The Deep Coach

What if the journey of transformation isn’t a journey at all, but actually a distraction from what's really here?

In this expansive conversation, Jonathan sits with Nithya Shanti to explore the tension between seeking and surrender, monkhood and worldly life, silence and expression. Nithya shares his path from childhood loss to monastic devotion, and the eventual unraveling of the very ideas that once shaped his spiritual identity.

Together, they unpack the paradoxes of growth, the complexity of money and relationships, and why true wisdom may lie in loosening our concepts rather than refining them.

In this episode:

01:38 – Questioning the idea of transformation
03:08 – Childhood loss and the shaping of identity
05:22 – Meditation at 16 and the first seeds of awakening
08:06 – Leaving corporate life to become a monk
09:02 – Family resistance and inner certainty
11:05 – The beauty and simplicity of monastery life
13:32 – When the cracks began to appear
18:56 – Leaving monkhood behind
20:34 – Starting over and learning the value of pricing
22:58 – Translating spiritual wisdom into the corporate world
25:41 – Navigating money, relationships, and contradiction
32:09 – From seeking happiness to spreading happiness
35:36 – How his teachings have evolved
37:34 – Why naming creates separation
46:25 – Trusting the process, not your ideas of it
50:13 – Life as practice and building community
52:28 – Walking away from social media

Key Takeaways

Transformation may be less about change and more about dis-identification

The desire for enlightenment can itself become an obstacle

Money is deeply relational and reveals unconscious patterns

Contradiction is not a flaw—it’s part of being human

Life often supports us most when we loosen control

Presence isn’t something to achieve—it’s what remains when striving softens

Connect with Nithya

Facebook⁠: https://www.facebook.com/spreadinghappiness/ 

YouTube⁠: https://www.youtube.com/nithyashanti

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nithyashanti/

Learn More About Our Work at the Center:
Website: https://www.centerfortransformationalcoaching.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedeepcoach
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thedeepcoach
➡️ Download our Free Guide: "How to Make a Living as a Transformational Coach"
💡 Please subscribe to get updates on the latest episodes. Thank you for listening!

Why do we so often resist the very things we say we want most?

In this solo episode, Jonathan explores the subtle and deeply human tendency to resist joy, love, abundance, and our own potential. Drawing from personal experience, transformational work, and the concept of the “upper limit problem,” this conversation dives into the unconscious ways we self-sabotage when life begins to feel too good.

Jonathan reflects on healing, gratitude, embodiment, emotional capacity, and what it truly means to expand our ability to hold light — not just pain.

This episode is an invitation to stop shrinking, stop dimming, and begin stepping more fully into the fullness of who you are.

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⏰ Timestamps

00:00 Why We Resist Joy

00:49 Upper Limit Self Sabotage

03:18 Practices To Hold Light

06:27 Embodied Love And Influence

08:49 Step Fully Into Your Light

Learn More About Our Work at the Center:
Website: https://www.centerfortransformationalcoaching.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedeepcoach
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thedeepcoach
➡️ Download our Free Guide: "How to Make a Living as a Transformational Coach"
💡 Please subscribe to get updates on the latest episodes. Thank you for listening!

What happens when you stop running from your pain, and finally turn toward it? 

In this episode, transformational coach, ketamine facilitator, and longtime yoga teacher Anamargret Sanchez shares her deeply personal journey from loss and disconnection to embodiment, healing, and purpose. 

What you’ll learn: 

Why emotional numbness blocks both pain and joy 

How yoga became a gateway to deeper healing 

What ketamine therapy actually does (and doesn’t do) 

How to move through grief instead of around it 

Why you’re not meant to do this work alone 

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⏱️ Timestamps 

02:01 - Who Was Anamargret Before 

03:45 - Origin Story and Loss 

07:37 - Miami Move and Contraction 

11:20 - Yoga and Healing Path 

29:54 - Beyond Antidepressants 

31:00 - Healing Outcomes Witnessed 

32:09 - Holding Space & Self-Care 

34:35 - Full Circle Yoga Reunion 

37:15 - Retreat to Deep Coaching Dive 

40:53 - Legion Park Yoga Community 

43:47 - Miami’s Ripple Effect 

45:37 - Purpose as Conduit 

46:42 - Life “Through Me” Framework 

49:23 - Welcoming Darkness 

50:18 - Transformation Needs Support 

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🔗 Connect with Anamargret 

Website: https://anamargret.com 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anamargret/

Learn More About Our Work at the Center:
Website: https://www.centerfortransformationalcoaching.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedeepcoach
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thedeepcoach
➡️ Download our Free Guide: "How to Make a Living as a Transformational Coach"
💡 Please subscribe to get updates on the latest episodes. Thank you for listening!

What happens when you do everything “right”… and still feel empty?

In this episode of The Deep Coach Podcast, I sit down with Patrick Boland—executive coach, author of The Contemplative Leader, and former high-achiever who hit a breaking point early in life.

At just 16, Patrick experienced a profound existential crisis. Despite excelling in academics, sports, and music, he found himself asking a deeper question:

“What is it all for?”

What followed was a journey through depression, spirituality, mentorship, and ultimately, a radical shift in how he relates to success, meaning, and leadership.

📝 Key Themes

The illusion of success as a path to fulfillment

Existential crisis as a gateway to transformation

Mentorship and inner healing

Letting go of control and walking the “pathless path”

Navigating uncertainty and liminal space

Contemplative leadership in a changing world

Fatherhood, legacy, and meaning

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⏰ Timestamps

01:44 Teen Pressure and Emptiness

03:17 Loss Sparks the Spiral

04:49 Ecclesiastes Awakening

06:23 Rejecting the Scripted Life

08:32 Prayer and Inner Shift

09:51 Mentors and the Enneagram

14:45 Why Mentorship Matters

18:31 Pilot Dream Shattered

21:37 Sailing and Letting Go

25:51 Richard Rohr Connection

29:15 Credentials and Calling

32:40 Lifes Work Quote

33:17 Walking the Pathless Path

35:15 Listening Beneath Fear

36:56 Culture and Consciousness Stages

41:59 Contemplative Leadership Explained

52:39 Fatherhood and Facing the Future

57:54 Doing Whats Yours to Do

01:02:19 Go Through the Storm

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🔗 Connect with Patrick Boland

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-boland-9546048/

Website: https://www.conexus.ie/

Book: https://www.thecontemplativeleader.com/

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 📖 Resources Mentioned

The Contemplative Leader – Patrick Boland

Everything Belongs – Richard Rohr

Ecclesiastes (Hebrew scriptures)

Learn More About Our Work at the Center:
Website: https://www.centerfortransformationalcoaching.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedeepcoach
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thedeepcoach
➡️ Download our Free Guide: "How to Make a Living as a Transformational Coach"
💡 Please subscribe to get updates on the latest episodes. Thank you for listening!

Many people believe success will bring fulfillment — the career, the money, the family, the recognition. For Chris Kalbfleisch, he achieved all of it.

And then… everything collapsed.

In just 11 months, Chris went from a high-performing hedge fund executive with a thriving life to sitting in a jail cell, facing prison time. In this deeply moving conversation, Chris shares:

The hidden pain beneath achievement

His descent into addiction and self-sabotage

The moment everything broke — and everything began

How surrender, spirituality, and deep inner work transformed his life

What it really means to find peace

This is a story about awakening — not as a concept, but as a lived experience.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, lost, or quietly disconnected despite external success… this conversation is for you.

Below, you’ll find key moments from the episode to guide your listening:

⏰ Timestamps

02:23 – Conditioned Success Mindset

03:20 – Childhood Shame and Alcoholism

07:30 – Achievement as Escape

09:15 – Misdiagnosis and Proving Worth

11:35 – Alcohol Creeps In

13:40 – Finance Career and Outer Success

15:40 – Inner Collapse and Self-Sabotage

22:30 – 2019 Spiral to Jail

27:12 – Facing the Judge Unafraid

29:21 – AA, Surrender, and Spiritual Signs

36:03 – First Kundalini Experience

36:58 – The Teacher Training Leap

37:49 – Aquarian Sadhana Practice

39:55 – Two Paths, One Recovery

41:18 – Court Sentence as Transformation

44:55 – Amends and Family Distance

48:05 – Healing the Mother Wound

51:40 – Meeting Jacqueline Again

54:38 – Stepfamily and Being Seen

56:22 – Sharing His Story with Teens

01:00:58 – Ego Traps in a New Career

01:06:18 – Final Reflections on Surrender

🔗 Connect With Chris

🌐 Website

📘 Facebook

💼 LinkedIn

Learn More About Our Work at the Center:
Website: https://www.centerfortransformationalcoaching.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedeepcoach
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thedeepcoach
➡️ Download our Free Guide: "How to Make a Living as a Transformational Coach"
💡 Please subscribe to get updates on the latest episodes. Thank you for listening!