I feel so blessed and excited to be working as a coach for Calderas Counseling. I love helping people, especially teens and young adults. I'd like to tell you a little bit about myself and why coaching and mentoring is my passion.
I worked in the oil and gas field for over 20 years and got to travel all over the world and work with amazing people on challenging projects. I was successful but I felt that I was missing something - a meaning in my life, a purpose that resonated within. With the support of my wife, I left my job to take a sabbatical to really understand what my purpose might be. During that time I found myself helping people and this really called to me, especially helping individuals deal with issues in their life.
My first opportunity to really help individuals was with college students when I was asked to participate in a newly created alumni mentoring program at my university. I found a lot of personal fulfillment helping college students with finding jobs/summer internships, helping them with interviewing and resume preparation, interacting with recruiters, dealing with school - including studying, test taking, time management, setting goals and breaking the goals down into manageable tasks. On top of that I helped them to deal with the stress and pressure that they were going through. More than anything, I was helping these young adults to figure out what they wanted to do with their lives.
I learned the importance of having a mentor and coach when I was given the opportunity to have one at my company. We would meet once a month, but I could reach out to him anytime I had a question or issue. He would recommend books that I should read, people whom I should meet and speak with and coach me through issues that I would bring to him. He advocated for me and challenged me to do things that I did not think were possible, expanding my horizons. I learned more about business and dealing with executives in one year than I had in all my previous 15 years of working at the company. Just being able to have someone who could provide advice and who I could bounce ideas off of was priceless.
Throughout my life I learned that everyone is different and no one path is the same. I had the opportunity to have an amazing mentor who spent the time and effort to teach me the things that you don't learn in school or on the job. This showed me how powerful mentoring and coaching can be. I remember how chaotic and uncertain my college life was and how I had no idea what I was going to do, even after I got my first job. I didn't have anyone advising me; I learned the hard way and struggled through school and life. This is what I want to be for my clients - to provide guidance to them for the things in life that they struggle with.
When I'm not working I like to watch movies, listen to music, and play video games. I try to read for at least two hours a day and I really like fixing things and learning how to fix things. I'm married to a beautiful, loving wife and have a wonderful dog named Amy.