“I defy anyone to truly teach another how to write. What Harmon does here is much more useful. He reminds us that to tell a story, we have to be the hero of our own creative quest… I read Andy’s book two days after I had started my latest novel. It didn't tell me how to write my own, it reminded me that I know what to do, I just have to have the guts to do it, to get into the work of telling a story. This book – clear, honest, readable and (brilliantly) short – is for anyone who is ready to do that."
- Stella Duffy, award-winning novelist and theatre-maker, UK
In late summer 2009 theatre director Andy Harmon gave an usual presentation to a group of over 120 writers. They had come to listen to his ideas about dramatic stories. To their surprise, they found themselves living one.
“Every person in the room walked away richer from the experience,” wrote one of his audience that day. “Harmon’s ability to bring the entire room into the discussion and personalize it for everyone – even in a room with over 100 people – helped us break down our barriers, leave our inhibitions behind, and open ourselves up to an experience that makes us better writers and better people.”
Drawing on over 40 years of experience as a theatre director and playwright and 25 years as a leadership coach, Andy engages his audience in a dialogue about the real life drama of creativity: the archetypal crises and conflicts all of us face when we set out to make a difference in the world – and the inner resources we need to draw on to succeed.
"Posing innocently as a helpful-hints book for writers, 'Change Journey' is really a keep-by-your-side companion for anyone who wants to be an organizer, a leader, a performer, a speaker - really, for anyone who wants to express ideas, create change and lead others to do so, by communication or example."
- From the 'Forward' by Shirley Kressel
"Andy Harmon is one of those rare and precious people who can change the way you see the world and your journey through it. Work with the man if you can, but failing that, read this book! It's not him, but it's close."
- Lee Simpson, Co-Artistic Director, Improbable Theatre Company, UK
“If you’re looking for a book to sustain you through the ups and downs of the creative process, Change Journey is a great place to start... It’s a little book that gets you thinking about some very big ideas.”
- Dr. Jonathan Moreno, Professor, University of Pennsylvania. Author of Impromptu Man: JL Moreno and the Origins of Psychodrama, Encounter Culture, and the Social Network
Andy Harmon is a theatre director and playwright who stepped from the stage into management consulting in the late 1980’s when Price Waterhouse in London asked him to train their consultants to deliver more memorable and exciting change workshops. Along with his wife, psychologist Anita Harmon, he has gone on to develop programs that use acting and improv skills to help people in organizations negotiate, sell, influence and lead more effectively. His work with Pricewaterhouse Coopers, IBM, McKinsey and Co, The Body Shop, British Telecom and many other clients including two UK Government Departments, led him to develop a unique approach to personal development, based on the archetypes of drama and mythic stories, to help leaders at every level surmount the challenges of change.
