For those unfamiliar with life coaching, or the nature of working with a life coach (as compared to working with a therapist or counselor), following is a general overview...

We as human beings tend to possess incredible insight and clarity around issues concerning other people — especially those closest to us. Yet, no matter how well-educated, wise, or self-reflective we may be, we tend to have blind spots to seeing our own workings and lives with great insight and clarity. Further, we often lack sufficient motivation or inspiration to take steps we know to be right or leaps we feel to be true. And whereas the practical and inexpert advice of friends and family members might indeed be comforting, poignant, and even entirely accurate, we tend not to heed their words — and instead seek out a better way or different explanation for ourselves. Left to our own devices, and absent of expert, unbiased, and trustworthy support, we continue to make incremental improvements to ourselves and small strides in our lives — or in some cases, we continue to live inside the same old, broken patterns and dynamics with no apparent way out.

Those who are able to honestly look at themselves and their lives in light of these realities often come to the conclusion that they — like us all — could use, at the very least a bit of expert support in gaining access to the keen insight and clarity they possess around themselves and their lives and in taking steps or leaps toward holistic health and happiness. For those struggling with a life-threatening mental illness or addiction, clearly working with a clinical therapist or psychiatrist is a requirement. But for the rest of us — everyday, ordinary individuals trying to create the best life possible for ourselves and those we love — working with a life coach can be incredibly valuable. It’s my opinion that each of us could benefit from having a life coach — just as many of us have wisdom-providing parents, steadfast friends, mentors at work, and spiritual/religious counselors.

To hire and to have a life coach is not a declaration of helplessness or hopelessness, but rather it’s a declaration of esteem in ourselves and our pursuit for the best life possible — to include those we love. To seek out the expert support of a life coach is not a sign of weakness or stupidity, but rather it’s a sign of strength and conviction — and genuine self-awareness. Indeed, to hire and to have a life coach is not only smart and practical, it’s wise!

Generally speaking, a life coach is an individual who has personally cultivated and been trained in the art and skill of aiding others to achieve health, balance, and fulfillment in life — with respect to the physical, mental, emotional, and perhaps spiritual aspect of one’s self, as well as one’s relationships, work/career, and physical environment. A life coach’s primary tool is communication — empowered and present listening, asking poignant questions, and offering relevant and timely words of insight and encouragement. A life coach can serve many functions: ranging from ongoing support in a particular area or the whole of a clients’ life, to temporary support through a crisis or traumatic event. It really is a function of their background and training, the client’s needs, and the dynamic that’s established between the life coach and client.

Working with a life coach can be very different than working with a counselor or therapist. Of course, much of this depends on the specific individual, but generally speaking, traditional therapists and counselors — while also master communicators and aiding others in achieving health, balance, and fulfillment in life — come from a regimented and rigorous personal, educational, and training background in the specific field of psychology, with a focus on mental processes and corresponding behavior. In my own experience, most of the time working with a traditional therapist or counselor is spent talking about present-moment problems and issues, with some guided communication and analysis as to how these problems and issues may be born in the past. In fact, nearly everything in the discipline of psychology relates to the mind and the past — and thus an extreme focus on analyzing the past as a gateway to self-awareness.

Life coaching, on the other hand, typically devotes a significant amount of time to empowered choices and actions being taken in the present moment, and in creating an inspiring future that calls you into action presently, with some discussion around the past as needed to clear space and energy for present-moment choice and action. Whereas some life coaches have a background in the technical and clinical aspects of psychology, all life coaches are trained in modalities that explore life from a holistic point of view — to include but not limited to the mind and the past. Lastly, because of the strict legal and ethical codes found in traditional therapy and counseling, and the sometimes life-threatening mental illnesses and addictions therapists deal with, life coaching generally tends to be far less clinical and far more “relationship-based” and “hands on” than traditional therapy or counseling — or in other words, intimate.

In addition to the aforementioned qualities of a regular life coach and the nature of working with a regular life coach, the following is a description of how I distinguish myself as a luminary life coach and spiritual sherpa...

As a luminary life coach, my purpose is to be a beacon of light and clarity by which my clients can see and experience themselves, their lives, and life itself authentically — as a means to power, freedom, and peacefulness. I accomplish this by creating and maintaining a translucent space, grounded in present-moment awareness, through which my clients can reflect on themselves, their lives, and life itself. Put another way, I am an empty vessel — without judgment, forceful opinion, or attachment. This is not to say that I am uninvolved or without deep compassion and commitment. To the contrary: the energy I bring forth into my work is love, light, levity, and grace, which I have learned can most powerfully and authentically come from a space of emptiness and translucence; and all of my client relationships are built around the principles and qualities of genuine partnership — namely, unconditional love and acceptance.

Here are a few of the things that shape my luminary life coaching practice:

• Being a luminary life coach and spiritual sherpa is truly my life purpose and the most authentic expression of who I am in this world
• I am faciled in the language, ontological understanding (gained by personal experience), and transferred comprehension of the “22 Cairns of Illumination” that form the basis to my luminary life coaching practice
• I do not take or refer to notes — I’m entirely present in each session, and therefore I keep a perfect mental and emotional record of our work together
• Every conversation occurs inside the space of the present moment — thus whatever comes up will come up, and we will use what comes up as a gateway to transformation
• I do not have an agenda or any prescribed notions of what’s right or wrong for you — I do not claim to have any answers or truths; I claim that you do
• I am not a “do-gooder” looking to “fix” people — I perceive that you are already perfect, and that we must simply reveal that perfection
• The day a client comes to me and says they no longer need me and that our time together as coach and client is complete is a day of triumph and celebration for me

In case you may be wondering if I am one of those sweet and gentle (fluffy) holistic healers — whose purpose is to build you up through positive words of encouragement, softball questions, and patient listening of your rehashed stories in order to not risking losing your “business” — think again: my approach to life coaching centers around authenticity and genuine compassion, and these things do not always take a sweet or gentle form. Our work together is designed to produce results — as demonstrated by lasting transformation in your life. As such, my repertoire as an authentic and compassionate human being and luminary life coach includes the gamut of human expression, including: rigorous demands for accountability, tough and incisive questions, and sometimes brutal honesty. Needless to say, there’s a time and a place for everything. I allow present-moment intuition to guide what is appropriate expression and engagement — to include deep empathy and the “softer” side of compassion.

My life coaching practice began more than 10 years ago when I started working with friends and teenagers — particularly troubled youth. Since then, I have acquired faculty and expertise in the following areas:

• Reinventing and Renewing Yourself and Your Life after a Traumatic Loss — Death of a Loved One, Death of a Relationship, or any other Form of “Death”
• Establishing Healthy Intimacy and Sexual Identity Stemming from Sexual Trauma
• Genuine Partnership — Romantic, Family, Business, Friendship, God and Life
• Overcoming Victimhood and Creating Self-Possession and Integrity
• East-West Synthesis — with a Focus on Eastern Philosophy
• Holistic Wellness
• Ontological Transformation
• The Nature of Reality as Seen Through the Lens of Quantum Physics
• The Authentic Self and Enlightened Ways of Being
• Bridging This World with The Next — Identity/Ego (Material consciousness) and Spirit (God Consciousness or Higher Consciousness) through Soul Development
• Overcoming Fear of “Death” and the Unknown — with a Focus on 2012
• Possibility and Living in the Present

I would like to point out that whereas these are focal areas of expertise and specialty, my aim as a luminary life coach for this world and the next is to get beyond specific “issues” relating to this world and this life by gaining a greater perspective on life, such that we can begin to engage in conversation around life itself — to include “death,” the soul, the spirit, existence, life purpose, soul purpose, the nature of reality, the ego and identity, God and Universal Consciousness, material consciousness, the conscious mind, the subconscious mind, the superconscious mind, the Authentic Self, the Shadow Self, and the afterlife. And this is where my work as a spiritual sherpa comes in...

As a spiritual sherpa, my purpose is to be a guide and a porter as you undertake the sometimes daunting and always arduous journey into spiritual attunement and soul development. Much of the groundwork and preparedness training for this ascension is done through our work together as luminary life coach and client — and in most cases, my spiritual sherpa work runs congruent with my work as a luminary life coach. However, matters of this world and this life (material consciousness or identity/ego) are often very distinct from matters of the spirit and the soul’s eternal life (God Consciousness or the Authentic Self), and it’s important to identify the differences such that bridges can be built, and the two can co-exist in harmony and synergy. For those seeking more in the way of a spiritual ascension, a spiritual sherpa can be very useful and indeed invaluable — life saving.

If I'm doing my job well, and you're doing the work, you can expect to get NOTHING out of working with me. In fact, you might have to give everything — including paying me — in order to get nothing. Isn't that ironic? Inherent in this irony is the fact that within the space of nothing lies anything and everything (possibility and potentiality), and it is from this space that you can begin to manifest your dreams and live your life authentically — with power, freedom, and peace. If this sounds foreign or frightening, I understand — it can be. And it is a process: similar to peeling away the bitter and dried layers of an onion until the sweet and soft core is revealed.

The aspiration is to ultimately embrace the whole of the past through a process of clarification, reconciliation, and letting go — which may require some revisiting and some grieving, but is all done through present-moment choice and action — such that you may come to the truth-based reality that the past is truly in the past, and is good for one thing and one thing only: to learn and grow from. Naturally, some time will be spent in a review of what is already known to you regarding your past. However, since there's likely very little about your past that you haven't already beaten to death through analysis, contemplation, and revisitation over the years, most of our time initially will be spent looking at significant events of the past through an entirely new lens — our shared and collective wisdom.

At some point, generally rather quickly — but certainly more quickly for some than others — the past is placed in its proper place (the past), which magically opens up space for both the present and the future. This is what I mean by reaching a space of nothing: for the past is dead and gone and no longer affecting your choices or actions; the future is a blank canvas on which to create a new vision that inspires you; and the present is available to make choices and take actions that are fitting for your life path and life purpose — which we will also identify. The present, we leave alone. The future is a little more delicate — requiring the appropriate blend of a newly created vision that inspires you and calls you into action presently, but is without attachment and based entirely in faith. And this is where the work in building a bridge between this world and the next begins — once we have some access to your Authentic Self...

Regardless of how our unique coach/sherpa-client partnership may unfold, you can expect me to always be my Authentic Self and to listen to you as your Authentic Self: Namaste — the Divine Light in me acknowledges the Divine Light in you. As such, I am in the moment, and engaging you in a way that's appropriate for that moment, which may be soft or may be tough — always with the aim of evolving the conversation and always with a background of compassion, unconditional love and acceptance, and unwavering commitment. Many of my clients testify to radical transformation in the way of self-possession (self-love, self-respect, and self-confidence), integrity, fearlessness, freedom, present-moment awakeness, courage, joy, ease, peace, balance, health and wellbeing, fulfillment, inspiration, partnership, and most importantly, living their lives in honor of their or others' Authentic Selves — the gateway to possibility, potentiality, and bliss.

For those considering hiring and working with a life coach, I believe it’s important to know as much as possible about the life coach’s personal philosophies, world views, and beliefs — in addition to their personal life experiences and educational and training background. This is especially relevant when the life coach and client are engaging in deep levels of partnership — as it pertains to deeply sensitive and potentially life transforming aspects of one’s self and life...

My underlying philosophy and approach to life coaching and spiritual guiding is grounded in the belief that our primordial nature as human beings is one of intrinsic awareness — indestructibility, non-discriminating openness, incorruptible purity, flawless clarity, profound simplicity, and all-pervading presence. I refer to these qualities collectively as the Authentic Self, or our soul and spirit. Put simply, I believe that we all have an immortal soul and spirit that are each and both spawned from “God” (the former, from God’s Self; the latter from God’s Consciousness — thus, our spirits and souls are created in “God’s image”) — and that we are merely inhabiting this body and this world briefly as part of our much larger and much longer spiritual journey back to our Source. Further, I believe that we were given the incredibly powerful tool of free will (choice, or agency) as a component of our soul development — making us unique and compelling companions to God, yet still and always part of The One/Whole.

With respect to this world and this life, I believe that we acquire an identity and an ego (what I refer to as the Shadow Self, led by material consciousness) for the purpose of “surviving” in this body and this world. When too much significance and energy is placed on the Shadow Self, and thus when our choices are directed by material consciousness, we unwittingly inhibit our soul’s development and get increasingly out of tune with our spirit’s connection to God or Universal Consciousness — the source of light, levity, love, and grace. In other words, by fortifying our Shadow Self, we end up placing layer upon layer of barriers in the way of accessing our Authentic Self, which is also our connection to God, and we wind up impeding our soul’s development and evolution/ascension back to the Source.

These barriers come in the form of fear, doubt, cynicism, confusion, insecurity, shame, guilt, regret, self-loathing, self-deprecation, blind arrogance and narcissism, ignorance, foolish pride, greed, ingratitude, anger and rage, hatred, apathy, lying and deceit, hopelessness, addiction, and depression — among others. My purpose and aspiration as a luminary life coach and spiritual sherpa is to shine light upon these numerous, often hidden, and seemingly insurmountable barriers until such time they are dispersed and disappeared, at which point you can once again experience and express your Authentic Self — in the form of light, levity, love, and grace — among other things. It’s a process, and it may take some time — depending on how many layers we must peel away, your level of courage and commitment, and our degree of partnership.

Unlike some people and in some disciplines, I do not believe the objective should be to “kill” or “annihilate” the Shadow Self (one’s ego or identity). Rather, I believe that our identity and ego (material consciousness) has a directed purpose in this world, and can serve us well when used appropriately, used by choice, and used under the guidance and auspice of our Authentic Self. In any event, I do not believe that one can disperse or disappear one’s ego — or the qualities that come with it — by creating an adversarial dynamic with it: since that which we resist, persists. Instead, I propose at first becoming aware of the difference between our Authentic and Shadow Self, and then building bridges between the two — until such time we are sufficiently presently aware and awake that we can choose what is appropriate in each moment and under each specific circumstance... and when in time, sufficient light is exposed from within that we simply are our Authentic Self at all times — also known as enlightenment.

Speaking of choice, it’s also my belief/philosophy that just as our spirit is directly connected to God’s own Consciousness — which consists primarily of love — God also created this world’s reality/dimension on a substrate of emptiness, and within this state of emptiness lies infinite possibility and potentiality. Thus, the significance of free will becomes paramount — not only in this world, but to our souls’ development as well. Given that thoughts become beliefs, beliefs become convictions, convictions dictate actions, and actions aid in manifesting “reality” in the material world, I believe that we need to be conscientious and indeed hyper-conscious of our thoughts and choices — with the implication that our thoughts and choices become manifest in the material world. The only question that remains is: from where do we source our thoughts and our choices — material consciousness (“survival” in this world led by the identity/ego complex or Shadow Self) or God and Universal Consciousness (fearlessness based in faith and immortal evolution/ascension back to the Source led by the Authentic Self)?

Many of these principles and philosophies are based in Eastern philosophy and mysticism — Taoism and the Tao Te Ching, Buddhism and The Dhammapada, Hinduism and The Bhagavad Gita, and Tibetan Buddhism and The Tibetan Book of the Dead — but can also be found in the mystical and dare I say, “spiritual” side of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity — not limited to Judaism’s Kabbalah and Dead Sea Scrolls, Islam’s Sufi poet Rumi, and Christian biblical apocrypha (books not canonized in the Bible, such as The Gnostics), but also in verses and chapters throughout the canonized Old and New Testaments and Koran. But perhaps above all, these principles and philosophies are grounded in quantum physics and quantum mechanics — a field I have been astutely following and studying for over 10 years.

I should also point to my genuine fascination with the work of Edgar Cayce — arguably the world’s greatest “psychic,” and an individual who I believe tapped into Universal Consciousness to reveal insights into the most challenging metaphysical questions facing mankind. As such, I am a member of Edgar Cayce’s Association for Research and Enlightenment. That said, I hold a strong conviction that true wisdom and insight into universal truth must be personally gained and understood. Thus, all of my philosophies, world views, and beliefs — while affirmed by various and disparate sources — are indeed the product of 6 years of human development and awareness training and coursework, more than 10 years of working with people and clients as a luminary life coach and spiritual sherpa, tens of thousands of hours in meditation and contemplation, and more than 40 years of an extremely rich life experience.

Finally, whereas my upbringing was in a Western Judeo-Christian context, I began to gravitate toward Eastern philosophy at a relatively young age — with a focus on Taoism and Tibetan and Zen Buddhism. Thus, due to the richness of my beliefs in Christ as a model for mankind, and my Jewish upbringing, I can speak from a Western background; and because of my knowledge and experiences with Taoism and Buddhism, I can also speak from an Eastern background — as well as being able to accommodate views including, but not limited to God-skepticism and Agnosticism. Indeed, I’ve worked with clients from nearly every religious and philosophical background, and found that in the end, all roads lead to God (Creator Consciousness) and the Authentic Self — it’s merely language and context that separates the paths. Where most find differences and worlds, I see only parallels and a single, elegant universe created by The Creator.

As you’ve perhaps read in my personal profile, I’ve participated in virtually every course offered by Landmark Education Corporation (LEC). Whereas there is much written and spoken about LEC, I personally gained immeasurable knowledge, personal growth, and wisdom from my participation in their courses — not least of which was an understanding of quantum physics, quantum mechanics, and ontology — a branch of metaphysics that studies the nature of existence, or being. As such, I do integrate many of LEC’s “distinctions” into my coaching practice, and I emulate LEC’s approach to ontological learning: when you learn balance, you can not only ride a bike, but you can skip rope, stand on one foot, and perform a whole host of other tasks; and once you have it, you have it for life, because it is a part of your being or existence.

I have also completed core Co-Active Coach Training courses under the auspice of The Coaches Training Institute (CTI) — an extremely thoughtful and Eastern-based approach to life coaching that mirrors much of my coursework and training in LEC. I’ve participated in many of Anthony Robbins’ early seminars, an entire curriculum of intimate workshops based around authentic dialogue and understanding between men and women, and coaching and counseling sessions led by other practitioners. But above all, my faculty stems from my own rich life experience and the truly countless hours I’ve spent in meditation, contemplation, and discourse with people from all walks of life, all over the world. At some point along the way, all of my lessons and learning became my own, and I became a luminary life coach and spiritual sherpa — in other words, I stepped into my purpose.

If you'd like more information about the principles, philosophies, and premises that form the basis of my luminary life coaching and spiritual guiding practice, you can also take a look at the following brief descriptions of the "22 Cairns of Illumination."