About the Coach

What is my Philosophical Orientation?

Over the last thirty years, I have helped people maximize their potential in defining their careers and take a more self-directed role in navigating their life's course. As a young psychologist, I focused on mobilizing people's strengths in developing a foundation for using transitions as opportunities to live more satisfying lives. I worked within a context that incorporated many aspects of what later became the basis for the evolving field of Coaching.

Transitions in My Own Career:

My transition into coaching has taken place over the last decade. In the early 90's, a large number of executives were coming to see me dealing with the losses of their jobs. These, often sudden losses were typically accompanied by a diminution of identity, resulting from the massive and often impersonal downsizing that has become commonplace in the corporate world over the last fifteen years. As I was working with these clients, I became very interested in the process of loss, transition and the need for redefinition that is experienced by those who face such a challenge. It became clear that we were operating in a new work paradigm , one that required self-reliance and resiliency.

In 1994, I became involved in the Highlands Company , a life and career development program based on a proprietary instrument that measures individual abilities. This assessment gave me the opportunity to provide my clients with a core blueprint , a roadmap, to help them move through career transitions with more confident self-direction. At that time the coaching field was really taking off. I decided to expand my skill sets and sought some coach-specific training. I now use my skills as a therapist in a new venue. By becoming a coach, I found a niche that allowed me to grow in a new way professionally! While coaching is an integral part of what I had always been doing, it was now a clearly defined discipline that allows me to impact not only individuals, but the businesses and corporations that employ them.

Moving into the Corporate Arena

While I still maintain a small clinical practice, coaching constitutes the majority of my professional work. I have had great success in attracting coaching clients locally, nationally and internationally. My clients are varied and come from the professions, small business owners and entrepreneurs. On a larger scale, I work with The Pyramid Resource Group based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. In 1999, I was invited to join this elite group of leaders within the coaching field and become part of their coaching team, serving multinational and Fortune 500 firms. This meets my need to work in a collegial team-oriented environment, serving large corporate entities. It also gives me an opportunity to work with high-level executives and teams in areas that include the development of leaders and the creation of coaching initiatives within corporate culture. This work is the fulfillment of my personal dream to be able to influence and impact organizations in a way that brings out the best that people have to offer in their work environments.

A Bit of Personal History

I am a long time resident of Miami, Florida. I was stationed at Homestead Air Force Base in 1969 and met my wife Joyce, soon after. She was teaching in the town adjacent to the base and we were married in 1971. After my discharge from the Air Force, I worked in a therapeutic milieu at a private psychiatric hospital. I then moved into the Community Mental Health arena, where I participated in writing a federal grant that brought much needed mental health services to an underserved population in South Dade. I eventually became the director of mental health before moving into full time private practice in 1980. I completed my doctorate degree at the University of Miami in 1976.

Joyce and I have two married children. Anna is a speech pathologist, practicing in Miami, and has been married to Noah Sherry since 2004. They reside in Miami Beach with their two beautiful daughters. She works with young children, many of whom have been diagnosed with sensory processing disorders and autism. Our son, David, graduated from the University of Vermont Medical College in 2005. He met his wife Barbara while he was a pediatric resident and she was a medical student at Yale. They now reside in New York City where he is completing a fellowship in pediatric cardiology at Columbia and she is a surgical resident at St. Luke's Hospital.

Joyce retired from teaching in 2010 after a career that spanned four decades with a minor respite to have our two kids. She was a master teacher who managed a classroom with precision, while being sensitive to the needs of her children.

We routinely have large crowds over for gatherings of friends and family. Our house is a busy place with people coming and going much of the time. As empty nesters, we still have time for quiet and contemplation as well. I enjoy landscaping and creating tropical environments with the beautiful foliage available to a South Florida gardener. What really relaxes me is bringing palms, orchids, bromeliads, and ferns together to create a very peaceful and soothing piece of the earth. I enjoy remaining physically fit and have frequented the gym regularly since 1978. In a world that can often be unsettling and tumultuous, these endeavors keep me young and in balance . . . at least most of the time.