Driven 2 Educate

One of Michael Warwick’s students, Doreen, had a beautiful voice and a dream of having a job as a singer on a cruise ship. In Michael’s view, this was a very achievable dream with talent like hers. But, with her limiting beliefs, partly encouraged and created by her mom, he knew she’d never achieve it if she didn’t transform her beliefs.

Michael, a musician turned teacher, had already been really bothered by the self-limiting, self-talk and conversations he overheard in his classroom. But, this was his turning point. Having suffered from depression and gotten the help he needed through psychotherapy, he was convinced that students could benefit from the tools he was learning, too. So, little by little, he introduced topics such as gratitude and visualization to his students. Which was, at first, met by a lot of curiosity on their part but would change their lives later on.

Today, Michael is an expert and facilitator of personal, interpersonal and cultural transformation and change. As the founder of the Exam Magic Educational Consultancy, Michael has helped over 3,000 educational leaders, teachers, students and parents reduce stress levels, increase resilience, and improve their wellbeing and professional and academic achievement.

Believing that innovations in the way we educate our young people are essential to sustainable economic growth, he has dedicated his life’s work to supporting individuals and organizations working towards the worthy ideal of unleashing the self-belief, talent, resilience, growth mindset and wellbeing of all citizens.

In our conversation, Michael shares more about the Exam Magic Book and App he has created.

The Exam Magic App has just recently become available on the app store and on Google play. It supports students in coping with the pressures of school and exams. The app leads users through a guided mindfulness meditation, process visualization and end goal visualization. Working on a subconscious level, the app contains positive, affirmative self-talk, which over time helps students develop a growth mindset.

Early feedback from users also suggests that students are using the app to manage their emotions. Especially students with anger management challenges and those who struggle with the ability to focus.

The Exam Magic book, "Attitude - How To Survive School", came out of a culmination of over a decade of workshops with young people. It offers advice and fresh perspectives on 30 of the most common problems young people identify with at school, home, and with their feelings about themselves and others. It contains advice from young people along with commentary from Michael with his coaching/therapist/educator hat on.

We continue talking about:

• The fact there is so much pressure on students regarding exams in today’s world that students get more and more anxious. Depression in children has become a real problem in our society.
• The way schools teach children to pass exams instead of educating in a broader sense limits their potential.
• How our limiting beliefs as parents and adults influence our children’s future.
• Growth mindset versus fixed mindset.
• Job security in the future and how our sense of security can and will change with these practices.
• The TFAR model and how it can help children to deal with exam anxiety.
• How to stimulate communication between generations.

If you enjoyed this conversation, please share it with others. We would greatly appreciate it! Namaste’.