The Inner Game in South America:

Tim Gallwey’s Coaching Tour of Uruguay,
Paraguay, Brazil, and Columbia

In Montevideo, Uruguay, an audience of 160 coaches studied the inner game with Mr. Gallwey. The workshop broke out of the classic lecture style, incorporating team-building exercises that got the coaches out of their seats and into the work. Collaborative discussion broke the barrier between teacher and student, creating a prime environment for powerful discourse. Tim was delighted by the atmosphere, remarking that “the people who gathered were inquiring and open hearted, a wonderful combination.” He said he found the same everywhere he went in South America. So many people wanted a copy of the book that they sold out! After the seminar, Gallwey attended a working breakfast with ICF and media interviews with Revista Galeria and Diario el Observador.

In Asuncion, Paraguay, 250 attendees, mostly corporate managers, spent two days learning the nuances of the inner game. The people were enthusiastic and engaging. Tim found himself more in a mode of coaching than lecturing, which created a new dynamic that the managers participated in enthusiastically. They dug into the exercises, showing their commitment in the process. Despite the group’s size and the large venue, they found an astounding intimacy in their work together.

After the workshop, Tim was flooded with people wanting pictures, asking questions, and asking him to autograph their new copies of the book. Again, the books sold out! The warmth of the people encouraged Tim to stay an extra day, enjoying their hospitality. It was here that Tim was urged to consider the possibility of putting together The Inner Game of Futbol. It was also here that Tim attended a local tennis tournament where it was arranged for him to speak to the audience and award trophies to the winners. Afterward, Tim took the time to take pictures with the enthusiastic fans.

The next stop was Sao Paulo, Brazil where Tim was greeted by a group of over 100 coaches, mangers and fans. He continued with the coaching style he had employed in Paraguay, and found they too were very receptive to this method of learning the Inner Game. For the third time, we sold out of copies of the book! Much like in the previous country, there was a serious push for Tim to write The Inner Game of Futbol in Portuguese and Spanish! Tim then traveled to Salvadore, Bahai to speak and field questions from an audience of 150 people. Gallwey was once again greeted enthusiastically and even fielded questions from a precocious 12-year-old seminar attendee who was attending the evening seminar with his father. Before moving on to the final city, Natalio and Tim returned to Sao Paolo to meet with Renato regarding the future possibilities of The Inner Game in South America.

In Bogota, Columbia, Tim spoke to a huge audience of over 265 people. Sight Consultants funded this event, in partnership with a major local newspaper, and several other sponsors. After the workshop, Tim was interviewed by ICF, the local newspaper, and local networks. A full-page advertisement for the event ran in the newspaper for five days, in addition to a follow up article with full pictures of Natalio and Tim on the backstage tennis court. As in every other city, every copy of the book we had was sold!