Helping People Think More Deeply, Live More Meaningfully, and Move Forward

Throughout my career as a psychiatrist, executive coach, and author, I’ve been guided by a conviction: meaningful change begins when we examine how we think, engage in authentic dialogue, and discover new possibilities for action.

My professional journey has been anything but conventional. While studying medicine at Harvard, I made the unusual decision to step away from medical school to pursue a PhD in philosophy at the University of Chicago. I was drawn to questions that medicine alone couldn’t fully answer: What gives our lives meaning? How do we navigate uncertainty? What enables us to grow, change, and flourish?

Those questions have shaped my life’s work.

Over the past three decades, I’ve worked with individuals facing a wide range of personal and professional challenges, from psychiatric illness and difficult life transitions to the complex demands of organizational leadership. Across these different settings, I’ve come to appreciate that human beings are neither defined by their circumstances nor entirely free of them. We are shaped by our histories, relationships, and environments, yet we retain the capacity to discover new perspectives, make meaningful choices, and move forward.

This understanding lies at the heart of my approach to psychiatry, executive coaching, and writing. Drawing on philosophy, psychology, and the practical wisdom of human experience, I help people explore the assumptions that shape their lives, clarify what matters most, and translate deeper understanding into purposeful action.

My writing extends this work beyond the consulting room and executive office. In my books Healing Psychiatry and Think Talk Create, I’ve explored the limitations of narrowly defined approaches to human problems and the possibilities that reflective thinking, constructive dialogue, and creative action can open up. My continuing intellectual interests center on how we can live meaningfully amid uncertainty, complexity, and the inevitable tensions of human relationships.

I believe that philosophy is a practical resource for everyday life. Questions about values, responsibility, identity, purpose, and our relationships with others shape the decisions we make, the challenges we face, and the futures we create.

Whether I’m working with a patient, coaching an executive, or developing ideas through writing, my goal remains the same: to help people understand themselves more deeply, engage more effectively with others, and create meaningful change in their lives.

I look forward to the opportunity to speak with you.

David