Empowering and inspiring people is a way of life for MaryBeth “MB” Gustitus. Her innate ability to guide people toward unlocking their potential and discovering their personal superpower has led her to a career as an entrepreneur, coach, educator, speaker, Forum member, and facilitator.
MB set aside some time to chat with us about her experiences in Forum and her love of facilitating.
ForumSherpa: What led you to join Forum, and what has led you to stay in Forum?
MB Gustitus: Years ago, I had never even heard of EO or Forum. Toward the end of 2017, I attended a Tony Robbins Firewalk, and other attendees were asking me if I was an EO Member. I immediately started researching it, and by April 2018 I was sitting in my first Forum meeting!
I thought Forum would be a great business experience, but as it turned out, what I needed was a life experience. In January 2018, I lost my mom and we lost our home to a fire within a two-week period. The eight strangers in my Forum became a life raft to me. The care, compassion, and strength that came to me so quickly was amazing—it felt like I had been in the group for a long time. They gave me a different perspective and helped me grow in a lot of ways. They pulled me through a very difficult time, and that heart and passion are some of the reasons I love Forum.
FS: How do you feel that Forum has helped you evolve, both as a businessperson and as an individual?
MBG: I consider myself the “runt of the litter” in my Forum since I came to it later than other members of the group. When I started Forum, I owned—and still own today—a Keller Williams real estate company. Watching people level up their lives and seeing them think and act on a different level than I’d seen before really gave me the confidence to exit the day-to-day of my company and work toward my dream of coaching, facilitating, and training.
My Forum journey helped me realize that I could take my skillset in a new direction, and opened up a new world of possibilities for me. Thanks to my Forum’s “you can do it!” encouragement, I made the leap to use my decades of leadership, training, and facilitation experience from the real estate industry and transferred it to work with EO and YPO Forums as a ForumSherpa Certified Facilitator! Without being accountable to my Forum, and without the experience of EO, I would never have gone after my dream – I now get to live a life by design!
FS: What are some of the most important and valuable lessons you’ve learned thanks to your Forum experience, both as a member and as a facilitator?
MBG: One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that people are amazing—and they’ll surprise you. On paper, if I’d met my Forum members in any other setting, I would’ve been so intimidated. But EO tends to attract a certain type of very giving person who wants to provide, offer, and receive feedback. They’re not afraid to open up and be vulnerable. Getting to know them allowed me to look at them as incredibly successful people and realize they’re no different from me – which meant a new level of success could be unlocked for me as well!
Even though my Forum members aren’t in the same industry as I am, I’ve learned something from each of them, whether it’s professionally, personally, or spiritually. And they probably don’t even know they’ve had such an impact on my life!
I think the most important thing I have learned from my Forum mates is perspective. I have “leveled up” three times since joining my Forum because I see new possibilities through their eyes and experiences. I am a completely different person, living a very different life and I credit much of that to my EO and Forum experience.
FS: What do you love most about being a facilitator?
MBG: Forums hold retreats because they want to make a real impact, real change, real transformation. They want to dive deep. Facilitating allows me to identify a group’s superpowers and their Kryptonite, and from there, we can work on building their team, culture, and goals.
In a retreat setting, everyone wants to grow personally. I’m a behavioral analyst specializing in personal transformation and breakthroughs, and as a facilitator, I get to guide people toward and through that growth. I roll up my sleeves, and then let me at it!
FS: What is your favorite exercise or tool? Why is this your favorite?
MBG: One of my favorites is Forum 2.0® Walk in My Shoes. It’s beautifully presented and phrased. People sometimes say, “Just tell me what I should do”, but this exercise helps participants gracefully express their perspective and feedback without giving direct orders.
Cloaking is also amazing! The way Forum 2.0® has created this gives people the freedom to be open and honest without boundaries. It helps people see their blind spots and receive impactful feedback. It’s not always what you want to hear, but the messages are delivered with love, kindness, and care. I have personally been impacted by being “behind the cloak” and I am grateful for the awareness of blind spots that became change.
FS: Why should Forums hire a facilitator for their retreat?
MBG: Retreats need impactful exercises, and the exercises need professional navigation. When you fly on a plane to a new destination, you have a pilot to expertly navigate the conditions to get you where you want to go and make it an enjoyable experience—this is what a facilitator does for a Forum.
I’ve been on retreats without professional navigation, and they just fell flat. We fumbled through without getting the outcomes and impact that we should’ve. And that was with a very highly functioning Forum! With a facilitator, each Forum member is free to experience and grow, and to get the full value of participating.
FS: Are there any funny or interesting stories you’d like to share about a retreat, or a particularly favorite destination?
MBG: My Forum’s last retreat really stands out. Our theme for the year was “Embracing the Uncomfortable”, and our retreat really delivered that. Talk about being exposed to things you’d never, ever do in your life!
One night, we ate dinner in a blackout restaurant. This was dark dark—darkness like you’re dead—so we had no idea what we were eating or what was going on around us. At one point I reached across the table and felt fabric that didn’t seem like it should be there. Turns out one of my Forum mates had taken off his shirt so he didn’t spill his food on it! It made me wonder how many other people in the restaurant were eating shirtless.
The next day we went to a circus training. I’m talking acrobats, trapezes, the whole deal. I am absolutely terrified of heights, so the thought of climbing that really tall ladder was not sitting well with me, and I almost didn’t do it. But my Forum was so amazing. The way they were cheering me on and supporting me was incredible—it made me feel like a third grader at a recital with their parents sitting in the front row! They kept yelling “just keep going!”, and one of my Forum mates actually had tears in his eyes because they were so proud of me for going so far out of my comfort zone.
This whole experience made me realize that this is what true friendship looks like: people celebrating you and cheering you on when they know something isn’t easy for you. I’ll carry that experience with me for the rest of my life.
MB can help your Forum make the most of your next retreat. Contact us to find out MB’s availability!
Written by Britt Spread