About Richard

I’m a canoeist. Like many of the things we do in life, it is something I really identify with. But my identity as a canoeist is a minor part of who I am, it tells you about my preference in self-powered boats and hints at some of the skills I might have.

We all have these labels and associated roles, and we identify with some of them more than others. I’m also a father, husband, writer, photographer, and a Canadian. I identify quite strongly with all of those, but I have other labels that are true, but for which I don’t feel a strong connection. I’m a cyclist, and a recycle-ist. But I would not think to describe myself that way. I’m a white person, and a male, but I only think that way when the topic of race comes up. Most of the time I just think of myself as a human being. If you asked me my religion, I would say Christian, but I am so open minded that most Christians would not call me that. So I’m better described as a curious person interested in spiritual things.

Yet we like to categorize people, create labels and roles to help us understand each other. As a coach, I know that people are much more than their various categories and roles and in general everyone is struggling with a few similar issues. They come to see a coach because of these struggles and often it is an issue of being stuck in some way or another. One of their categories is no longer working.

To stick with the canoeing theme, lets say they are like a canoeist who has been too long in the wilderness. They round a bend in the stream and find themselves facing a massive beaver dam, forced to stop and consider their options. They look around at all the pooling water, the flooded forest, the eroding river banks. Everything feels waterlogged, the flow has stopped, and they wonder, “what now?”

I know how this feels. After 24 years as an executive in the non-profit sector, I reached a place like that. It was a reality I hadn’t wanted to acknowledge — complicated working relationships, endless administration duties, feeling burned out, and feeling a slow erosion of my will to go on.

What followed was one of the most disorienting, but ultimately clarifying, passages of my life. A single dream, a letter I wrote to a teacher from my past, a therapist who asked, quietly, whether I’d ever considered doing this work myself, and within a few months I was back in the flow again.

I believe there are no bad parts in us. No broken pieces or damaged goods — only parts of us that have been working very hard, for a very long time, to keep us safe. There are some wounds for sure, some of them healed, some not, but flowing through it all is a hidden unity, the thing that makes you, you.

And that is where stream work begins. Your True Self.

Stream work is part “cold hard look,” part “warm kind presence,” and part old fashioned elbow grease. The first thing to do is see the tired parts of you and understand why they are so weary. There will be some time to sit with the reality of your situation. And often there will be letting go of something already dropping behind you. I can help you find the courage to face forward, firm in your seat and begin paddling a new course. As Mathasar said near the end of Galaxy Quest, “On Teb, on!”

Jungian — My Coaching Flavour

I came to Jung early — as a young writer, reading his biography with the half-suspicious fascination of someone who suspects a door might open there.

Life took me elsewhere for a very long time, however. I went to University, got married, had a family, forged a career. In my spiritual life I moved from the deep rituals of Anglicanism, through a period of evangelical faith, agnosticism, and eventually found a quiet spirituality that has helped me find my way.

Coaching comes naturally to me. I have always loved to encourage people and see them thrive. My philosophy of management was shaped by my faith, by my exploration of Buddhist ideas, and by holding to a clarity about what is, and is not, within my control.

My coaching practice builds on this experience and I went back to that door I sensed as a young man. The Jungian method is a strong theme that runs through my work, and ties in to the theme of the two books I wrote for Adam’s Media.

The thread that connects all of it? — There is beauty in some things and some people that comes from the hard knocks of existence. There is a beauty in the way things grow to accommodate disease and adversity. Semi-arid steppe lands and alpine meadows contain hardy plants adapted to the harsh conditions. Sometimes their beauty is obvious, and sometimes it takes some work to appreciate them. All this to say that I’m good at seeing the beauty in people. You do not have to be a polished version of yourself to be worthy or ready or able. You just have to be willing to enter the stream.

Details

For those with a more analytic or academic preference, my coaching draws on Jungian depth psychology with a particular focus on the ego–Self axis — building a strong, living connection to what some call the True Self.

I work especially well with people navigating mid-life transitions, burnout, and the particular disorientation of faith in flux: whether you are deepening, questioning, leaving, or simply trying to hold contradictions without being torn apart by them.

I also work with people who are highly sensitive — those who have always felt things more intensely than society tends to allow — and with vision-driven professionals who have poured themselves into meaningful work and are unexpectedly exhausted, adrift, overboard, or marooned.

Qualifications

I hold a BA in Psychology, a certificate in Jungian Coaching from The Jung Platform (completing in 2026) , and 24 years of executive experience working in policy, leadership, and organizational life. I have completed training in Motivational Interviewing and courses in Mental Health and Addictions, and my learning edge is the work of Richard Schwartz, John Vervaeke, and the broader tradition of depth psychology.

Background & Training

• BA in Psychology - University of Victoria

• Certificate in Jungian Coaching, The Jung Platform (in progress)

• 24 years in executive positions at Island Crisis Care Society

• Motivational Interviewing; Mental Health & Addictions I & II

• Author, Wabi Sabi Simple and Wabi Sabi for Writers

• Diploma in Creative Writing - David Thompson University Centre

• Certificate in Biblical Studies - Covenant Bible College

Where and When

I offer coaching in person in Central Vancouver Island, or via video conferencing. I have a home office for sessions in Nanaimo. I’m available Monday and Tuesday, from 9 am to 8:00 pm, Pacific Time.

For More Information see:

• Is Stream Work Right for me - setting up a free investigation call.

• Fees and Services

• What is Stream Work Video by Richard

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