"Thanks for the work you have done with me Rick and for this opportunity to reflect upon it and get back to you.

To review, I was one of two lucky local professionals you approached as part of your certification requirement and I feel privileged to have been part of this process.

The description of your coaching you give on the website is accurate and describes my experience. Some of the highlights and aspects I recall as being beneficial to me I have listed below and include:

1. I enjoyed it's deep simplicity. The "North Star" I seek daily now is based on honoring my essential "compassionate nature" and I believe your instincts regarding insightfully pointing out this as a key focus for me were prescient. Conversely, you created in me a new awareness of my most negative and distractive trait: excessive “judgmentalism” of self and others. (Our so called "Judge".) We personalized it, labeled it, and investigated ways to mitigate it.

2. The readings and recordings you suggested were helpful and perfectly complemented your skillful listening and insightful commentary during 10 personal and serious sessions, each lasting approximately 90 minutes.

3. At the start of our work you asked me to choose two particular areas that I would wish to see growth in. I selected one regarding helping me with relentless self-defeating thought patterns based on mental comparison tendencies toward most situations in my life-especially manifested by financial fear and some upsets of behaviors .The futility of this "constantly comparing" process became very apparent. Secondly, I wished to particularly gain more acceptance of and empathy for my spouse of 40 years, particularly regarding issues pertaining to our mutual aging together and various medical concerns we have for her. I would rate the program highly effective for both.

4. As you mentioned, the program is flexible and I particularly liked persistent effort on your part to help me tailor and simplify my daily journal techniques so that I might ask the on point questions of myself during the nightly reflection process. We were together effective in constructing brief set of questions to help me better assess whether I had, on a daily basis, met my goals of engaging in life compassionately and without a toxic berating of myself. For example, I now reflect more often upon: "How was compassionate connecting with others manifested?" and What did I do to defeat the "Judge"? Also, what I had I learned technique wise moving forward? It was also very reassuring to know I could contact you ad lib via phone or text or email in real time during the course of our interaction. I never felt rushed or ignored. Your commitment to and passion for the work was apparent, as was your skill set.

5. An especially helpful aspect of the work involved explaining the emotional level of damage that a judgmental /comparative mindset causes me and how such thinking ( i.e. "The Judge") operates. I learned that it is ALWAYS negative, sometimes blatant and at times subtle, and that it is ALWAYS a distinct consistent barrier to my happiness and sense of self-worth. I learned tools to recognize and combat it and how to remind myself that it is indeed an omnipresent tendency, always intent on a destructive psychological and (especially) emotional response pattern from me. I am "hard-wired " with it so to speak, but no longer need be its captive.

I would gladly comment favorably on my experience working this approach with you to anyone considering use of your services and deeply value our friendship which this work has expanded.