About Us

StirFry Seminars has revolutionized the field of diversity through its internationally acclaimed films and seminars. Millions of  viewers worldwide have seen The Color of Fear, as well as many of the other groundbreaking films produced and directed by Lee Mun Wah, StirFry’s founder, CEO and Master Trainer. In 1995, Oprah Winfrey produced a one-hour special on Lee Mun Wah’s life and the impact of The Color of Fear.

Participants from a diverse array of educational, governmental and corporate backgrounds as well as non-profit and social service agencies have taken StirFry Seminars & Consulting’s seminars with the goal of more effectively engaging their own agencies, schools, workplaces and communities in authentic and healthy multicultural dialogues. Our company is recognized as one of the most outstanding cross-cultural and communications training programs in the nation.  Clients have relayed, time and time again, that their participation in our workshops has been life changing, powerful and applicable to their personal and professional lives.

What makes StirFry Seminars & Consulting so unique is our approach to how we value and observe each communication. We call this ‘mindfully listening’, which means being attentive to the subtleties in each communication, such as intent and impact.

The following are some of the reasons why so many individuals and companies have chosen to work with us:

Who we are:

• Our consultants, facilitators and trainers come from a variety of multicultural backgrounds
• All of our trainers and facilitators have years of diversity experience, coming from various professional backgrounds including educational, corporate, therapeutic and social services sectors

Who we serve:

• We work intimately with individuals as well as groups, ranging from three to thousands of participants
• Our clients range from the top 500 corporations to almost every major university, government and social agency in the United States

Our unique philosophy:

• We use curiosity as a gateway to empathy and trust
• We explore through a multicultural lens rather than a mono-cultural one
• We train participants to observe differences and similarities through a multicultural and multi-sensory ap­proach and perspective

Our communication tools:

• We develop the art of noticing keywords throughout the communication process that unlock the needs and issues of a particular cultural group or individual
• We train managers and supervisors to not only listen for what is being said, but also to what is not being ex­pressed because of discriminatory or retaliatory behaviors and attitudes
• We train agencies to notice the importance of intent and impact in all their communications

Our conflict resolution tools:

• We emphasize developing inquiry skills in place of adversarial and defensive statements
• We help participants acquire the art of mindfully resolving conflicts within seconds through the use of obser­vation and responsive techniques
• We provide on-going training on how to facilitate and resolve conflicts peaceably without coming from a reac­tive or defensive position

How we create community:

• We demonstrate ways to create an environment where staff and administration work together as a supportive community rather than as individuals coming from an oppositional or power perspective
• We create opportunities for on-going dialogues so that different cultural groups can ask each other questions and deepen their relationships

Our unique methods:

• We use personal stories as a way to broaden one’s understanding and compassion for the history of one’s jour­ney and its impact on present day behaviors and attitudes
• We help managers and supervisors deepen their understanding of cross-cultural issues and values through role plays and real life vignettes so that what they are learning is practical, useful and appropriate
• Participants practice their communication and mediation skills through viewing our unique training films that mirror actual business scenarios and ongoing workplace problems and issues

Our resources:

• We offer a variety of diversity workshops, as well as communications training and organizational develop­ment courses
• We provide on-going consultation, mentoring and coaching throughout each level of our train­ings and seminars
• Our films, such as The Color of Fear (appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1995), have won international and national awards. We use them to foster dialogue and deeper understandings
• We provide manuals, training guides, films and books that are authored solely by StirFry Seminars & Consulting and provide the foundation for most diversity trainers