Today we’d like to introduce you to Faust Ruggiero

Hi Faust, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?

I was the second of four children born to Italian Catholic parents. My father was a Civil engineer employed by the Department of Highways in Pennsylvania, and my mother was a secretary who worked at the Pentagon before starting our family. At an early age, I knew my purpose would be to help others. This started in my formative years and became quite apparent in my mid-teens.

My college years were dedicated to the study of psychology, emphasizing normal and abnormal development and research. Upon graduating with a master’s degree in psychology and understanding the need for a diversified background, I took positions working with deaf children in substance abuse clinics, a nursing home, and a prison. I also began offering employee assistance programs for police and first responders, eventually developing national and international employee assistance programs.

I entered private practice in 1988, began publishing the Fix Yourself Empowerment Series in 2019, and continue seeing clients individually.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

My most significant life transition occurred when I was nine years old. My father was, at the height of his career, a well-respected and brilliant civil engineer who, at the age of forty-two, suffered a severe cranial stroke. It affected the right side of his body, his speech, and his reasoning abilities. At nine years old, still trying to figure out how to be an adolescent, I became the unofficial head of the house. Though my mother would not allow this, my personality and psychological makeup initiated my in-service way of life, and I took it upon myself to save the family.

The hard lesson here was that I was neither equipped to do this nor responsible for it. Young people need to mature enough to develop the skills that are necessary to efficiently address the needs of other people. Attempting to take on this responsibility did, however, teach me quite a bit about myself, my limitations, and how to be available to help others without sacrificing my own sanity.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

Let’s take these questions one at a time. Today, I spend about half a work week, approximately twenty-five hours, counseling others. When you find your purpose in life, it is very difficult to walk away from it. I still love the people I counsel, and I still love spending time with them. The other half of my work week is spent writing and doing podcasts, radio and television interviews, and my radio program, Fix it With Faust. I specialize in individual, couples, and family counseling, substance abuse counseling, programs for abused women, and police and first responders. I am also a corporate consultant, both nationally and internationally.

I am most proud of over forty-five years of counseling people in need and, in the last five years, of the books I have written. I am delighted with their success, and I am now bringing the programs I have used in my private practice to the world stage. I also feel good about my willingness to continue to be in service of other people. I truly believe that that is why I am here, and I wake up each day ready to be there for others in need. What sets me apart from other counselors and authors is that everything I do comes with the action steps included to make the information usable. People can follow them to successfully make the changes in their lives that are so important to them. Information without action becomes a growth wasteland. I received considerable feedback about the action-oriented philosophy of my programs.

What does success mean to you?

For me, success is the product of passion with a plan. There is nothing like waking up every day passionate about what you love and plan to do. This creates productivity, helps us reach our goals, and keeps us engaged in a style of life that produces happiness and self-esteem. We can do anything we want when we have the information we need, create a plan to bring that information to life, and commit ourselves to carry out that plan each day. Success is also about having faith in something bigger than ourselves and routinely connecting with that power source.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.FaustRuggiero.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/faustinspire/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaustInspire/
• Twitter: https://x.com/faustinspire
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCAGHkwno52fug1bNnAxfDQ