We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Phil Hendrix a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Phil, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

It was March 2020, and as the pandemic was about to turn the world upside down, I was about to make the riskiest decision I had ever made.

I had just finished a 2-year term as a Peace Corps Volunteer in rural Thailand, and I’d been offered a scholarship to my dream graduate program, International Affairs with a focus on Conflict Resolution. I was going back the city where I grew up to study how to end violence and bring peace to this planet. I was going to make a positive difference in the world. The narrative seemed perfect. The opportunity seemed like a no-brainer, and yet, something felt off.

You see, during my time as a volunteer, two things had become clear to me. Firstly, I had to admit to myself that, on the inside, I wasn’t exactly thriving. Two years of challenging circumstances and a lack of understanding about self-care had left me with chronic fatigue and revealed to me a few uncomfortable truths about myself. I realized, for example, that underneath my bubbly, smiling facade, I had a lot of anger to reckon with. Secondly, I’d discovered that my experience of life – how I felt, how I acted, what I created – all of it was my responsibility and nobody else’s. If I wanted to change the world, I would have to change myself first. In other words, I had no business telling others to make peace when I didn’t have peace within myself.

And so, I set about finding inner peace. I took some time off of work, I hired my first transformational coaches, and I started ‘doing the work’. I learned how to manage my mind, process my emotions, and set intentions. I learned how to take care of myself, forgive others, and move closer and closer to the person I wanted to be. And, it worked! My relationships improved. My relationship with myself improved. It felt as if weights were coming off of my shoulders, and bit by bit my energy was returning to me. In fact, it worked so well that I felt compelled to completely shift my life trajectory. I decided to reject my invitation to graduate school and to enroll instead in a life coaching certification. I also decided to move to the island of Koh Phangan, one of the world’s spiritual hotspots, where I would have access to yoga, meditation, breath work, somatic therapies, and a wealth of ancient and new-age healing modalities.

It has been over three years since I became a life coach. The sense of meaning and purpose I get from helping others to improve themselves and improve their lives is unmatched by anything else in my experience. I’m living in a tropical paradise doing something I love. I have relationships that uplift me, and hobbies that light me up. I have a program that I firmly believe will help hundreds, if not thousands, of people become a more peaceful, loving presence in the world, and I know that this is just the beginning. Do I have inner peace? Not exactly. That’s a lifelong pursuit. But, do I feel more in love, more alive, and more fundamentally okay? Absolutely, and it’s an honor to be able to help my clients feel the same.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Phil Hendrix. I’m a certified life coach and executive coach. In my private practice, I help individuals and groups to become an embodiment of peace & love, so that together we can bring peace to the planet.

My program, “A Path To Peace”, has two components. The first, “The Inner Work”, gives you the tools & concepts you need to turn every challenge into an opportunity for personal growth. In this program, you learn how to manage your mind, process emotions, find inner balance, and move powerfully in the direction of your highest vision for yourself and your life. The second component, “A Spiritual Journey”, helps you to open your heart, live your truth, and discover your true nature. Drawing from a range of traditions, including Buddhism and Christianity, it’s a perfect program for those who want a sense of the modern spiritual landscape, what it actually means to be enlightened, and how to make progress in that direction.

I’m a firm believer in the power of partnerships to bring maximum value to those who seek it. For entrepreneurs and founders, I have partnered with my friend Rachel Murphy and the team at The Grafter to offer “The Founder’s Journey” as a complement to their “8-Figure Exit” and “Grow & Scale” services. And, for those interested in the healing potential of psychedelics, I’ve partnered with the team at Behold Retreats. Behold offers safe, legal, and all-inclusive plant medicine retreats around the world, and it is an honor for me to be one of their coaches, helping people to prepare, integrate, and get the most out of their experiences.

If there’s one thing that sets me apart, it’s my ability to bridge the gap between the spiritual and the practical. I’ve been in the heart of the corporate world, beginning my career at a top management consultancy. I’ve also lived in the heart of spiritual community and tried everything from Tantra to Ayahuasca to Vipassana. I have a gift of distilling profound wisdom and making it both accessible and practical, so that you know how to apply it in your daily life and your moment-to-moment experience. Above all, though, my passion is listening. I aspire to help you feel safe, comfortable, heard, and understood. And, I believe this is the environment that you need in order to bring your shadows to the light, to let go of what no longer serves you, and to become the radiant, uplifting person you know you can be.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

I believe it’s essential that we continue practicing what we preach, that we consistently do the work on ourselves that we ask our clients to do. There’s something magical about clients coming to me not because of what I say or how I market, but rather because of who I am. I chose my teachers because I saw something in them that I wanted for myself, and it’s a beautiful moment when my clients say they chose me for the same reason.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

Rachel began as a client through Behold Retreats. As a highly successful entrepreneur, she was looking to transform her inner life with the support of psychedelics. We have had a beautiful coaching relationship over the course of about 2 years, and when she made the decision to start a new venture helping other founders to grow, scale, and exit their businesses, she asked me if I would create a program that would help founders to grow alongside their businesses.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.philhendrixcoaching.com/
• Instagram: instagram.com/philhendrixcoaching/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhendrixcoaching/
• Other: The Grafter website: https://thegrafter.com/ Behold Retreats website: https://www.behold-retreats.com/