LIFE IN DISCOVERY
Coaching for Individuals, Couples, Families, & Teams
Ben Edwards, PhD brings over a decade of diverse coaching experience to help individuals and teams reach their highest potential. His unique background, which includes teaching therapists-in-training, coaching athletic teams, and working with individuals, couples, and families through life transitions, allows him to offer a comprehensive approach that draws from proven strategies across different fields.
Ben's coaching expertise includes:
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Life transitions and personal growth
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Team building and group dynamics
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Parenting and family dynamics
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Complex divorce and parental alienation support
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Recovery and addiction support
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Relationship development
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High-conflict family situations
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Ben's coaching philosophy combines practical empathic inquiry and normalization of emotionally distressing circumstances with strategic goal-setting and deep psychological insight, helping clients overcome obstacles while building on their natural strengths. He works collaboratively with clients to address both immediate challenges and long-term aspirations.
MY APPROACH
A Guide to Your Goals
You are here because there are things you want to change, improve, and/or gain in your life. My work is to support you as we explore your world together; by asking tough questions, offering strength-based cognitive and emotional exercises, looking at how the mind and body are connected, as well as by putting together plans, goals, and practices to help implement the shift you are looking to make. We are going to look at your history, your relationships, your strengths, your hangups, your schedule and routine, and your thoughts, feelings, and reactions. With that in mind, it isn't a one-size-fits-all approach. Everyone has different needs/challenges/limitations and therefore, everyone demands a different program.
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I work with certain beliefs, including the simple ideas that we all have blind-spots, we all have strengths, and we all have room to grow. I appreciate a paradoxical way of living, and I tend to encourage similar philosophies to my clients. Some examples of this are: The tortuous wins the race. The most confident people lead with humility and an open-heart. The best teachers are students. The most secure people find time to help others; and simultaneously, these compassionate individuals have limits and boundaries to the amount of time and effort they are willing to give to others. So how can we take these notions and create actions to support the growth and success you want in your life? This is the work we will be doing together.​​
Ben's Story
Aside from being a coach, I live a life of learning. I am a father and I make family my priority. I balance my work week with my passions for fitness, psychology, culture, music, writing, and spirituality. I try not to take myself too seriously but I love grittiness as well as vulnerability; and live in gratitude for the love and health I enjoy today.
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I was born in Los Angeles. My family is from Santiago, Chile and I speak both English and Spanish fluently. Growing up, I spent time living in Maryland, California, and South America. I graduated undergrad from UC Santa Cruz and soon after that I landed some pretty serious music gigs. I became a touring musician and traveled the world performing and recording music. I did a lot of traveling that included many highlights, like being the bass player and background vocalist for a Grammy winning album. I became a father that same year and switched my focus to running and managing clubs and restaurants. All of these jobs and experiences helped me realize that my greatest passion was working with others and supporting people in finding peace and purpose. And so I again shifted my focus...
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I have earned a PhD in Depth Psychology and Masters in Clinical Psychology. Aside from my private practice as a Life Coach, I also work separately in private practice as a psychotherapist. (Photo by JeaNN YunG)
Click below to learn more about my doctoral dissertation entitled:
The Masculinity Complex: Heterosexual Men, American Culture, and Emotional Intimacy
While this depth psychological study's main focus is understanding what shapes the relationship between heterosexual men, American culture, and emotional intimacy, the research also maps the intricate ways masculinity operates as a dynamic force across genders. Through detailed analysis of cultural complexes, it reveals specific patterns in how masculinity shapes behaviors, beliefs, and emotional expression throughout society. Drawing from multiple disciplines, the study illuminates how gender dynamics, cultural patterns, and emotional development intersect in contemporary America.