TESTIMONIALS

Diane von Furstenberg

CEO of DVF and world-famous fashion designer

"Deana Barone was a tutor, educational coach, and creative coach for two of my grandchildren for 13 years, encouraging and stoking the fires of their intellectual curiosity, work ethic, and strength of character. Most recently, she helped them get into their top choice universities, working closely with them on their applications, CVs and essays.

Deana had a wonderful role and impact on our family. From the moment she appeared and tutored Talita and Tassilo, I slept a lot better!
Deana is an intelligent and caring woman who understands how to be respected and more importantly, teaches children respect for learning and education.

With great enthusiasm, I wholeheartedly recommend Deana Barone. I know she will remain a friend of our family for ever.."

Mike Loretto

CSC, CLC, Musician, Sound Engineer

“Deana is an absolutely brilliant coach.

For the last few months she has helped me grow in a WIDE variety of areas, moving seamlessly between helping me think through and overcome challenges in my personal life, my relationships, my new business, and my spirituality. She is always caring, willing to ask the hard but loving questions, and she stays focused on helping me achieve the goals I have set. She is especially skilled at leading meditations, intuitively sensing what would be valuable for me to connect with my Source. I trust her implicitly and feel safe to broach any subject.

I don’t know what I would have done these past months without her support!”

Michael Sorvino

Actor, Writer, Producer

If you have a problem or issue you are dealing with — any problem or issue at all — you owe it to yourself to talk to Deana Barone.

She is laser-focused on spiritually being there for you, (which I appreciate immensely), and is supremely capable at turning a complex quandary inside out, so that you can understand its roots and nuances, providing you with the psychological and physiological tools you can then use to help pull you through...

Her centered, supportive calm is the bedrock upon which healing and transformative journeys can begin. And Deana's guidance on meditations and mindfulness is the most relaxing and practical I’ve come across. Her ability to truly listen is nothing short of remarkable.

Nobody does it better.

And nobody feeds your spirit, especially if it is a voracious one, like Deana Barone.

Tara Taylor

Sommelier, Flight Attendant, Travel with Tara

“When I had an idea for two new businesses, Deana coached me to create actionable, manageable goals — and kept me on track, making me feel like I had the support I needed. We worked on a mission statement that truly reflected my passions, which made all website content much easier to write. As a consultant, she helped me devise a logo and edited my web content. I’m about to reinvent one of my sites and will use her again for help and support. She’s a great find, and never makes me feel like I’m behind or lazy…

I always feel energized after talking to her!”

Michael Patrick Duggan

Author, Designer, Cartoonist

"Deana Barone helped me find the essence of what I needed to say or do. This sounds very vague, but if you read it again: she helped me get past whatever was blocking me...

...to find the very ESSENCE of what I needed to say. That is a potent thing. I empowered myself...

...and that was precisely her intent: help me create tools for my own success."

Lev A.

Commercial Banking Consultant

"Working with Deana allowed me to shift my perception of myself, so I focused not on “selling myself,” but helping potential clients with exactly what they needed. That took me out of my head, and suddenly it was much easier to talk about my strengths, believe in them, and pitch successfully. We rehearsed interviews, meetings, pitches, my story and mission (which she helped me hone), and we re-worked my resume so that my new clients could see the reach and breadth of my skills. My business was a great success, and I return to Deana when I have a big pitch, a cover letter that’s not working, or just need to remember that I have a lot to offer."

Tassilo Von Furstenberg

Entering College Student, Entrepreneur

I don’t know what I would’ve done without Deana Barone during this college application process. The essays were completely overwhelming at first, and I was procrastinating everything, but Deana helped me plan and organize getting them done. Then she helped me figure out what I actually cared about so I could write about stuff that reflected the true me. The coolest part was restructuring everything so the first sentences and paragraphs grabbed attention and there’s a real story there, a “hero’s journey”, as she calls it. For one of my apps, I needed to describe an invention I’d thought of and how I’d create a business around it, and just writing that essay with her guidance and creating that portfolio set me up for my first entrepreneurial plans. She also worked with me on my CV and made me see how much I’d accomplished! I got into my first choice college, and can’t wait to go.

I’ve worked with Deana for years — she’s been my educational coach and I wouldn’t be where I am without her patience and support. I haven’t always been easy, railing against the school machine and the way things are, but she’s always believed in me, gets my point of view, and she saw the inventor in me when I wasn’t sure about it myself. She is very creative makes a space where I can be my most creative self.

All in all, Deana’s always in your corner, she has strong standards and morals and won’t let you get away with laziness, and she totally believes in your potential. You can feel all of that with her in person and online and I recommend her to anybody.

Talita Von Furstenberg

College Student, Fashion Designer (TVF for DVF), Philanthropist

Deana is truly the best tutor I have ever worked with by miles. She really genuinely cares about each student -- and the material -- which makes the learning experience so much more enjoyable. She really knows the perfect balance between guiding her students in understanding the material and letting them get to the solutions on their own.

Deana Barone has always made me believe in my intelligence and skill-- and she has seen potential in me I didn't know I had. She's influenced my thinking, writing, and even my morality with her open, non-judgmental curiosity and guidance. I wouldn't be as confident if she hadn't been in my life. I've been fortunate to have some great female role models, and she is definitely one of them. She helped me every step of the way with my college applications, and my essays even became a bit fun because I was writing about things I was passionate about, in my own words. I love love love working with Deana on anything creative or scholastic (she also helped me with large projects and creating a philanthropy), and she really leads me to figure out what actually matters to me. Also, when I decided to move to NYC because of my career, she helped me again with transfer essays so I could continue school. And-- I got into all my top choices!

Deana knows how to get the creative juices flowing. She helps make ideas become reality! Her speciality is really story telling and captivating an audience.

Claire Titelman

Comedian (Chelsea Lately), Actress, Performance Coach

"Deana Barone is a wonderful acting coach who has helped me countless times. She coached me on multiple tv auditions that I’ve booked, as well as helped me prepare for a film, and gave great feedback on my standup sets. She’s extremely intelligent and intuitive. She loves the work and takes it and her students seriously. She gives a lot, expects a lot, and pushes her students to do their best work. No doubt her skills in acting, writing and directing play a part in her being a great acting coach. And she’s nice to be around!"

Rasika Mathur

Comedian (Wild N Out), Actress, Writer, Yoga Teacher, Podcaster

"The woman who helped doula the storyteller I am today, the magnificent Deana Barone -- 6 years I’ve known this fabulous woman! I took a storytelling workshop with her and by 20 minutes in, I thought to myself, “I’m going to work with her one day.” By lunchtime of that workshop, we were already talking about it. She went on to direct many iterations of my one woman show, a hilarious and Herculean effort which won a Fringe Festival Scholarship 2 years ago, as Hey Hollywood My Hustle Has ADHD. Deana Barone you’ve been an amazing influence on my stagework, rehearsal process and writing and I can’t thank you enough."

Ann Randolph

Award-winning solo artist, Story Guide, Mentor

"Deana is an extraordinary writer and performer. Her talents as a performing artist are breathtaking. She is also incredibly gifted at giving feedback, and has deep wisdom and insight into what make a piece work for the stage and the page.”

Jim Mueller

Producer, Storyteller, Actor, Writer

“First, Deana commits 100% to a project, and second, she loves people and life and isn’t afraid to do anything that helps tell a story… So, when she offered a storytelling workshop, I signed up.

My six classmates had varied performing experience, but Deana created activities that kept everyone comfortable, interested and progressing… She guided us through the experience of creating the story, making it a performance piece, rehearsing, and finally performing live before an audience. She showed us the amazing progress that can be made in one weekend if you are willing to commit…

To me, Deana is a great artist and wonderful guide into the world of story.”

Joanna Folino

Writer, Producer, Actress, Theatre & Film Professor

“Deana Barone is an alchemist. She not only has but gives to you the tools to spin tales of deep authenticity that change your life on some mysterious level that reveals itself over the course of 10 weeks. You can not help but return because there is joy in discovery and true growth."

Audrey Freudberg

Author, Storyteller

"Deana’s classes are amazing. From the very first time I set foot in the theatre space with her and my classmates I felt safe to be completely myself. And the experience of these ten weeks have been incredible. Deana is both a warm and approachable person and teacher. She is very professional in the way she works, yet I have felt lovingly embraced in every class and outside of class communication. From the check-ins to the stage exercises to the guided meditations to writing, sharing, getting and giving feedback and then workshopping of our stories, Deana has been fully committed to having each student accomplish and move beyond their intentions for the 10 weeks of class. I think I have grown more in this ten weeks than at any other time in my life. Every class is an adventure-so much fun and filled with heart and accomplishments and breakthroughs for every student. The Unleash Your Story workshops have been a wildly freeing and deep experience in the learning of all aspects of storytelling.”