Hello and welcome! It is my joy and pleasure to have you here for a visit.
By way of a brief introduction, my name is Jared Richards and I am an International Coach Federation (ICF) certified life coach. I specialize in combining mindful & cognitive coaching, with a sense of energy medicine & meditation practice. My background hails from the mental health world where I received a Bachelor's of Arts in Psychology from the University of Hartford, and a Master's of Science in Social Work from Columbia University.
Throughout life, I have found that there is an essential element in our existence. It is an energy we refer to as "life force" or Prana. This life force energy helps shape our daily living and is manifested in how we operate in our personal & professional lives. Prana Life Coaching was created to infuse and align this energy and to apply the same to your goals. As we pave the way to success we forge a pathway for fulfillment in your life.
With that said, let me share with you my journey into what has led me here today:
I have lived three lives before this. What about you?
One could say that our journey through life is one filled with inquiry, exploration, and actualization. When I look back at my life and see what I have gone through thus far, I see these different phases of life traverse mind, body, and spirit.
As an adult, when you really think about your journey, you have done the same or you’re in the process of discovering it right now.
These three phases of life helped to lead me in the direction of becoming an ICF certified life coach, guiding individuals to reveal their true potential in obtaining their unique life goals.
I invite you to follow me through my phases:
Journey Of The Mind
I was born prematurely and the attending nurse to the neonatal ward observed that I came into this world born with grey hair. The nurse informed my mother that “your son will grow to become a wise man one day” according to her cultural belief that those born with such hair are destined to become wise.
As I grew older, I always exhibited an inquisitive mind and was naturally curious about how the world works. Because of this I came to recognize that you truly only have two phenomena in this world to consider.
There is one’s perception, and then there is one’s reality. Oftentimes, they can become blurred and cause us to misinterpret the truth. As a result, this becomes a conundrum for most of us to distinguish between the two in navigating through life. That is the reason I chose to begin studying the mind.
In choosing University of Hartford to explore my studies in psychology, I came to understand in my sophomore year that the range of study was limited and felt something was missing. I soon realized that “that something” was a global approach to understanding and experiencing the many facets of the mind as they apply to living in the world.
My dad would often say the old adage: “If you remain in your own world long enough, you’ll believe that is the entire universe.” Because of these previous experiences, in my junior year I elected to study abroad in Japan to expand my mind and deepen my horizons.
It was a life-changing experience that still affects me to this day, as I learned an essential life lesson during that time: The world is not as big as we make it out to be and we can learn from each other how the world works!
I matter just as much as you matter
Each person has a unique background, culture, and experiences of wisdom to contribute in enlarging the collective views of the world to make it better.
I felt a sense of universal wisdom had been imparted to me from my experiences abroad as I got to know myself in a deeper and more meaningful manner. I finished my senior year and graduated with the unique distinction of acquiring a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in Japanese language & culture.
This accomplishment would be a catalyst to me attending Columbia University. My concentration in the School of Social Work was in Advanced Clinical Social Work Practice with a focus on Health, Mental Health, & Disabilities.
Within the program I delved into community outreach services for the disenfranchised and expanded my interactions with people from all walks of life. Being a part of this program helped me to evolve my leadership skills, gain professional values & skills in the promotion of human rights, and opened my world to using mindfulness in my daily practice.
The experience grounded and humbled me in the vast range of exchanges between individuals and allowed me to systemize those truths into a workable format.
Shortly after graduating and receiving my Master’s of Science in Social Work, I worked for a period of time in the clinical world. I decided that my life path did not coincide with the way the majority of the mental health world labeled (“pathologized”) people in order to get treatment assistance.
This was a customary routine in western mental health & medical practice and to my dismay, persisted without exploring holistic & natural wellness options first. So, I decided to leave that field and began navigating through the next phase of my life’s journey.
Journey Of The Body
In my youth, as most developing individuals have encountered, I was the subject of body shaming and bullying. As a result, I struggled a lot with body image and self-acceptance. Consequently, it greatly limited me in my social relationships, academic achievements, and physical well being and I shot up to become 370 pounds at my heaviest. This self-esteem issue followed me up to my days attending college.
I envisioned my college experience to be a new opportunity to shape and mold myself into someone who deserved to live a better existence than the damaged person that I was. Looking at this as an opportunity to make a shift for myself.
As I started to work out I began to enjoy myself while I did. Naturally I built not only a better body but lost over 70 pounds over the course of my time in college. People not only marveled at my weight loss, but how I have maintained this discipline throughout the years.
That time in my life taught me a universal truth, in that we must sustain ourselves in the maintenance of any milestone achievements we personally make in life.
Learning this truth not only instilled a sense of taking personal responsibility for my life, but it also helped me to develop a more powerful and positive body image. To which I pride myself on being a positive self-esteem and body image advocate.
After leaving the clinical social work field I began practicing new ways to bring wellness to people. I became a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) certified personal trainer, dance instructor, and delved into acting. All while remaining a mental health advocate servicing those who needed the assistance.
Throughout the years, I also took up mixed martial arts, eventually becoming a First Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do & Tang Soo Do. Achieving this milestone, afforded me not only greater insight into conflict resolution, but also the personal realization of the benefits of having tenacity in the pursuit of goals in one’s life.
The culmination of my advocacy landed me an opportunity to become a Blink Fitness Model celebrating a variety of bodies in their “Every Body Happy” campaign. It was a liberating experience because I never imagined I would be a model in that way.
Representing health, fitness, and happiness in mass media advertisements was truly a life-changing and empowering experience.
With the transitional experiences of my body’s journey, I came to crave more fulfillment and was beckoned to dive into something greater than what my physical body had to offer. This realization ushered in a new chapter in my life in which I sought to obtain spiritual and energetic enlightenment.
Journey Of The Spirit
My religious upbringing was rooted in Christianity, but even during those times I attended church I always felt like I wanted to know more. It felt like something was missing in my connection to “the divine.”
By the time I was in my mid-teens I began to venture out and explore other spiritual, religious, and philosophical ideologies. In this vein, I began exploring concepts behind such religions as Shinto, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, & Taoism. I eventually settled into Agnosticism for a period of years while I continued soul searching.
Consistent with my days studying abroad in Japan, I visited many temples and shrines. I always found serenity in being in such places as the meditation and prayer practice was very simple. Yet, it soothed and nurtured the wounds and traumas I had experienced in life.
The practice was distilling in that there was no true instruction on “how to simply be.”
Connecting to this inner peace and utilizing these basic techniques, I discovered meditation could be applied in a non-denominational manner. The practice began to spark what felt like a connection to my inner divinity.
It helped guide me to further my connection to universal truths while I meditated. I continued to explore this practice further upon my return home back in the states, implementing it daily.
This, coupled with other life experiences, paved the way to me creating the “Broken Buddha” meditation modalities.
The concept is incorporated into four disciplines: Healer , Warrior, Avatar, & Sage. Each representing individual phases of life requiring different elements that infuse the mind, body, and spirit (See “Broken Buddha” services page for more information).
As a trinity of different phases in my life emerged, it made me recognize that despite an individual’s background (cultural, social, or economic), we all have the capability and need to go through these phases to reach a sense of life fulfillment.
In my own path of life, and through observing the journeys of others, I have acquired respect for and recognize that an element of truth resides in all religions and spiritual pursuits. Through the culmination of my life’s journey thus far, I consider myself an Omnist. Allowing me the capacity to work with clients from all walks of life.
I believe in the “greater good” in that people should treat others the way they want to be treated. Everyone is deserving of love & respect, as they pursue their personal truths of the universe and attain a life of fulfillment. Becoming a sage and navigator of my own life has afforded me the wisdom to guide others to do the same.
Let me help you in your pursuits, at whatever phase of life you currently find yourself!
