Philosophy and Approach

• Their identity
• All of their relationships (marital, parents and extended family, children, work environment, friends)
• Their vocation
• Their spiritual health

Linked to these fundamentals of being, they are open to continually exploring four bedrock questions:

• Who am I?
• Where and how do I experience love?
• What is my life for?
• What do I believe in?

Most of our clients are outwardly "successful," blessed with a combination of financial means and a "presence" in their environment. By most standards, they have "made it." Yet something isn't working in their lives. They are either confused, scared or in pain - personally, emotionally, relationally, spiritually - and their immediate need is a combination of clarity and pain relief.

Earlier in their lives many believed that wealth and recognition would bring fulfillment. As their wealth and notoriety grew, they learned that high achievement carries significant costs. Instead of bringing security and peace, they found that "success" can lead to an endless cycle of obligations, listless relationships, a dulled sense of purpose, and a feeling that, "All I can do is never enough."

These "winners-with-heart" appear to have it all, yet yearn for purpose, connection, and inner peace - along with a renewed energy and aliveness. They have attained affluence and power, but confess to a blurred  sense of mission, meaning or connection in their lives. They are experiencing some strain of the "success flu." At their core, they yearn to:

• Find their lost passion and energy
• Get in touch with their true talents - and use them
• Dedicate their lives to the goals that really matter - to themselves and the world
• Get clear on the role of money in their lives
• Set clean boundaries so they have all the time they need
• Feel closer to their spouse or intimate partner
• Experience their emotions as gateways to healing and life
• Embark on a genuine spiritual journey
• Break through their "stuckness" to a new way of living
• Reclaim their lives.

We invite our clients to examine eight fundamental areas in their lives:

• Purpose
• Money
• Balance and Boundaries
• Authenticity
• Marriage and Love Relationships
• Friends and Community
• Spirituality
• Identity.

Our approach introduces proven models that lead to positive life change, and offer uplifting, practical guidelines for living out their innate genius with gratitude, wisdom and serenity. Committed clients learn how to achieve their unique life goals, built on the cornerstones of: 1) Personal aliveness, 2) Intimate community, 3) Connection with Spirit, and 4) A passionate life purpose.

We introduce, and encourage our clients to embrace, the following tenets:

• It is impossible to be grateful and unhappy.
• The open, authentic expression of your feelings is the gateway to healing - and life.
• Freedom from money anxiety comes when you view your life role as a steward versus an owner.
• Your truth, spoken with tenderness to a loved one, is the most direct way to achieve lasting intimacy.
• Boundless energy is available to you when you practice authenticity, compassion and forgiveness, and carve out times for solitude and reflection.
• Almost all the voices floating around inside your head are really looking out for your own good.
• Your life is not about you…you are about life.
• No matter how distressed, stuck or fragile you may feel, everything is as it is meant to be, and you are loved.

We strive to guide and inspire, leading "from a step behind." We believe the healing comes from within our clients; we simply facilitate the process. Our role is to provide the environment, method, encouragement and accountability for getting clarity on core issues, committing to a new life plan, and then living out that plan.

Our work is not "therapy." We do, however, offer a common sense balance between spirituality, psychology, and the cultural quandary of modern leaders. We know the traps our clients are most prone to fall into - because we have been there ourselves and (usually with great trepidation, delay and angst) discovered the way out. We have also worked with hundreds of high achievers who have struggled with similar issues. We strive to shorten this process for our clients, guiding them through their "stuckness," to clarity and action.

How We Work with Clients

Most clients come to us with an immediate problem, issue or dilemma. They may feel confused or scared, and seek clarity. Or, they are in pain and want relief.

Our work is similar to a full-service medical clinic. We offer "whole life health care."

Following this medical analogy, most client engagements start with a Personal Life Assessment. You'll do some written homework, and meet with Jim or another OnCourse Associate to review your "symptoms" and get clear about what you want. As in a consultation with a physician, we'll probe you about your background, especially how and when your current situation has appeared in the past, and what or who triggers your current pain or confusion.

During this initial meeting you'll also have a chance to check us out. We'll both determine if we have a longer term fit; if we want to go forward with each other. Typically, we offer an initial "diagnosis" as part of the first consultation. Based on our experiences with thousands of other high achievers, we'll share our candid assessment of your situation and suggest next steps, ranging from "doing nothing," to further diagnostics, to a Life Transformation Retreat, to "immediate surgery," to a Life Plan, to an aliveness-enhancement program.

It's then up to you whether or not you wish to retain us. Sometimes we'll refer clients to other practitioners or programs, outside of the OnCourse network. If we decide to work together, we may initially focus on only one "pressure point" in your life (e.g., your work situation or a broken relationship). Regardless of the initial approach, we work, long term, only with clients who are committed to achieving whole-being health.

Beyond the initial consultation, ongoing assessment and life audit offerings, we strongly encourage clients to develop a detailed life plan, and enter into a multi-month coaching engagement with an OnCourse Associate, both for guidance and plan accountability. Continuing the medical analogy, this coaching relationship is like physical therapy after surgery; it assures that the wounds are clean and the healing is sustained. Ongoing coaching is whole-life performance-enhancement.

From our experience, rarely can even the most disciplined clients sustain core-level life change without outside guidance and accountability. In the broadest sense we invite our clients to commit to  the following life-transforming shifts in their identity, relationships, vocation and spiritual life.

From: To: Complaint Commitment Concealing Authenticity Facade Experiencing Feelings Conflict Creativity

Over time committed explorers also shift

For more specific information on our approach and products, go to Personal Transformation Offerings.