This is Me

Professional Experience

I believe that my effectiveness as a coach stems from years of experience and training in many leadership, teaching, and coaching roles that provided a whole lot of time in the coaching saddle. This includes 25+ years as a business executive leading and coaching hundreds of staff-members, teams, and clients at nonprofit and for-profit companies—including many in the global 500. For an additional 12+ years, while running my own management and organizational consulting and coaching firm, I coached many leaders, execs, and teams in business and government to greater performance and effectiveness.

Relevant Training

A portrait photograph of Integrative Wellness Coach Bill Light

In each of the integrative wellness areas that I coach, I have trained and practiced extensively. I learned my chops through hard work and diligence and didn’t just get it out of books. This includes 45+ years of Zen meditation practice on a daily basis, which has included studying with several Zen masters, along with teaching moving, standing, and seated meditation to hundreds of people at meditation centers, yoga schools, and in other organizational settings. I also have 40+ years training and practice in Eastern movement modalities such as tai chi chuan, qigong, karate, tae kwon do, yoga, and Pilates, enabling me to design and implement movement and fitness programs that are fun, varied, and effective. To top it off, for 20+ years I worked in medical and healthcare communications, where I developed a broad view of health, wellness, and medicine from both the patient and physician perspectives and across a wide array of medical specialties.

Extensive Education

As a lifelong learner, I have continued to grow and learn over the years through many different world-class educational institutions.

  • BA from California State University Long Beach in social sciences and humanities
  • MS in Organization Development from Pepperdine University with a thesis in team development
  • Certified in Evidence-Based Coaching by Fielding Graduate University
  • Certified in leadership training by Colorado Outward Bound School and Leadership Effectiveness Training (L.E.T.)
  • 2+ years training in interpersonal and group consulting at the Pacific Gestalt Institute
  • Certified in fitness instruction and athletic performance coaching by the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), and the America College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)

Personal Philosophy

I was raised Christian from a young age, a Sunday school regular. During my service in the U.S. Army, a series of personal traumas led me to take up the practice of Buddhist meditation and martial arts at age 20. Later, I traveled throughout the Far East to learn more about these subjects. As a result, my outlook has been highly influenced by the graciousness of Asian people, culture, and religion—and I have had a number of Japanese, Korean, and Chinese mentors. Never once did their teaching conflict with my Christian ethics—rather, it enhanced it.. I find that my multicultural experience and identity have made me more culturally sensitive, grateful, and open to healing modalities and philosophies East and West. I have abiding faith in the integrity of the coaching process and, as a devoted coach, do all I can to embody that integrity in my relationship with each client.