Before I decided to make a big career about-face, I had been a software engineer for 30 years and had risen pretty far up the technical career ladder in a major information technology corporation.  I led software development teams, created software architectures, chaired a patent evaluation committee,  and filed 25+ patent applications  myself.

In September 2005, I took a big step out of my comfort zone to study positive psychology as a member of the first class of the Master of Applied Positive Psychology program at the University of Pennsylvania.  This program was the first of its kind in the world. 

Applied positive psychology is all about putting research findings to work to make people's lives happier, more productive, more fulfilling, more engaging, and more meaningful.  After I finished the degree, I had to figure out, "What next?  How do I use what I learned to make a difference?"

Then I set out on my own.  I have at least 20 years experience mentoring individuals and groups of individuals.  I've heard a lot of stories.  I've also experienced the magic of helping people bring new ideas into existence. That's the core of coaching.  So I trained to be a certified professional coach with Coach Training Alliance in 2006 and then completed the training course of the Quality of Life Therapy and Coaching Academy.