Case Study One:
Not very long ago, Brenda G. worked for a high-profile investment-banking firm in Manhattan. She enjoyed her job for the most part - but there was one particular area of her working day that filled her with anxiety - sales. Although Brenda was an accomplished and confident money manager, she was extremely insecure about her ability to sell - especially in light of the mounting daily pressure to produce. Her insecurity about sales eventually began to negatively impact the areas of her job where she had normally felt so at ease.

Together, Brenda and I designed a plan that capitalized on her strengths and her interests. Because she possessed such obvious expertise in the business of money management, we created a practical roadmap that would lead to the creation of a business that Brenda could truly call her own. Two months from the day Brenda and I met for her first LifeDesign session, she had begun her own financial advising business managing client accounts and portfolios.

Today, Brenda's business is thriving. She's more confident, more comfortable, and more effective in her job - and that confidence has already begun to infuse the other areas of her life.

Case Study Two:
Brian P. is a client who has lived in New York City for a little over one year. Although he found a job that payed quite well, there was a problem. The job was completely consuming his life. Brian longed to meet people, to pursue hobbies, maybe even develop a relationship. Brian was desperately searching for balance.

When Brian and I began working together, we defined his objectives. He wanted to tap into his creative side, and find time to exercise, and start going to the places where he might meet people with whom he could develop lasting relationships.

Each week I gave Brian several tasks to complete -- from delegating responsibility to his assistants to posting an ad for a workout partner at his local gym. Each week Brian would do a little more, and a little more… until he finally became comfortable saying "no" to people at work. As a result, Brian developed a significantly more balanced life, and to his surprise, he now enjoys his job more than ever because it's not the 'only' thing she does. He's made several new friends, in fact, Brian started dating a man who he says "he likes very much." A year later Brian has a thriving relationship with the same man.

Case Study Three:
When Josh became my client he was in his early forties, a gay man living in the closet; personally and professionally stuck.

Josh was a struggling actor in NYC with a part-time job in a clothing designer's office. He usually spent his summers doing summer stock at some 'hole in the wall' theatres around the country. He averaged about 2-3 auditions a month and had no agent. The part-time job was low-skilled labor and auditions were giving him no hope of success. He felt his career and his life were heading nowhere.

Low self-esteem kept him in a dysfunctional relationship with a younger man he had little in common with. In addition, Josh's entire family had 'no idea' that he was gay. Josh was very much closeted with his past. We decided to begin on improving Josh's self-esteem.

Together, Josh and I were able to identify a growing enthusiasm for women's footwear design. We identified methods for recognizing and creating opportunities within this designer's firm for creative assignments. Josh and I worked together to build a portfolio and formulate a pitch for a full-time position. Almost immediately Josh was offered the job that only several weeks earlier, he thought he would never be offered.

It was around the same time that Josh began to feel his confidence level begin to grow. He noticed men looking at him differently and realized that he was becoming more attractive due to this newly found confidence and his success level at his 'new job'. Still, his personal life needed the guidance and direction to understand what he was actually looking for. New professional prospects gave him plenty of prospects to see who was 'out there' and what he was really looking for. It was a relationship of equal partnership with men closer to his intelligence level. He took the risk to end the relationship with the young man he had been so dissatisfied with for so many years and for several months learned to enjoy meeting a variety of men who appeared better suited to Josh's needs.

Recently I received a phone call from Josh. "James I have a story for you", he says, "My grandmother died several days ago and I took my partner with me to attend the funeral", a man Josh had met at a business dinner for a new line of footwear Josh was designing. Josh had still not come out to his family. "After I delivered the eulogy, I went and sat next to my partner of five months instead of my parents, where I had originally sat. I held my partner's hand for comfort as he put his arm around me… and at that moment it didn't matter who saw it. Afterwards, at the cemetery I introduced David to my father as "my partner and the man I was living with". My Dad shook David's hand and said "I am Mike, Josh's father, but some prefer to call me Dad…"

Case Study Four:
Glenn H. was a physical therapist who specialized in care for the elderly. Although he initially found his work interesting, there was always a part of him that wondered if there was some other career that could fulfill him more completely. His true passion had always been writing, and but something always stopped him from even considering that he could turn writing into a career.

Working together, Glenn and I explored the idea of incorporating his love of writing with his vast expertise in the field of physical therapy. Before long, Glenn pitched the idea for a home care TV show that would focus on the care given to the elderly. The idea was picked up by a major network. Today, Glenn has found a wonderful satisfying career balance - he's working on the the pre-production of his new television series, and continues to see physical therapy patients.

Case Study Five:
Julie P. was due for a promotion. She had been with her company for five years, and felt that with all the hard work she had put in, was not reaping the benefits. Although Julie loved her place of employment, and her fellow workers, she had been offered another job at a substantially higher salary. When Julie came to me, she did not have a lot of time. She had four weeks to make a decision, or speak to her boss about a promotion.

Together, we devised a plan, which consisted of two meetings and three phone calls per week for a four-week period. By identifying previous accomplishments, acknowledging her value to the firm and her colleagues, and weighing the costs and benefits of relocating and starting over with a new company, we empowered Julie with the ability to choose what was really important to her. We came up with an action plan on how to position herself so she could achieve her objective.

As a result, Julie gained the confidence to have a conversation with her boss, and was given the promotion that she felt she deserved. Julie is now Assistant Vice President, working at the job she loves, at the level she wants.