The HeartRich Blog
HeartRich Resilience: Developing A System for Authentic Flourishing
Imagine a compass guiding you in life, not just to “survive” but to live deeply, meaningfully, and resiliently. The HeartRich Resilience Compass is designed with nine interconnected facets, each representing an area of your inner world and a suite of principles and processes or skillsets we can learn.
When you learn to turn these dials from the negative, destructive side toward the positive, life-affirming side, you begin to embody your truest self. You no longer react out of fear, avoidance, or survival; instead, you consciously choose your responses, acting with intention, clarity, and heart.
A Year of Reckoning and The Call for Love and Courage
I had not one inkling that the final year of my 40s would turn out the way it did. This past year has reshaped both my inner and outer life in ways I could never have anticipated. I hate to admit it, but I was incredibly naïve, and ignorant. The writing was quite literally, on the wall….
As I turned 50 just days ago, I find myself contemplating how this year of horror, trauma, violence, and hatred has fundamentally shifted my identities – as a Jew, an Israeli, a Canadian, a family man, friend and neighbor, and as a professional who tries to bring more heart to the world.
Beyond Stress Management: Expanding Your Window of Tolerance to Restore Authenticity, Resilience & Heart
Is Stress Changing Who You Are? It’s highly likely that the toll of chronic stress is silently reshaping you, and without understanding how to manage it, the risks to your wellbeing, family life, and leadership effectiveness are only growing.
I would like to share a model to help explain what might be happening, from a neurophysiological perspective, called the Window of Tolerance.
Burnout is Not a Badge of Honor: The High Achiever’s Dilemma
“In the relentless pursuit of success, many high-achieving executives wear their burnout as a badge of honor, not realizing it’s a complex condition that can be rooted in trauma, as well as cause it.”
At the heart of this issue lies the High Achiever’s Dilemma: being in perpetual pursuit of achievement, while continuously increasing one’s standards and expectations of themselves, and no matter what they achieve and accomplish, they never feel “I am enough”. There is a void where there should be a natural sense of worth, self worth and ‘Good Enoughness’
The Power of Heart Coherence (HRV) for Balance, Resilience and Wellbeing
Lately, many of us find ourselves tossed about by tsunamis of stress, emotional adversity, and uncertainty about the future. Amidst the chaos, we can always find a profound yet often overlooked resource within us – the power of our hearts to help us generate a state of greater inner balance, harmony and coherence.
At its core, heart coherence is a tangible psycho-physiological state with profound implications for our mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. It’s rooted in the science of Heart Rate Variability (HRV).
Coresilience: Cultivating Inner Safety to Build Resilience Through Connection With Others
“The people who have survived trauma teach us about what it is to be human, by teaching us what they’ve lost – and they’ve lost the ability to feel safe enough with another.” ~ Stephen Porges
It got me thinking deeply about how the need for connection and social engagement. How, at a time when we could use the support of others, the hearts of others, some of us just can’t open up to receive those benefits – instead, we close our hearts, we isolate and we shut down to protect ourselves.
This article explores the profound need and impact of feeling safe within ourselves and with others, and offering practical steps to cultivate inner safety, regulation, and resilience through heart-centered practices, so we can ultimately connect with others, and mutually reinforce resilience and wellbeing.
How to Choose the Right Coach for You: Expert Insights and Tips
Executive & Career Coach Lynn Nicolai and I had an insightful chat about Coaching geared to those of you who’re thinking about hiring a coach but not sure how to decide what’s right for you.
Whether you’re feeling stuck in your career or a relationship, struggling to find balance or confidence or peace in your life, or simply seeking guidance to grow and unlock your full potential, choosing the right coach for you can make a massive difference – watch or listen to this insightful chat to learn how to prepare and what to consider
How to Transform Your Incorrigible Inner Critic from Menacing Monster to Cuddly Caretaker
All that consistently critical and demanding self talk robs a person of their natural confidence, self esteem, and inner peace.
Without our natural confidence, self-esteem and trust in ourselves, self-doubt not only creeps in but begins to predominate and interfere with how we show up in life, at work and in relationships.
Learn how to transform that Menacing Monster into a Cuddly Caretaker
You Need to Value Your Needs and Values
Explore the path to authentic living, wellbeing, and fulfillment by prioritizing and valuing your own needs and values. Uncover the interconnectedness of needs and values and discover the transformative power of embracing authenticity. Join us on a journey of self-discovery and learn how aligning your actions with your core values can lead to a life of greater inner peace, integrity, confidence, and profound fulfillment.
The Eclipse of Love & The War Within
The Time to Choose is Now. The answer for a better future will only be found in love, and nothing else. We must make love the priority – within ourselves and between us. [ChoozLuv]
Cracking the Code of Self-Love through Self Leadership: Video Interview
In this video, I put an important spin on Self-Love & explain how Coaching for Self Leadership helps us heal & grow by loving our problematic protective parts & wounded parts
Burnout, Beliefs & Boundaries: Executive Coaching Video Interview
In this video, we talked about Burnout & how limiting beliefs & patterns like Perfectionism & People-Pleasing block us from owning & asserting needed boundaries
Boundary Setting for the Boundary-Challenged
On the journey of life, there’s a delicate and complex balance between honoring our own wellbeing needs and values, and fostering healthy connections with others. This complex balance is held in check by one fundamental element: boundaries. It is my sincere hope that within these words, you will find solace and inspiration, a gentle nudge towards reclaiming your Authentic Self and embracing the power of boundaries.
Embrace the Full Emotional Spectrum | Transcending Toxic Positivity
Just Be Positive but only Always (blech!) The prevalent culture of toxic positivity that seems to pervade our society and social media platforms makes my stomach turn and gives...
Using the Change Triangle to Liberate Your Emotions & Reconnect with Your Authentic Self
In this article, we will explore the Change Triangle and discuss how it can help us: better understand our emotions and how to process them, be aware of automatic defenses and reduce the interference of maladaptive patterns, embrace uncomfortable inhibiting emotions so we can get closer to our true, core emotions connect with our authentic selves to foster Self Leadership, and develop the inner capacities that promote a greater sense of emotional wellbeing and resilience.
“How’s My Relating?” Using the Relational Grid for Building Better Relationships
How We Do Relationships Matters Whether in our personal lives or in the world of business, the importance of building healthy, strong, trusting relationships is vital to our...
Five Self-Regulation Techniques for Restoring Presence, Calm & Clarity
The Present Belongs to Those Who Are Present More and more these days, people are telling me they’re feeling stressed and anxious and triggered by ‘little things’ or things that...
Client Success Story: Walloped with an Insight
It Walloped Him! There were about 5 seconds of silence, he was stunned, and then his eyes opened wide, and his head tilted this way and that way. I smiled. I knew he got it. Then...
Exploring Love as a Need in the Context of Leadership & Workplace Wellbeing
Love Matters. Even if you don't call it Love. Love is the term I give to the force and impulse to appreciate and nurture life, within ourselves and beyond as if there is no...
Reframing Impostor Syndrome as Self-Deficiency Syndrome
Impostor Syndrome needs a major reframe. It’s actually the tip of the Self-Deficiency iceberg hiding deeper issues of shame & unenoughness below. Self Leadership Coaching offers a compassionate trauma-informed approach.
If you’re feeling that impostor feeling – it means you’re not in Self. You’re back to being a vulnerable kid again. When you recognize that a wounded part of you is scared and struggling, and your go-to strategies are to push yourself harder or run for the hills, it’s time to stop and reconnect – it’s time to give yourself the kind of love, compassion and acceptance you may never have gotten growing up.
It’s Time We Talk About Trauma
What is Trauma & what does it have to do with Coaching? Without understanding it & working on healing it in ourselves, we have a high chance of perpetuating it in others, including our clients.
Informed and trauma-wise coaches are more sensitive to what’s really driving a person’s agenda (goals for coaching), and instead of being an accomplice, they can be a compassionate messenger and a gentle guide. Being informed is not enough – being wise means we act from our knowledge with virtues like compassion and courage.
Get to Know HeartRich Founder & Coach Guy Reichard – Podcast Interview
In a recent podcast interview I shared my responses to 6 core questions that will help you get to know me better as a heart centered + self leadership coach. One is uniquely different than the rest – it’s the Goosebump Question – you can watch that or listen to the whole thing here
Podcast Interview: Values Coaching, Personal Growth, Mental Health
A couple of months back, I was offered an opportunity to be a guest on a popular podcast called The Daily Path with Joe Winters Jr. It was my first ‘real’ podcast, as the one I had been on before was actually a coaching challenge I offered one of my clients.
We got the chance to speak about: What brought me to coaching and how I got started, One of the most important pieces of work I offer my clients – Values Coaching, What one of my biggest obstacles has been as an entrepreneur and more
The Avoidance Trap & How to Free Yourself
Many of us avoid experiences out there, in the world, to avoid experiences in here, in our inner worlds. Our very own internal feelings have become the ‘danger’ our bodies and minds desperately want to get rid of. Difficult and unwanted feelings of pain, fear, shame, guilt, anxiety, anger, sadness, and grief, for example. Anything that you’ve experienced before that your system deemed was too much to bear, and you never want to experience again. Except that we do. Often.
Avoidance works, for brief periods. Avoidance, long term, shrinks your world & expands your problems & pain. Learning to accept difficult feelings as a part of life is key to creating a rich life.
The Heart of Resilience
What is resilience? Can we build it or cultivate it? What does the heart have to do with it?The heart of resilience, the core of it, is the capacity to come back to our true selves in a state of calm, and alignment with our true selves, after challenges, adversity, stress, pain or setbacks – one that’s only possible when the body feels safe. In this state, our bodies, minds and sense of self (spirit) are in harmony, not only with ourselves but with others…. and yes, yes we can cultivate it!
Consciously Choose: Are You Moving Away or Towards?
We are always doing something, and that something is either moving us Towards the kind of person we want to be and the kind of life we want to have (Values) or that something is moving us Away from pain, struggle or discomfort as well as away from the kind of person we want to be
What is Self Leadership? A Guide to Leading from Your Authentic Self
Self Leadership is when the various parts of us that make up our inner world or psyche, give up the steering wheel of consciousness & control, in the proverbial bus of life, to the Authentic Self, to let it lead us within and through life wisely, courageously, and lovingly.
It is a transformational and healing way of relating to our inner team or cast of parts (selves); a relational process we can all learn to help us become who we truly are, so we can live authentic, rich, healthy & meaningful lives.
True Self Leadership goes way beyond simple self-management (or what we call inner leadership). It’s about reconnecting to who you really are and transforming problematic protective parts like the inner critic, the perfectionist, the people-pleaser, the avoider, and more
What is Inner Leadership?
Inner Leadership is how we lead ourselves in our inner worlds – our thoughts, emotions, physiology, energy, and our will.
Working a combination of ongoing, dynamic processes of leading oneself towards the heights of one’s potential, so we self-actualize and be who we truly are, nurture wellbeing, and live our values, while doing so in positive, healthy, sustainable ways that also recognize the needs and desires of others to do the same.
In Ancient Greece, they used a term called Arete – expressing the best version of yourself moment to moment!
The Personal Growth Journey is one of Self Discovery & also Self Recovery
Finding Our Way Back to Our Selves
As Viktor Frankl said, “live as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now!”
One’s journey of self-discovery and personal growth is their opportunity to start changing all that, bit by bit, step by step, and to learn to live again. A new way. A more aware, conscious, mindful, heartful, soulful, and purposeful way of being. The journey is a process of self-discovery, and actually, self recovery, and it’s vital for our wellbeing and fulfillment.
Thank You
Thank you for visiting – until now, this post only had those 4 words on it. For 7 years!
There are 2 parables that come to mind. One is about the best time to plant a tree and the other is about how we should learn a lesson in patience from the bamboo tree.
Bottom line – the seed has sprouted and HeartRich is growing!
Like what you’re reading? Let’s talk!
Whether you’re interested in coaching, resilience training or custom, heart-centered solutions, click below to set up a time to talk. I can’t wait to work with you!