Now, as for my (somewhat) official qualifications for being a coach:
I’m the co-founder of The Human Form, a holistic health and fitness institute in Columbus, Ohio. For the past 29 years I’ve worked with hundreds of people to optimize their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.
My undergraduate studies were in Psychology, Philosophy and Religion. After a couple of false starts in law school, due to what I’ll call “irreconcilable differences”, I began my graduate school studies in East/West Psychology and Comparative Religion, with a focus on Buddhist monastics. When I finally realized that the world of academia was a tad bit stifling for my personality and I had a severe case of wanderlust, it was off to Southeast Asia to explore and teach English.
I spent two decades studying Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and subsequently became a Robbins-Madanes Trained Strategic Intervention Coach (you know Tony Robbins, right? He’s the world-famous Life Coach with the giant head and big teeth).
As much as I valued those techniques aimed at manipulating thought patterns and behaviors, I now embrace a more Transformative Coaching style.
What is Transformative Life Coaching?
Instead of focusing on the application of techniques, I am more inclined to have my clients benefit from the implications of insightful understanding. These insights include: The discovery of who you really are, the true origin of your experience of life, and the authentic freedom and ease that is available in each moment.
How does it work, exactly?
Well, let me tell you about “The Space”.
My primary calling as a coach is to assist clients in accessing an internal space that allows their innate wisdom to come forth, providing insights (“to see from within”).
I am quite aware that the above sounds like “New Age BS.”
Stick with me for just a minute… and perhaps you’ll get a whiff of what I’m stepping in.
What I call The Space is quite like what is referred to as FLOW or The Zone, and there is a buttload (official term) of scientific research about how to hack into this state. One of the most beautiful characteristics of this state is that the concept of “self” loosens or even dissolves completely. That is why it is the gateway to FREEDOM.
Most everyone these days is preoccupied and distracted. They are overflowing with (mostly useless) information, obligations, and deadlines, not to mention self-doubt and other mental/emotional misunderstandings.
Although everyone (yes, everyone!) has an abundance of innate wisdom and spiritual intelligence built into their human software, there is simply no space available for it to emerge and guide them.
By entering The Space (which is primarily a process of allowing) we are reconnected to our True Essence and experience a Quiet Mind.
Note: a formal meditation practice is completely optional; there are many ways to fall into The Space.
It is from this state of Relative Emptiness that our perspective expands, and we can be grounded, heart-centered and wise.
There are two primary ways that I explore The Space with clients:
1) Transformative Conversations:
We engage in conversations about who you really are, and about how your experiences in life (including your “problems”) are created. When you begin to have insights into HOW life works, many of your previously perceived “problems” take care of themselves. No matter what your goals may be, it is decidedly useful to understand the rules of the game (hint: they are relatively fluid, and that’s good news). With deeper understanding, the appropriate actions to be taken (if they are any) become abundantly clear.
2) Mind/Body Work:
I use a synergistic blend of two practices, Be Activated and Reiki, to facilitate a somatic shift to the parasympathetic nervous system. Clients often enter a “flow state” and can begin to experience/remember their true essence of peace and wellbeing.
Some clients call my {f}Reiki bodywork a “shared meditation”; and that is fitting in that all you do is relax and allow the energetic exchange to prompt your self-healing. It is a safe place to practice the Art of Allowing. As you become more comfortable dropping into the space of allowing during a session, you will notice yourself more easily doing so in your everyday situations. And though it may sound contrarian to mainstream “take massive action” proclamations, Allowing is the Gateway to Authentic Freedom.
Read more about Reiki – Cleveland Clinic Integrative Medicine CLICK HERE
My Reiki training and lineage CLICK HERE
Read more about Be Activated CLICK HERE
Would you like to get a taste of my Transformative Coaching perspective (what is also referred to as “The Inside-Out Understanding)? The best way to do that is to check out a few episodes of my podcast “There Is No Spoon” HERE
