Below are some of the incredible people, books and experiences that have allowed me to explore myself and coaching in a fulfilling way.  I have provided links to their web sites or where you can buy the book, should you desire.   Sarita Chawla a coach and teacher at New Ventures West, has been central in helping me develop myself as a coach. Sarita and New Ventures West offers powerful coaching and coaching classes for those interested in coaching or being coached. Sarita has developed an amazing capacity to be present, to listen to you intently, without judgment and offer insightful distinctions and perspective. I owe her a great deal and consider myself fortunate to have been a student of hers. Regina Perata has been my coach, mentor and friend for the last two years as I began to explore my passions and place in the world and at work.  Her absolute integrity to speaking the truth and her compassion are invaluable to me and to her clients.  Her practices focuses on high performance individuals and companies in areas of leaderships, sales and other areas of excellence. She is based in Portland, Oregon.   The foundation for what I do can be found in James Flaherty's book, Coaching: Evoking Excellence in Others.  James is also the Founder of New Ventures West.  New Ventures offers an extended reading list on their web site.  The few times I have met James he is to the point with his wit and intelligence.  A fierce, but kind coach. A book that I have read and re-read for many years is Iron John by Robert Bly.  Based on the Grimm Brothers' tale, Iron John, Bly explores in detail the hero's journey.  This examination sets the stage for/illiminates all our journeys in life.  Robert Bly is a poet, author, lecturer and translator. Iron John and similar works led me to appreciate the depth and magnitude of Ken Wilber's thinking and writing.  Through Wilber's books, I came to perceive the world and myself, in a very new and different way.  I highly recommend reading No Boundary, Wilber's explanation of human development and how we must be responsible for our lives! Richard Strozzi-Heckler has been instrumental in giving me a vocabulary and insight to the nature of our mind/body.  Through my years of body work, I have learned that our bodies tell us who we are, effect our view of the world and are the lens through which the world interacts with us.  I highly recommend reading The Anatomy of Change.  A list of Richard's other books can be found here. Why can we experiencing personal and professional success, and yet still feeling unsatisfied and unhappy?  This unhappiness is the consequences of never having asked yourself, "What will make me happy. What does success mean to me. " Beyond the Hero,  Allen Chinen response to this question, uses folklore and myth to explain what it means to live after the hero's journey.   Sam Keen as also written some wonderful books.  I have highly recommend Fire in the Belly and The Passionate Life.  Reading these books led me to question my assumptions about who I wanted to be and who I wanted my wife and daughters to know as their spouse and father.   Shannon Small lives San Francisco based coach.  She leads her business, Small Victories, with enthusiasm and an aliveness that must be experienced.  She is a wonderful coach and a respected speaker and facilitator.   Peer Resources is a good place to find information about other coaches, their approach and sign up for free newsletters.