Yeah, I know… we all have at least one unemployed friend or aunt who suddenly became a “Life Coach” by investing $99 and four hours of Internet study.

When it comes to vetting potential life coaches, be afraid… very afraid, or at least highly suspicious.

Why the hell might you listen to me? Or perhaps choose not to do so…

Well, here’s a cursory view of my unofficial qualifications for coaching:

Probably a lot like you, I’ve gone to war with those pesky questions such as:

How do I get from here to there and just where is “there” anyway?

How do I know if I am doing the right thing?

Do I feel happy?

Why is everyone so weird… or is it me?

Is this really all there is?

How did I get so friggin’ STUCK?

Now, as for my (somewhat) more 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 25 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 dropping out of law school twice, due to what I’ll call “irreconcilable differences”, I continued my graduate school career in East/West Psychology and Comparative Religion. Then I did a stint in Southeast Asia and practiced for a time as a Buddhist monk.

I’m a Robbins-Madanes Trained Strategic Intervention Coach. You know Tony, the dude with the giant head and big teeth, right? But those aren’t his only noteworthy qualities; he could be considered the father of the modern-day personal development movement and has led millions of people worldwide through his transformation programs over the last four decades.

I’m also certified in Neuro-Linguistic Programming. NLP is the study of the structure of subjective experience. Each of us “codes” our day-to-day interactions in certain (often unconscious) ways, which in turn create “maps” of our reality. These maps then determine the meanings we attribute to our lives and directly affect our emotional states. I can show you how to edit your maps and get into the drivers’ seat of your life. If you’ve been attempting to navigate through Los Angeles with a map (or GPS) of New York City, is it any wonder that you’re always friggin’ lost?

Both above approaches utilize techniques to modify or adjust thought patterns and subsequently behavior. These can be effective, and I still employ them from time to time; however, I now embrace a more Transformative Coaching style. 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 that is available to you in each moment.