Toby Gorniak MBE is an internationally recognised speaker, educator, and changemaker who transformed his journey from refugee to royal recognition. Honoured with an MBE at Buckingham Palace for services to young people, Toby has dedicated more than 20 years to leadership, inclusion, and empowerment. As the creator of the Gorniak Method—the first Hip Hop leadership practice in the UK to be recognised at PhD level—his work fuses creativity, resilience, and purpose to unlock the genius within every individual. Having given over 40,000 hours of community service, featured on Netflix, and spoken across global stages, Toby’s message is clear: leadership isn’t about titles, it’s about transformation. Through his lived experience and passion for change, he shows that every person has the capacity to rise, lead, and make an impact.

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What does leadership look like when it’s born from survival rather than status?

In this moving episode of Talking with the Experts, Toby Gorniak MBE shares his deeply personal journey from refugee to royal recognition. Arriving in the UK with nothing, Toby turned adversity into leadership—transforming his pain into purpose and his experiences into a global movement.

Honoured with an MBE at Buckingham Palace for his work with young people, Toby has dedicated over two decades and more than 40,000 hours to empowering others through The Gorniak Method—the first Hip Hop leadership practice in the UK recognised at PhD level. His approach fuses creativity, resilience, and emotional intelligence, proving that leadership belongs to everyone, not just the privileged few.

From Netflix features to global keynotes, Toby’s work unlocks the hidden potential within individuals and communities alike. His story will challenge your definition of success and remind you that within every hardship lies a seed of greatness.

🎧 Tune in to discover:

• How to turn adversity into authentic leadership
• Why creativity and inclusion redefine influence
• How to unlock your hidden genius and inspire others

🎓 Three Key Takeaways

1. Leadership is not about privilege—it’s about purpose, service, and self-awareness.
2. Adversity can become your greatest teacher and source of influence.
3. Creativity and compassion are the most powerful leadership tools of all.

• Toby explains he fled Poland due to severe racism against the Roma community, including being hospitalized at age 11 after an attack by three males, prompting his mother to relocate the family to the UK for safety.
• His documentary film “That Boy” won multiple international awards and features a raw conversation between Toby and an ex-neo-Nazi, addressing his lifelong question of “why” regarding racial hatred he experienced from childhood.
• Toby’s first major business venture involved purchasing a large YMCA building to create Street Factory, a community space offering dance studios, offices, and training facilities where people could access programs seven days a week.
• The YMCA purchase was motivated by his desire to provide young people with a consistent safe space for daily dance and training, something he had always wanted as a child but never had access to.
• His wife Joanne provides crucial support for all business ventures, with Toby crediting her encouragement, wisdom, and partnership as essential to his success, describing their working relationship as collaborating with his best friend.
• Resilience building began in early childhood through Roma cultural teachings that emphasized keeping your head up, being proud, and remembering your identity, combined with strong female role models who encouraged perseverance after setbacks.
• Business failures are reframed as learning opportunities, with Toby emphasizing the importance of learning lessons quickly and not repeating the same mistakes twice, applying a “can you do it better” mentality to continuous improvement.
• The Gorniak Method operates on five core principles of respect, peace, love, unity, and having fun, providing foundational elements that people can return to regardless of life’s ups and downs.
• A business client doubled their bank account and tripled their life satisfaction after three months of working with the Gorniak Method, demonstrating that personal foundations directly impact financial success.
• Social media and personal branding should focus on authentic self-expression rather than following trends, with Joanne providing social media training that emphasizes individual values over popular content formats.
• Successful influencers achieve prominence through originality and authenticity rather than copying others, speaking from genuine belief in their message rather than conforming to external expectations.
• Toby’s key wisdom centers on the question “Are you being you for you, or being you for the world?” with a practical exercise of closing your eyes to visualize who you truly see yourself as.