Hey there human. Welcome to my digital headquarters. I hope you find what you are looking for, in this particular moment, or in the grand scheme of things.
I will tell you something about me, since you clicked on that promise.
I work at the intersection of psychology, existential philosophy, the arts, and spirituality. I write, sing, imagine, and contemplate with others about how we can create change. To make waves. To weave communal webs of meaning. To transform for the greater good of all living things on this majestic planet, and encourage others to do the same. I carry a deep desire for individual and collective healing and liberation.
I am a certified integrative coach, even though I dislike the word “coach” a lot. I’d rather call it “witness,” or, if this were a sci-fi fantasy novel set at the end stages of a dystopian empire (and I’m not convinced it isn’t,) a “Renegade Cheerleader For the Human Spirit.” That means I believe in you.
I studied philosophy to try and find answers to existential questions I wrestled with since I was a kid. Did not find them there. I wouldn’t call myself a philosopher even though I have an undying yearning for wisdom and will never stop asking the question: “Why?” Until either silence or cosmic giggles ensue. I got a master’s degree in critical communication studies. I still have no idea what that means, but the program taught me a lot about myself, the state of our world, and helped me realize I love teaching and inspiring people with new ways of looking at things.
I sometimes wish those degrees we so desperately stack-up on our resumes would actually mean something. But I’ve learned that they really make no difference if all of that accumulated knowledge is stored in a brain that hovers, disconnected, over a closed heart.
My real education hasn’t come from any official schooling. It’s come from the raw, painful, uncomfortable, disturbing, and utterly disorienting experience of being human in a deeply troubled world. From years of depression. And finding a way out of it. From moving halfway across the globe for nearly a decade. From co-raising a stepson who challenged me every chance he got. From learning how to love him regardless, or precisely because if it. And so much. It’s come from feeling everything so deeply that my heart could not contain it. From looking up at the crowns of trees moving in the wind. From observing the way cats are able to relax and ask for what they need without even a shred of shame. From transformative and therapeutic encounters with the spirit of a small mushroom. It’s come from losing everything I loved, an annihilation of my sense of self, and the mystic poetry that held my hand through the fires of that grief. From the warmth and support of family, friends, and total strangers. It’s come from an embodied understanding that the breaking point is also the point of entry.
A broken heart is the house of true Love. It’s the place where life opens up to us, where our soul gets to guide us towards our true purpose. The deeper I dug into the pit of pain, the wider the bandwidth of my experience; joy arrived in equal measure, seemingly out of nowhere. The only way out is through, they say. And I know that’s the truth. I’m here to support others on similar journeys.
Reach out through this form. Find out more about my coaching practice in Clarity Sessions, my writing, my images, and my musical endeavors, right here on this website.
I’ve also recently started an online magazine platform called Metaphysical Mulch – if you are interested in writing, art, and interviews around themes of spirituality, psychology, and philosophy, come on over to have a look!
Thank you for Being.
Here. Right now.
Some of the places where I’ve paid my dues:
- BA degree, Philosophy, SIU Carbondale, Illinois, USA
- MA degree, Critical Communication Studies, SIU Carbondale, Illinois, USA
- Post-graduate degree, Integrative Coaching and Counseling, Nederlandse Academie voor Psychotherapie, Amsterdam, NL
- PSBK (psychosociale & medische basiskennis) degree, Nederlandse Academie voor Psychotherapie, Amsterdam, NL
- Existential Wellbeing Counseling certificate, KU Leuven, BE
- Ethical Psychedelic Care certificate, Synthesis Institute, Oregon, USA
Yvet Youssef 