About Jeff

I was born in Pennsylvania and grew up in suburban Maryland. I went college at the University of Texas at Austin and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Government. Subsequently, I studied law and earned a Juris Doctor from George Mason University. I recently came full circle when I moved from Maryland back to Pennsylvania and took up residence in a small farming community in the Southcentral part of the state.

I have been married twice. My first marriage was at once a pleasure and a great challenge. With the help of 12 step support groups, I learned about loving someone without losing myself, supporting without caretaking, and being self-focused and responsible while still being present to others. I also learned a lot about dreams and expectations. The break-up of my marriage was painful and it taught me about taking care of myself and about forgiveness.

My second (and present) marriage is a very balanced, loving partnership. It has a vibrant authenticity that is reflective of our personal maturity, healthy expectations, and sense of play. We love and accept each other exactly as we are.

I have three grown children from my first marriage and two grown stepchildren from my second marriage, and enjoy loving relationships with each and all.

I am very blessed.

My pleasures include music, reading, leisure drives, antique shopping, movies, cooking, being in the mountains and near water, and the rollicking or quiet company of family and friends.

Pursing my Dream. In 2001, following successful careers as a staff member on Capitol Hill, a legislative consultant, and full-time association executive, I decided that it was time to pursue my dream of becoming an author and inspirational speaker on spiritual transformation. Significantly, I had been aware of this dream for 15 years but, up to that point, had ignored it as impossible. Thus began an immensely exciting and challenging advance in my life.

After making the commitment to pursue my passion, I started my own professional services firm and began writing articles and developing workshops, which I have presented at Unity Churches in Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania. On several occasions, I was asked if I coached people, to which I replied, "no."

Subsequently, coaching came up again - this time in the context of Unity Peacemaking training. That did it. It was time to pay attention. While researching life coaching, I came upon the Life On Purpose Institute (LOPI). For me, LOPI stood head and shoulders above the other coaching schools for two reasons - (1) it placed primary emphasis on "being" rather than "doing" and (2) the spiritual principles upon which it is based were familiar and comfortable. I took some free teleclasses, talked with the founders, and felt strongly that coaching was also an integral part of my calling. A year later, I completed my training as a life coach with the additional competency of knowing how to help people clarify their divinely inspired life purpose.

Does it sound like it all flowed with ease and grace? That's nice if it does, but that's not how it felt in the development.  For most of us, when we decide to pursue our dreams, we soon are challenged by all of our fears, doubts, and insecurities. So it was for me. Fortunately, I had the blessing of a coach who worked with me along the way. From the larger perspective of my life purpose, it has been apparent that these and other challenges are no more - and no less - than life calling me to awaken spiritually. And that is why the theme of my work is "Awaken to Life."

Coaching Focus. I am presently offering life coaching to individuals and organizational coaching to churches.

Life Coaching. While I am willing to consider working with anyone who desires to become aware of their life purpose, my coaching is primarily directed at helping people recovering from traumatic losses, such as death of a loved one, divorce, or the termination of a cherished job relationship. The reasons for this focus are my experiences with my own traumatic losses -- all of which provided me with enormous challenges and opportunities to grow. And, in fact, I did grow tremendously – but, collectively, it took years of work. I realize now that, had I had the assistance of a good life coach, I could have moved forward more effectively and purposefully. So, my intention is to guide and support my clients in a manner that would have been so helpful to me.

Organizational Coaching. I am ready, willing, and able to assist churches in aligning their resources, policies, and programs to their vision, mission, and values. However, my primary focus is enhancing their maturation and effectiveness through enhanced leadership and governance development.  This is the evolution of what used to be called board training.  What makes it different is the thorough blending of spiritual principles and the baseline consideration of who we have come here to BE, individually as leaders and collectively as communities.

Writing Success.  My writing has also developed nicely, in large measure due to the information and support that I have received from participating in the Visionary Writers On Purpose team.  “Cleaning Out the Trophies,” my essay on forgiveness, was one of the feature articles in the September 2005 issue of Science of Mind magazine and has been designated a Science and Religion Article of Distinction by the John Templeton Foundation.  The 2006 edition of Chicken Soup for the Recovering Soul Daily Inspirations contains five of my inspirational messages.  Additionally, I have had several articles published online.  Finally, I have my own e-mail newsletter (i.e., e-zine) entitled, Awaken to Life!

Memberships

Life On Purpose Institute
Coachville

Visionary Writers on Purpose
Association for Global New Thought
Institute of Heart Math
Unity Christ Church, Gaithersburg, MD

Relevant Training

Coach Training & Certification, Life On Purpose Institute
Peaceworker Training, Association of Unity Churches, 2003