Last summer I attended a conference on life coaching and was surprised when the presenter adamantly stated that the coaching process is not about healing. When I queried what the focus of coaching might be, she responded that it’s goals are to work with a client around personal growth, increased perspective, new skills to facilitate change and increased confidence and competence to handle one’s personal challenges. Then what is healing, I asked?

Just a few years back I was invited by a PTO to speak to parents at a local grammar school on the topic of raising children with strong self-esteem. As the topic is somewhat amorphous, I was curious to see how many moms and dads would be motivated to come out on a snowy evening to indulge in a discussion on self-esteem. By the time my lecture began, there were more than three hundred people in the auditorium.

Tom was my teacher.

Just a few years older than me, Tom had developed tremendous skill and deftness in his craft. He had a gentle way of communicating his skills that allowed one to get glimmers of the tremendous passion he held for his creating. I became increasingly fascinated with the positive energy that this teacher exuded, and his commitment to share his passion with others. How did he come to be who he now is? I asked Tom to tell me his story.