Hi! I’m Sean.
I’m a perfectly imperfect man on the journey to becoming the Man I am.
I’m a child of the Living God and with lots to be grateful for. I’ve been married to my beautiful wife since 2005, and have two beautiful daughters. We also have two perky pet parakeets and are blessed with relationships with surrounding family (spiritual and blood) and friends.
Fun stuff about me:
I love Jesus and am always seeking to grow in my relationship with Him..I love my wife and children and enjoy having and creating new experiences with them…I have some of the best friends a man could ask for..I relish being in the Word of God, soaking it up..I’m passionate about learning about geeky stuff like theology and philosophy…I love me some sports highlights…I’m a movie lover…I stay active physically and my latest passion is pickleball…😊
Professionally, I have been a licensed physician working in the field of child, adolescent, and adult psychiatry for the last 15 years, having worked in private, university-based, and school-based settings. While I continue to practice as a child and adolescent psychiatrist working for Dallas ISD (since 2008), I decided in 2023 to become a professional men’s mentor and a professional life coach. As a men’s mentor, I specialize in helping men who feel stuck, at a loss, or in crisis – as it relates to marriage, family, and life in general. I’m also a professional life coach who works with men and women, empowering them to achieve goals and overcome life challenges.
So you might be wondering…why on earth would I, a psychiatrist, open a men’s mentoring and men’s/women’s life coaching business?
Let me start with a little backstory on me.
Though I do have some beautiful childhood memories, I faced some significant challenges growing up. So much so that, in retrospect, my crowning creative achievement in high school was writing a poem entitled “Branch without leaves.”
Why that title?
Because it described how I felt growing up: lost, insecure, lonely, stuck, and unsure of who I was. Interestingly, around this time, I developed a keen interest in psychology and mental health. I know what you’re thinking…Sean, did you go into the field of mental health to deal with your problems? Well, maybe…that’s what a lot of people say about those of us who go into the field! But in all honesty, I also did have a fascination with the mind and “what made people tick.”
It’s perhaps no surprise then that I ended up becoming a psychiatrist and working in mental health since 2008.
Yet despite years of psychiatry training, my own personal therapy, and experience with 12-step programs (being sponsored and sponsoring others), I wasn’t prepared to deal with a crisis that would shake me to my core in 2019. Without going into all the details, I simply found that I was unequipped to deal with what was happening in my life in an effective and healthy manner.
And that’s when I found out about the world of “men’s work” or “men’s mentoring.”
I first connected with a group called Good Guys 2 Great Men. Working with a men’s mentor was a different experience than any other I had had up to this point and ended up being just what I needed in that season. The experience helped me discover who I really was and get back on the path of becoming the man I was meant to be.
Some of the biggest lessons I learned conceptually and practically were as follows:
These key shifts in my mindset have led to more hope, freedom, joy, peace, courage, connection, and contentment than I have ever had before.
Inspired, I made the decision in 2019 that I’d love the opportunity to walk with other men on their journey of growth and learning to thrive in life. For that reason, I’ve stayed consistently involved in men’s gatherings and communities so I can continue to learn to grow as a man as well as encourage others on their journeys. And in 2021, I decided that I did want to start a men’s mentoring business.
En route to becoming a professional men’s mentor, I’ve also trained as an independent apprentice mentor through an online men’s mentoring community from 2022 to 2024. I also decided to become a professional life coach early in 2023 after participating in training events organized by the CMDA (Christian Medical and Dental Association) Life and Leadership Coaching Department in partnership with Coach Approach Ministries.
To my surprise, the training was quite stretching and challenging! You see, I had come from the medical field where the emphasis was on the doctor being the “expert” and the client being the recipient of the doctor’s expertise. But the coaching paradigm, I discovered quickly, is totally different and flipped that idea on its head! In life coaching, I learned that the client was in a sense the “expert” of his or her own life while the coach was really more of a guide, using their skills to empower the client to overcome his or her own challenges.
In short, I enjoyed the training so much that I decided to add a second focus to my business: life coaching for men and women to help them fulfill goals and deal with various life struggles and challenges. Having worked with men and women for my entire career, I didn’t want to limit myself to working with men alone. I also realized that life coaching not only adds to my repertoire of skills but also enables me to be a better mentor to men. It was a win-win!
So, where am I now?
So, coming back full circle to the beginning of my story, I can now confidently say I no longer feel like a “branch without leaves” but more like a “branch full of leaves.” Why? Because I feel more clear, secure, and confident on who I am, Who I am, and what I am to do in this world.
In the Gospel of John in the Bible, the apostle John uses this agricultural metaphor to reference the connection between God and His children.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.”
John 15:5
Notice here, that John doesn’t say that as a child of God, a person may bear fruit but that a person will bear fruit. What is that fruit? Galatians chapter 5 tells us the “fruit of the Spirit” is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” And sure enough, though I experience tough circumstances in life, I do taste and experience some of this good fruit! It’s really sweet! (pun intended 😊). What can I say – I’m working on my Dad jokes!
In conclusion, thanks for taking the time to read a bit about me. I’m far from perfect (remember: I’m perfectly imperfect 😊), but I do see and feel God helping me to thrive the hell (yes, that’s a play on my words but I mean it too!) out of my life. What about you? Do you feel like you are thriving in your life? If not, I want to help you do this too!!! I welcome the opportunity to meet you!
Let’s connect for a free consultation session and find out what you need!
If you have questions or would like additional information about mentoring or coaching, schedule a free 45 to 60-minute discovery session.