Testimonials

I first met Dave Acosta shortly after becoming a police officer with the Civil Police in Brazil. He was an incredible instructor! His teachings go far beyond technical and police tactics. Inspiration and motivation are his trademark. Theory can be taught by anyone, but the professional teaching model, shaped by Dave, is unique and unparalleled. His knowledge base and experience is extensive, but it is his passionate delivery that draws his students in.

I had the honor of being one of Dave's students in various training classes in preparation for attending the SLCPD Swat School 2014. Dave is one of the most effective instructors I have ever taken a class from. In his classes Dave includes unique insights on subjects such as courage, perseverance, sacrifice for team and other qualities that we can cultivate to help us reach our goals. Dave has inspired all of us to look deep within ourselves and ask the question, .Am I prepared for my defining moment?

"Dave Acosta is one of the most inspiring people I know. His persona and demeanor make him a very captive speaker along with his natural ability to build rapport with an audience. Dave is an exceptional leader who always provides positive motivation with the Team's best interest at the forefront. His unique suggestive leadership style promotes initiative with purpose and direction creating feeling of pride in execution. People trust and respect Dave, not because of what he projects, but because of his demonstrated credibility."

Trust is the hardest thing to earn from other police officers. Dave is so passionate in his presentations! In very short order we knew he was here in Brazil because he truly wanted to help us be better officers. Dave has a unique quality: he goes beyond just teaching tactics, he restores and reinforces his students trust in them self. He is able to help individuals believe that, despite numerous difficulties and limitations, they are capable of reaching their goals. A confident and motivated student is someone who is up for any challenge and will be prepared to overcome adversity in any environment.

The first time I met Dave was in 2012, when he traveled to Brazil to give some classes for the Civil Police in my State. At some point, on the last day of classes, everyone was gathered around him, listening to what he was explaining about a specific tactic. Suddenly and without warning, he asked us to stop for a moment and look around. He asked us to look at each other, at the whole group, and he told us to remember that we did not only train to better ourselves, but also to make sure that our buddies, our teammates, stayed safe and also returned home. In spite of his vast tactical experience, that was the most important lesson we had to learn. In my heart I already knew that, but despite all the training I had before, no one had ever put that into words the way Dave did. It was an extremely impactful moment for all of us. That's how Dave can be inspiring and keep everyone focused every second of his presentation. He is one of very few people who can talk to you and have such a profound impact on you, both tactically and emotionally.

I've known and worked with Dave for over 7 years now. He understands what it takes to be elite and knows how to shape the mind to be mentally tough. When I was coming back from a major surgery with my knee I did sessions with Dave to help me overcome the mental aspect of my recovery. His background alone speaks for itself, but when you sit down with him and set up a game plan to take yourself to the next level (whether it be work related, athletics, or just for your everyday life) his strategies and exercises will blow you away. Attending personal development sessions with Dave has truly has helped me in every aspect of my life. I'd highly recommend him to ANYBODY that is not satisfied with where they are. One session and you'll be chomping at the bit to get some more!

My experience with Dave Acosta has been extremely beneficial. As a nationally ranked elite trampolinist, Dave has helped me understand my fears and mental blocks. His experience working with specialized tactical units along with training and interacting with high-level athletes, helps him to see and diagnose things that other people might miss. He has pulled me out of my deepest pits, and continues to boost me up my mountain. Dave is my "go to" mental coach. He always helps me move forward.

Originally, we were thinking David could do a short 1-2 hour presentation for us at our Manager's Conference. Within the first 20 minutes of talking to him we decided to change what we were doing and center our conference around what he was bringing to the table. David helped us instill drive in our managers to be elite. In the workplace, at home, and in their personal lives. Many managers commented that out of many years of attending management conferences, this was the most influential they had experienced because of the long-term impact that David was able to give them. I too, find myself working harder in different aspects of my life with David's principles in mind. Thank you David, for helping to strengthen our company culture.

Our company hosts a leadership training retreat every other year, and we focus on personal and professional development for our key sales and operations managers. We truly believe if our leaders can be their best personal selves then they can be their best professional selves! At our last leadership retreat, we incorporated Dave Acosta into as much of our personal and professional development training as we could. He spoke to our group over an entire week about elite leadership, communication, owning the decisions we make, and incorporated memorable group exercises into our training so we could practice those principles. Our leaders have been incorporating the values and principles he shared with us throughout their personal and professional lives since our retreat. We are a stronger and more enabled company as a result! Dave Acosta far exceeded our expectations at our retreat and pushed us all to new personal and professional levels!

I have known Dave now for a couple years and the man has a way of reaching out to people and inspiring them in a way that few are capable of. I work at a substance abuse facility for adults of all ages. Dave has been a guest speaker at our facility a few times over the past year. In all of the groups that he has spoken too his passion for inspiration struck deeply with some of our clients that were struggling as they were going through there time in our facility. It is always heard around the facility " Today I am going to be ELITE" and they truly do grasp his message and overcome the obstacles in their way. There is always a very positive energy felt throughout the residence for weeks after his speech. The message is simple yet powerful and the dedication in which it is delivered is unmatched.

I was referred to Dave by a close family friend. I have always been the kind of athlete who is always looking for another edge on my opponent. I have read many books on baseball, specifically pitching, a mentality that helped me understand the mental game, but I have never been able to pin-point and attack my own needs with regard to mentality. With Dave, I was able to pin-point those needed areas and step up my overall performance. Each session with Dave was tailored to my specific needs. Dave's tactical background experience combined with his passion to make me better is what made it a great fit for me as an athlete. Dave helped teach me how to deal with and break through the mental blocks that an athlete faces before, during, and after battle.

UPDATE: Porter was drafted to the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2015 draft.

I have been working with Dave through weekly coaching calls for a while and it has helped me get through some really stressful times over the last couple months. I love our quick calls because they always leave me feeling confident and motivated. Dave is amazing at building you up and helping you see your true potential and reminding you what you're made of. I've scheduled calls with him right before I've gone in to teach a big class or go through a stressful week and his motivation and guidance is always exactly what I need to hear. I can't stress enough how helpful it as been to hear his perspective on my problems and challenges. I would definitely recommend signing up for Dave's coaching program if you want to reach your goals, be more productive and be the best you can be at whatever it is you're trying to do."

In the military, we called it PMI (Positive Mental Attitude). Dave Acosta has a way with people. He's a natural leader who easily finds the silver lining in every situation. If you've ever worked alongside someone like that, you'll know how infectious PMI can be. Dave Acosta and I worked together on the same contract in Afghanistan. To say the least, our direct leadership had created a work environment so hostile that we feared for our lives. Our direct supervisor had very little in the way of interpersonal skills and had drawn a great deal of unwanted attention to our work and location. This placed us, a staff of several contractors, in a very precarious position with the local nationals. To make matters worse, the company's higher leadership was protecting our supervisor, an act I can only attribute to nepotism so we had no outlet and nowhere to turn.

When you're under constant duress perpetuated by the stresses of a hostile environment, you can only attempt to surround yourself with people you trust; like-minded individuals who may share your same beliefs and experiences. That's what drew me to Davey. Despite the company's disorganization, poor leadership, and overall negative attitude, Davey's "PMI" set a tone for operational rhythm. On a daily basis, I would make it a point to pay Davey a visit merely to get my fix of PMI. Once I got my fix, I could pay it forward. It became an exchange of positive ideals and it helped me to refine my own personal ethos. Davey's positive outlook was critical, not only to my sanity, but to my survival. It allowed me to interact with people in a manner that was non-threatening, of which I'm positive saved my life on a number of occasions.

To this day, I still enjoy talking with Davey. There are very few people in this world a person can count on and fewer still you can pick up exactly where you left off. If and when you find them, embrace them, as these are the people that will have your "6". Davey is one of these people. I will never forget the positive energy and joy he brought me during the worst parts of my life. I will forever count him a friend, a brother, and an inspiration.

Dave has helped me in so many ways. Almost too many to name. But one of the main things he has done is he helped me get a new perspective on everything. Working with Dave has given me so much confidence and has helped me to trust myself, I am in control of my future because of Dave.