So this is me

My name is Guy Reichard and as a coach I don’t spend much time in sessions talking about myself or my ‘stories’ – that time is for my clients to do most of the talking. I ask the questions, guide the process, and share important principles, ideas & practices. This page will be a little different from any coaching session and it will serve as a way for you to get to know more about who I really am, so if we get the chance to work together, you’ll already have a sense of me before we ever meet.

I don’t think I need to share all my life’s stories to help you get to know me. I’ve had my struggles, I’ve had my bumps and bruises, I’ve had my wins as well. The biggest win is that I relearned how to live life through personal development and coaching (and a ton of ongoing practice).

I am now continually in the process of growth and becoming more authentic, whole, loving, peaceful and free each day (except when I forget, which is regularly). The dips are fewer and shorter though, the peaks are more joyful and fulfilling, and the journey is really the most important thing for me now.

With as much presence and heart as I can muster, I offer deep, profound & soulful coaching for exceptional people to help them be who they are and make the most out of this thing called life!

I want you to know I have a second ‘brand’ of coaching called HeartRich and I’d love it if you visited to take a look. It’s an expression of my own evolution and purpose.

What I Value

The core values in my life are represented in the following words: love, truth, freedom, courage, peace, family, learning, growth, authenticity, integrity, nature, beauty, fun, connection, fairness, sharing, playfulness, adventure, humor, understanding. I’m a deep, caring, loving, soulful guy, who loves animals more than people and enjoys being silly, playful, ridiculous and off-the-wall with people I trust and love.

What I’m Grateful For

I’m grateful for becoming a coach and aligning with a path that feels more natural, fun and fulfilling for me. I’m grateful for my relationship with my wife Lucia – she is a living angel. I’m grateful for my family – they are an amazing group of loving and supportive people. I’m grateful for my friends – those who know me well and those who don’t. I’m grateful for my cat and dog (the living ones & those who’ve past), who taught me how to be more loving, accepting and patient. And I’m grateful for the abundance of growth and new opportunities ahead.

There are many more things, people and events I’m grateful for. I believe each one served a purpose and I’ve done my best to learn as much as I can from each of them.

Why I Became a Coach

The short (and true) story: I became a coach to serve my purpose – to help people create rich, meaningful, fulfilling lives and shine their unique lights more brightly. With each person learning, evolving and shedding away what no longer serves them, I could see the world becoming a better place. I chose to let go of some beliefs that weren’t serving me and held on to the ones that would carry me closer and closer to serving my purpose. Coaching is what I was guided to and it became clear to me that it was the next step on my path.

The longer story (but still not the full story) is that I have been involved with and practicing personal development for about 20 years. I committed to growing, self actualizing, and improving my life and I did so with the help of life changing programs, workshops, seminars, books and working with exceptional coaches, mentors and guides. And a lot of real life practice. Real life day-to-day applications of the principles I was learning. It changed me – rather it helped me become more real than I ever was before. It helped and continues to help me dissolve self-imposed limitations, blocks and patterns and expand my range of possibilities which helps me feel more peace, self acceptance, love, fulfillment and contentment in life.

After a number of years of knowing that I wanted to be a coach, but strongly resisted because of the investment in my existing business, life presented me with an opportunity. A shaky economy, clients holding back on marketing, me sitting in my rented office wondering if my business crumbles, what will I do? And then slowly but surely I felt lighter and freer. I knew what I would do – I would find a way to serve the purpose I was starting to believe in. After receiving some coaching and support from family and friends, I made my decision, chose my school, signed up and became a coach.

Where I Learned to Be a Coach

I researched the top coaching programs for a while. So long that someone I knew started her program, finished it and then became my coach for a while. I had my heart set on Adler International Learning, an ICF certified program co-sponsored by the University of Toronto (OISE) & Western University (Continuing Studies). My friend helped me see what Adler was all about and I was impressed with my experience. I gave the other schools a fair consideration but when I went down to visit the school, I knew I found the right place for me.

At Adler, I didn’t just learn about coaching, I learned to Be a Coach. They had us coaching each other in class on the first day of the program. Experience it – reflect on it – learn from it. They encouraged us to get clients after the first module – they said we knew enough to get started and I believed them and have been coaching ever since. I hold the designation of Adler Certified Professional Coach (ACPC). Since 2011 I held ICF designations as well (ACC & PCC) and now, after 12 years and over 2500 hours of coaching, I am in the process of getting the Master Certified Coach (MCC) credential.

What I Did Before Coaching

Going back about 25 years I was studying to be a psychologist / psychotherapist. Through my own ups and downs I got ~~a bit~~ very jaded and felt that going the long route of BA, Masters & PhD wasn’t right for me. I was ready to start working, not stay in school for another 6 years. I took a year off, worked in small businesses and then decided I wanted to go into business for myself. My family heavily valued education and that influenced me to consider a Master’s of Business degree. I applied and got in to one of Canada’s top MBA programs and I jumped at the opportunity.

I enjoyed the program but at the same time I lost myself in the process. When the program was over, I traveled for a few months and when I returned I tried hunting for jobs. Nothing was available. The Boom just Burst. I needed money so I started doing some IT related work and web design for family and friends and then realized – this could be a business. Within a few months I registered a business, Exante Solutions (March 2001), and spent years developing my skills in web design and marketing working for small to medium-sized companies and entrepreneurs.

As the years passed I focused more and more on internet marketing and trying to combine the personal development principles into my business. I coached several people and helped them launch new businesses or new business visions and I enjoyed that part of my business very much. However, I always felt like I could do more to help people on a personal level (not just financial) and that feeling, after several years, turned into a passion for coaching. And here we are.

If you want to learn more about how or why I started my journey of personal growth, you can read the story on my blog. I reveal quite a bit about my past and the series of events that led me to seek a new way of living.

Thank you

My sincere thanks go out to you if you read this whole page. My intention was to share some of my essence and I hope I accomplished that. I look forward to hearing from you and perhaps, if the conditions are right, the opportunity to be your coach.

With love,

Guy Reichard