Justin really gets you results. He is a fantastic life coach and counselor! I was battling with a 'sense of failure' as a father/husband/person due to what I thought was from financial pressures and a lack of empathy, accountability with my was breaking down my relationship with my wife. His counseling experience and deep knowledge of 'Complex Relational trauma response' helped me understand how I was reacting to conflict which induced my own defensiveness reactions and anger. He provided me with my own personal tools to deploy on a regular basis. These helped me be nice to myself and appreciate my purpose and that I was actually doing my best to improve myself and provide love most importantly. Some of those solutions and tools such as meditation, mindfulness, self awareness/development created personal behavioral changes and coping strategies I now feel better about myself . A relationship tools I really liked was his own self developed 'Oh-Five-X Repair Framework' ( a one page document) which has provided us ability to create a safe place for trust, healing, and recovering from past trauma and experiences in our relationship and personal pasts. I've developed a deeper understanding and awareness of myself and Justin's actionable tools and strategies are much more than what most other life coaches or counselors can deliver. Its his ability to land these strategies/tools on point and get you to understand how to employ them to get better/improve/develop yourself With this guidance I've noticed I've become more empathetic, less reactive and more self caring so my family can continue to heal, and our relationship and welfare of ourselves benefits our family. Justin gets change happening and you get great value for your time and while gaining a true caring friend and an exceptional life coach in your corner. read more

Justin has been a wonderful guide for me in my life journey for the past couple years. I initially reached out to Choose Heart while in the midst of complete uncertainty and anxiety about my life, in pretty much every way. Over these years, I have gained so much confidence and have learned to trust myself and my intuition more than ever before. I am so very grateful for the diligent effort from Justin to help me confidently take control of my life's path read more

I can't box in what Arya does with a single term like coaching, guiding, facilitating, mentoring, counseling, teaching, or simply listening - it's more like a genuinely caring presence that brings all of that, while creating a safe space for me to open my heart. While working with him I feel that we are on the same page, he really gets where I am coming from and that he is with me on my journey. With Arya's reflective clarity I was able to expand my ways of thinking & perceiving, shift priorities from doing more towards being and because of this I experienced that what I was looking for is already here. From here I was more capable of taking clear action to organize my life, career, relationships in a more fulfilling and successful way. Arya's unique balance of innate skill, deep personal experience, and diverse training makes him a true catalyzing force towards personal growth and conscious living. read more

Before I met Arya, I was locked in tight spirals of anxiety, depression, and self hatred. I used to think of my life as stumbling through a dark room, looking for an object I had never seen before. I walked into this work looking for things I had no belief in finding. When I started working with Arya, what he offered was a gentle, profound deconstruction to a mental script. He challenged me to re-envision an imaginary isolated room as infinitely expansive terrain. He encouraged me to release the death grip on "what I know" and to be vulnerably open to everything I do not know. I was asked to seek self kindness in the same vein as self cruelty. This process left me raw. It took time to understand the pain I had to endure, and I eventually did. Over months, as I evolved, my view of myself and the world braved a fundamental reshaping. As a life coach, Arya is deeply receptive, sharply intuitive, wholly present, and personally invested. His keen insight into a person's innate nature is his subtle power. It allows him to shed light on ingrained layers of self-sabotage and seek ways to gently redirect to a more free, essential self. His sessions are a safe space to hold the full, uninhibited range of a person, including habits of shame, discomfort, or trauma that may otherwise never see the light of day. Arya has an unnerving ability to pick up on nuance, and he can easily adapt from moment to moment, holding you precisely where you need with care. What begins as micro-shifts, over repeated sessions, ripples out into larger patterns of personal change. I do not see Arya as a coach who will impose a "correct" lifestyle, tell you how to achieve something, or give you a rubric to follow. He is not interested in imposing beliefs, nor "good" or "bad" judgments. He's interested in bringing forth what is innate, genuine, and particular to you as the client, and this is how his counseling reaches a core level. It requests skin-grazing honesty and direct intimacy with your defense patterns, your stubborn beliefs, and your genuine wants. One of the traits I value most in Arya is his honesty. He wholeheartedly believes in his approach and actively practices what he preaches in his life. In this way, he relates to his clients with humanizing sincerity and empathy. He brings himself to the table while patiently challenging you to do the same. His candidness means he will call you out on your BS, holding you accountable for yourself rather than letting you take the easy way out. With kindness, he always encourages a more honest self to come forward. I have worked with Arya for a year and four months. Over this time I have become fuller and more self-honest, filling into spaces that are deeper and lighter. I am more personally empowered than I have ever been, and what I have learned is, there is much, much more to me than I will myself to believe. Today, I am better equipped to build upward in capacities that were impossible for me a year ago, and better equipped to handle when I find myself in familiar difficult places. The freedom offered in this work is a chance to ease the layers of confinement placed upon yourself -- who you are or aren't, what success looks like, what love feels like, how you should or should not be. At its simplest, the goal is to love, cherish, and foster 'you', unconfined by personal conditioning that has trapped you in place for ages. Over time, my relationship with Arya has only gotten richer. In my sessions, I look forward to laughing with him, crying, and everything in between. To me, this trust is the mark of a truly effective coach. Arya is my dear friend and trusted ally, and my gratitude is boundless. read more

Working with Arya was an experience like I could never have imagined nor expected. Coming into the relationship, I was not a fan of "counseling" and only slightly more tolerant of "life coaches" who, in my past experience, would carefully listen to my issues, then offer a neat opinion on what to do, with some pages of homework due next week. But then I read about an interesting dude out in California with a different take on things so thought I'd give his way a try. Our sessions opened a new path of my thinking. As if there was a fork to take when making decisions, A or B, but now there is a new carved choice because of our work... a rigid "C path" that is still new and being explored, but it wasn't even on the map before. That's cool to me.  It wasn't about "tell me what troubled you this week" or "how is work going" or "let's explore why that specific event is causing you issues." It was more of learning about tools and about how humans interact with ourselves, our spirits, our environments and becoming more in tune with that and less in control of the outcomes of it all. Yeah, I know, it's way out there... If you're not ready for some heavy lifting then go to the next guy and put your name at the top of his homework sheet. This deep work is lasting and won't have you filling in bubbles on random personality quizzes... but you'll know more about yourself when you're done than you ever thought possible (and that will help you relate to the ones you love in a more full and enjoyable way, I promise.) I can't say enough about Arya. His genuine nature and caring attitude guided me on a fresh journey that was perfect for the moment in life that I needed right then. Daily I think of something he taught, always aware of keeping my aperture open and accepting, and I'm thankful for what he brings to this world. I'm so grateful for the time I got to spend mentoring under him and am happy to call him a friend and brother. read more

I've started and stopped writing my review of Arya many times over the past several months. How do I even begin to reduce the work we've done together and a person like Arya to a few sentences in a little box on Yelp? He is far more than a counselor or life coach, although he is definitely those things. I came to Arya about a year ago not because I was having any major life crisis, but because, like many people, I was feeling some sort of existential angst about how I was showing up in life. I felt like I had done everything I was "supposed" to do but life still felt fairly flat and unsatisfying. I was the kind of person who wanted to understand and analyze everything, mistakingly thinking that if I just "figured it out" I would find happiness. I also struggled with feeling like I had another, wilder, more authentic person inside of me who was pacing restlessly, unsure of how to get out of the cage, or even what the cage was. The early days of working with Arya were confusing and unsettling - he was gently and intelligently leading me through the process of breaking out of who I was, noticing and consciously examining my old thought patterns and whether they were serving me. But he patiently stayed with me, and eventually, I trusted myself enough to stay with myself, too. The bottom line is, I am a different person now than I was when I started working with Arya. It's like each cell in my brain reoriented themselves and now function more smoothly, without the junk and debris they were stuck in previously. It's hard to articulate all of the impacts Arya's coaching has had on my life. Overall, I show up more clearly as myself. I am not overwhelmed by my own thoughts or emotions. I can deal with difficult things without shutting down and giving up. I can speak to others about what I need and want. I trust myself and the world a lot more. I am much more comfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity because I realize that my "ok-ness" is not based on something out there, but what's inside of me. I've grown and worked through many challenging moments, uncovering deeper and deeper "layers of the onion," understanding who I am, what I believe, and what I am capable of. All of this has translated into better friendships, a deepening and evolving relationship with my fiance, more confidence at work, and most importantly, a reintroduction to my own creativity, vitality, and authentic contribution to the world. Arya, as a person, is unlike anyone I have ever met. He meets you exactly where you are - I am endlessly impressed by his ability to intuit and perceive what you're showing up with, so he knows how to meet you. He is attuned to subtle shifts in your energy - even ones you are not even aware of. He fully experiences your journey while still standing in his own space on his own journey - he has laughed and cried right along with me many times and has told me that our work together has helped him understand and grow in his own journey, too. He is a real person in there with you, not some analyst across the room unpacking you like a specimen. He's available (is responsive over text) while maintaining his own boundaries, which inspires you to show up similarly. Bottom line, I can't say enough about Arya and what he can do for you. If you have too many voices in your head and aren't sure which one is real, or if you feel like there's something just out of your reach that you're capable of, or if you just feel flat and angsty, call Arya. If you want to show up brighter, more vital, and more at ease in the world, call Arya. read more

Arya helped me personally on my own career and personal journey, as well as me and my now-fiancé with our relationship. I find his coaching to be truly priceless, in that he has strength and wisdom and groundedness as a true spiritual and personal leader, exactly the rock that we all look for in life when we face tough challenges and need to love, believe in and push ourselves, all at the same time. While there were many feelings and tears that surfaced, hope, enjoyment, epiphanies and greater self awareness also emerged, as well as deep self compassion. Not only are his skills of inquiry powerful, but he is truly a beautiful human being filled with compassion and caring. I highly recommend that if you are ready to be a better version of yourself, that you have a conversation with Arya. read more

Arya is truly a gifted counselor and has a unique coaching style. Arya's approach to the work showed me that change can start happening right away. It does not take dozens of sessions dredging through personal history; it is not your typical "talk therapy". What Arya offers is so much more meaningful than that. He starts from where you are and works with you in that moment. There was no pressure or rush or even need to get my back story and I started feeling results within the first couple sessions. Arya gives you the tools for self-empowerment, self-acceptance and teaches you how to allow your heart to open more fully. Professionally, Arya shows up by being receptive, compassionate, intuitive and flexible. He is very in tune with what is needed in the moment and willing to go deep into the work with you in a way that's challenging but inviting. Through Arya's coaching, I have created major positive change in my life. I went from living in a constant state of hyper-vigilance, fear and stress in an unhealthy marriage to working through a divorce, reestablishing my sense of self, moving across the country and rebuilding a life with my son and growing my career. I have learned to love and accept myself more, to experience life more fully and deeply. I am more in tune with myself and more connected with others. Arya's coaching has helped me to understand my patterns both at a higher level and in a deep meaningful way. I have developed the awareness to recognize patterns and now choose to create appropriate space to only take on what's needed and understand what I need on a deeper level. My favorite part about working with Arya is he is kind, compassionate and has a wealth of knowledge. He has done his own work as well so his guidance comes from years of being immersed in and practicing the heart-first work. I trust him to show & explain on a deep level what there actually is to learn and how to grow from it. read more

Almost exactly one year ago, I was unfathomably overwhelmed and misguided, looking through this same website to finally reach out for help. This was a huge deal for me. I legitimately felt like I had no other option but to do something, to find someone. Today I feel eternally lucky, and grateful to have found HeartPath enterprises. To have found Arya. When we first met I was one month away from turning 20 years old. Now, I am less than a month away from turning 21, looking back at this past year as the largest, most impactful year of my life yet. It has been A LOT. I felt so unstable, lost and heartbroken over my own life. All of the intense thoughts and feelings, spiraling myself into the vortex that was : way too much to be living and putting myself through all at once. Until I was taught how to choose appropriately. This was one of the first of many life/self lessons Arya has given me as a life coach that made me think wow he is really good. There are really no other words until you experience it. Without the guidance and compassion from Arya, I couldn't say where or who I would be today. At times it was like I had no one, and that is a hard hole to be in. Maybe I would have felt broken for good and gone back home to Kentucky because I was scared. I didn't know if I was making all the wrong decisions, at times I felt like an imposter living outside of reality, scared of wasting my own life. I am repeatedly scared. But there is a difference in my fear from a year ago and today. It does not swallow me whole. I am empowered. I am standing with my own reality that I am creating with intention, truth and dignity. I have learned that being scared means you are aware. Even in this moment I am feeling my vitality. I am aware and caring of the fact that my head and my heart are separate, so that fear no longer breaks my heart. I break my heart open for this work. Arya has broken my heart open. To hold so much more(but not too much). The goodness and the uncontrollable. It has truly been an empowering journey. Right after I had first reached out through email, I got a voicemail back, we set up a consultation and I was asked to complete a questionnaire before we met. Looking back at these first interactions and the struggles I was mentioning, It is wild to see how far I have progressed and matured as a person. Learning to live heart first is a process that simply cannot be explained without the work. And I am confident and excited to have it with me through the rest of my life. To hold myself. While letting go of my old ways, and "reprogramming" my way of being. Though I am still the same person I was a year ago, just to a greater degree. Willing and excited to take on, and hold myself through the entirety of life; it's chaos AND its sweetness. Counseling with Arya once a week was my dedication to myself. If you don't take the time to slow down, sink in, reflect, and work on you this is a beautiful way. It is hard at first, but I personally did learn to be kind and loving to myself during this, through this commitment. My appreciation for Arya, his dedication and intensive knowledge/experience in his work will be in my heart forever - the relationship built is truly present, honest, and real. I feel that he is not only a life coach and counselor, but a dear friend and mentor. After a very full 11 months of meeting, I feel he knows and understands me, truthfully more than I have ever felt. This may be the first time in my life I have ever felt completely understood and seen. After every session it was like I was re grounded, and then as each session passed with time I felt more grounded for longer and longer until I realized that the grounded-ness will forever be found. I am so thankful for Arya. It feels as though I have a life coach for life. This work is worth it. I truly feel and receive the respect that Arya gives me, and I full heartedly have endless respect for him. read more

I'm not sure how I stumbled upon Arya's coaching services but it is a blessing that I did. I have been doing weekly and most recently, bi-weekly 1:1 transformational coaching sessions with Arya for about 9 months. When I first went to Arya, I was seriously confused about my purpose in life, career direction I should take and the elusiveness of living a fulfilled and joyful life. I had been searching on my own for many years and finally came to the conclusion that I needed help to get myself to my self-created "next level". I can't even begin to put into words how Arya has helped me transform my life. He has brought joy back into my life, reminded me of the unending compassion and wisdom I possess, and introduced me to the body - mind - spirit connection that unlocked powerful changes in my life. He has given me the know-how to heal old wounds, rekindle the love for myself and others, and get more clarity on my career and vocation. Not to mention, redefining what it means to be creative and live my aliveness. To say I've changed is an understatement. I feel transformed by the work we have done together. And the most beautiful thing is that the work we do together evolves as he and I evolve. Arya is a true student of his work and never stops learning and mastering concepts so that he may pass them on to you or use them to support the sessions. The work never feels old or stale. "Life" coach probably falls short for what I would describe his work to be. "Being" coach rings more true as I think back over our work together. Arya is professional, astute, supportive, kind, compassionate and knows how to weave in lightheartedness and joy to life and our sessions. If you are feeling stuck in any way or feel like you need an ally, teacher and compassionate cheerleader, give Arya a call. There is nothing to lose :)! read more

Years ago, I began my coaching sessions with Arya because I was mainly feeling frustrated and stuck in a job that was no longer satisfying. Little did I know that his coaching would change so much more than just my job prospects. They don't call it a life coach for nothing, and he has really helped me learn how to LIVE! Arya and I have been friends ever since, and I considering him one of the most important forces in my personal growth. Upon meeting Arya, I was immediately impressed with his focus, forthrightness, patience, integrity, vulnerability and intuition. His approach is honest but kind. He drills down to the heart of the matter, he calls out the elephant in the room and makes it ok to say anything. In fact, he welcomes it, as it allows for an even deeper connection. It's obvious that Arya has done a ton of personal growth work himself, and brings forth an incredible variety of ideas and ways to dissect and improve any situation. No matter where you are coming from and what you are bringing to the table, Arya will meet you there and support you. Since working with Arya, I feel my life has been jump started again. I am now empowered in a grounded and lasting way. I am optimistic about my future. I have unstuck my relationships, found new possibilities for my career and most importantly, I have infused fun, curiosity, creativity and connection in my life again! BOOTCAMP: On a side note, Arya also ran a holistic bootcamp in Berkeley for several years, separate from his coaching. I took this up after a few coaching sessions as I became more and more convinced that working on the mind and the heart can be greatly enhanced if the body comes along for the ride. In fact, I found that leading with the body makes everything more intuitive. I wholeheartedly recommend doing them simultaneously, as the physical exercise helps embody the work in the coaching sessions. Arya brings the same focus, playfulness and integrity to the bootcamp. It's like working with a gentle zen master who's also secretly a ninja warrior, and who's not afraid to be goofy and vulnerable too. I never thought I'd enjoy exercising so much! If you are considering a life coach, I would highly recommend Arya. Try it on!! read more

Arya has helped me to cultivate a more open-hearted, heart-centered, and empowered life journey. (Yes, I am using some of the buzzwords from his website, but that's because they accurately describe his approach and gifts, in my experience.) I appreciate that Arya understands and empathizes with the intellectual complexities, existential crises, and general dysfunction inherent in modern life and culture -- and that he values and encourages the journey towards finding your authentic spiritual core. I think this spiritual core is part of the empowered journey of which he speaks: no matter how complicated and shitty life can be, we always have the power to access something true, beautiful, and good within, and we can condition ourselves to access this spiritual core on a regular basis. I always knew that I had the capacity to access something sacred and heart-centered in this life, but I never fully realized the transformative power of striving to consciously access this depth on a regular basis. I also didn't realize that striving to access this depth regularly was/is one of my deepest longings, and this was valuable to name and claim. I think Arya's biggest strengths are that he's smart (so he can hang with various iterations of intellectual rabbit holes), wise (so within those rabbit holes he can call out and call in when necessary), honest (it's clear that he's in touch with feeling and his own rewarding but difficult spiritual journey), and heart-centered (he cares deeply about grounding in and returning to the humanizing reality of feeling and the ultimate reality of Love). I could see Arya being helpful if you would like a compassionate listener/sounding board, are exploring habit and/or identity changes, coping with transition, or are searching for a renewed sense of meaning and spirituality. At the very least, it's worthwhile to complete his questionnaire online and try one session to see if he could be a good fit. What he does is a little bit different from traditional therapy or counseling; I think he's probably the the best fit for someone who's already done some work in therapy and is looking to deepen their journey towards healing and wholeness in some way, but regardless of your personal situation and desires, I recommend taking the survey, trying out the first free session, and seeing where it goes from there based on how you feel. The survey is insightful so even if Arya is not a good fit, you'll come away with some new insight after the survey and first session. Bon voyage! read more

I spent a little over a year working with Arya on a bi-weekly to monthly basis. My goal was to change careers to something truer to my personal pursuits - something I had wanted to do, but failed countless times. I could not get past the thought that what I did as a hobby could ever transform into something I'd do as a paid job, and I wasn't even sure that I wanted to make my hobby my full time occupation. But of course my number of working years only continued to diminish, and I desperately needed to figure it all out. My job at the time was sometimes interesting, but most of the time exhausting. Exhausting in the sense that besides being a lot of work, it was emotionally draining. Not enough resources, poor decisions made by upper management, and most of all, the vice president yelling at me and my colleagues publicly and privately. I felt trapped in this job because the next closest company where I could utilize my skills was at least 50 miles away, a hellish commute. And it was still the same type of work. I felt that in 30 years of doing the same thing, I would not have the skills to do anything else. My work with Arya was not a linear progression by any means. It was more like fits and starts. Some things we did, I immediately latched onto, while others I fail to understand to this day. Arya's approach is unlike that of any other counselor, life or career coach, in that you are confronted with peeling all of the layers of the onion down to the center, regardless of the tears along the way. It is hard work, and for much of the time I left our sessions having more questions than answers. But in a way, that was the point. When I reflect upon the year, there were several turning points. The first was the realization that I didn't need to do this alone, and needed to find my tribe. Arya calls this 'finding your pod.' I had forever felt alone because I didn't think there were others who would relate to what I was interested in. I started going to meetups, networking events and tradeshows, and indeed found people with the same interests, sometimes even more so than me. Another turning point was realizing that life is messy. We are constantly trying to assign structure, meaning, and certainty to what happens to us, when often there is none. We try to shortcut our experience by putting a label on it as quickly as possible. This is how the brain interferes with seeing what's actually there, built on all our past experiences, good or bad, always casting judgment. That helps us survive, but not thrive. I realized that I had had this expectation that my life was going to play out like some movie; like there was a thread running through it to some climax at the end. But we are not following the thread, we are making it. Owning up to 'me' is something that I had avoided doing. Once I figured that out, Arya helped me build more trust in myself and my identity. He helped me to not be afraid to let others see more of the whole me, rather that the person I thought they wanted to see. It was causing me to die inside. I created a personal website showcasing all of my wild pursuits, made personal business cards, and was entirely unapologetic about it. I applied to many companies that seemed like longshots. And they were. I continued to get either no response, or just 'no.' I could have become severely depressed by this, but I wasn't. I persevered. There is so much more I discovered about myself through this process. It was all really up to me to make it work, but I could not have done this without Arya. His voice in my head spoke strongly at the times when I needed it to. If somehow I'm wrong, and life is indeed a movie, the ending to this story is that I attended a conference for something I was really interested in, but felt like had no reason to be there. At the booth of a very interesting company that I had been following, I struck up a conversation with someone who encouraged me to apply for a job. I really felt like it was a longshot, but he saw my enthusiasm about the product and the industry, and thought I could be a good fit. I gave him my personal business card and website URL. Two months later, I got an offer from the company which I gladly accepted!!! I think it really helped that my new company saw me as a whole person, not just someone with only potentially-transferable skills. In those two months, Arya helped me not freak out about the interviews, reminding me that the nervous energy was more about me really wanting it, rather than me being afraid of showing up poorly. It took lots of time and work and painful moments, but it worked because Arya helped me break my old perceptions and reach into the perceived snake pit. I highly recommend combining Arya's counseling with daily meditation and journaling. I was not doing this for the first nine or so months of our work together, and it wasn't until I did that I achieved greater clarity and was able to hold myself more accountable to ME. read more

I've been a client of Arya's for almost a year, and every session has been worth every dime. I have recommended Arya to several of my friends with no hesitation. Arya is not only an awesome listener, but he has always been ready for the creativity and connection that really helped me grow. Counseling with Arya helped me move through big difficulties in my romantic life and also has helped me turn around my business to suit my needs and succeed. I strongly recommend Arya as a counselor and life coach. Specifically, I really valued our ability to work with someone who could effectively hold space for BOTH life coaching and counseling. Our practice is a very much a heart-centered life design process helping me not just survive, but really reach new levels of success and deeper understanding this year! Arya exudes kindness, but also has plenty of space for intensity, and seriousness. I always look forward to Arya's warm presence. I could go on and on, but this guy is totally worth it! Vincent read more

I've been working with Arya as life coach since late last year to help me better manage my reactions to stressful situations and my bias to jump to negative thought patterns. In speaking with him I am always impressed by his ability to pick up what I'm trying to say and articulate it back to me in a very clear and thought provoking way. He's been able to help me distill some key insights into my own thought patterns and the effects (both positive and negative) those can have on my experiences. This has enabled me to be much more aware and intentional with my thoughts and actions, build better habits and ultimately manage stressful situations more effectively. I would highly recommend Arya as a life coach if you are looking for an independent, thoughtful perspective to help nudge you in the right direction. read more

I met Arya several years ago as an acupuncturist seeking the right referral for a patient of mine. In the process of getting to know him I realized that I also wanted to be his client! Since then I have worked with him on and off in several different capacities. When I first started working with Arya I had big business and leadership goals. I was wanting to show up for myself and for my business in bigger ways. At the time though, I felt uncertain, was afraid to confidently speak about what I was doing or to be bold in my business strategies. I was also showing up small in my relationship with my husband. I felt like a small engine in a big car set up for a lifetime of disappointment. Not only did Arya help me really dig deep to unearth the roots of my concerns, he also taught me energetic practices that allowed me to create more energy and capacity. This allowed me show up big and bold and move past stories and limitations that really no longer applied. Years later, I will call upon Arya's holistic approach and support if life's challenges require a bit more support to navigate. As I mentioned I also send many happy patients to him. They have reported reconnecting to their inner strength and certainty, learning to navigate relationship challenges in his couples work and shifting their life experience on a fundamental level. I know YOU will feel relieved, transformed and enlivened by the work you do with him. Enjoy. read more

Arya is a deep and compassionate man, who knows exactly how to guide you to the next path in your life. I recommend him highly :)

Highly recommend!! Working with Arya has always supported me in uncovering exactly what needs to be uncovered to get unstuck and on my way. I feel continuously awed by his uncanny ability to meet me where I am at, wherever that may be on my path of personal growth. I've worked with Arya and his holistic bootcamp as a part of Empowered Journey on and off for three years and would jump at the chance to work with him as the opportunities arise. Arya offers a perspective that I find so valuable and meaning and unforgettable that I still draw on reflections that I have received even years later. If you are contemplating a coach unlike any others, this is your man. read more

I've worked with Arya for the last couple months, and honestly this was one of the most life changing and eye opening experiences I've ever had. Initially I went in for career counseling, but ended up focusing mostly on life coaching. I've always felt stuck doing very routine and self destructive habits, but I had no idea how to address any of it. Arya helped me open my eyes and discover more about who I am, as well as how to address these issues and turn them into more positive influences in my life. I had no idea how much a professional opinion could help me see so many things in a way that I never would have even thought of, and I am so grateful for these opportunities to work with him. Arya has 2 offices- One in Berkely, and one in San Rafael, but he also has remote sessions available as well, and tries to work with you the best he can to accommodate your schedule. He is extremely caring, checks in with you often, and helps you be the best person you can be for yourself. I would highly recommend him for anybody that is considering his services :) read more

A huge thank you to Arya for his help on my "journey". Found Arya on a whim and had no expectations. Over our time together Arya helped me immensely by talking me through my vision, next steps and execution. I can honestly say that I couldn't have done it without his guidance, so glad I decided to utilize his expertise. Arya was also a great sounding board for other random questions that I've been pondering, he has an impressive grasp on where you are at currently and where you want to go. Thanks for everything Arya, I'm sure our paths will cross again soon! read more

Through the time I have spent with Arya I have grown in ways I hadn't previously imagined. His coaching style is sculpted to fit each client's personal needs. My business and personal life has transformed in extraordinary ways. At first, I was skeptical and although he reassured me he was well trained I needed to see for myself. Specifically, not only did he mentor me while mapping out my business plans and expand my network of support, he also guided me on my mindfulness and meditation practice. These are just a couple of examples in the broad approach to his counseling style. I am more familiar with myself and that growth has been of paramount importance to me at this stage in my career. I'm fortunate I came across his profile on Yelp and decided to give this a try, when this was exactly the type of counseling I needed. read more

I've had the pleasure and priviledge to work with Arya- as a yoga instructor as well as life coach. Arya is truly insightful, engaged, present and compassionate. I felt completely safe to explore different sides of myself and I now feel connected to a creative side that I had surpressed for most of my life. At the same time, Arya is a pragmatist and is completely willing to push when needed. If you are looking to become more engaged with yourself, I highly recommend working with Arya! read more

'And I still - haven't found - what I'm looking for...' -U2 and my high school year book quote...from over 20+ years ago. There will be a moment (or many moments) in one's life journey where you find yourself anxious, drained, stressed and in a constant state of being 'stuck in the mud.' You start to ask the hard and heavy questions of why/how/when; etc. Your initial dreams and plans didn't really work out as you imagined. Your job(s) have been more 'work' than a passion. It may be that relationships with your loved ones or close friends have been tilted. You have not accomplished your own personal goals that you planned out many moons ago. Or conversely, you have 'everything' you want in life-the house, the car, the family, the kids, the job; etc but you know deep down inside, something is still missing. You find yourself anxious, sleepless, numb...But amongst all of life's trivial pursuits and sometimes wicked humor, you know that there's still a beauty in this journey-if you choose to acknowledge it. The beauty of restarting. Rescripting. 'Awakening.' Earlier this year, I finally awakened. They say the best testimonies are the ones you've lived. Only then can you share the authentic stories to others-stories of failure, battles, success, passion, love; etc to others. So consider this my quick testimony and that is why I'm here now to let you know that no matter what life brings your way, you are not alone. Regardless of your religious or spiritual beliefs, I'm a firm believer that life will lead and conspire to bring you to the right paths and people during this journey. And there are gifted and authentic people out there to help you get back on track...One of these people is Arya Joti. And his testimony is powerful. I found Arya here on Yelp. Now let me preface this post by saying that I rarely use Yelp nor do I share my personal life into the social-sphere. I like to keep things solely private for the most part. But I will share with you the amazing and transformational journey I have beset myself on during this time. Why? Well, because I feel that we all are worthy to finally follow our life's most utmost optimal self-despite what our mind, prognosticators, colleagues/families tell us. Arya has a gift-actually many. Now, I don't mean gifts of the 'woo woo' nature nor of the cliché expected psycho babble type. When I first met Arya, I didn't know what to expect. But what I did encounter was a purely compassionate and authentic human being. He has a rich history of training and knowledge from both western and eastern philosophies. He caters each session per individual-listening first and providing new and old insights to modern day aesthetics. From breathing exercises, 'shadow work', vocalization, meditations/prayers and narratives that you can relate to and understand. Sometimes, it is stuff that we already know but need that proverbial kick in the butt to remember. But more times, Arya will provide the wealth of insight and words that penetrate deep-opening up new possibilities in your mind's battlefield. He truly wants you to be successfully in whatever endeavors you have. There will be some sessions where, in order to break down walls or hinderances, one will need to dive deeper into their being. If you just want someone to listen, Arya is great at this. But if you want positive change, as challenging and/or painful as it may be, then Arya will also help you push beyond as you take those leaps of faith in your life. He has also been extremely flexible and mindful of your schedule and more importantly your progress during the course of your journey. He will provide you homework assignments as well so that you can be consistent with each key learning and revelation during the course of your time with him. Again, he genuinely and transparently wants you to achieve your goals-mentally, spiritually & physically. I've been seeing Arya now for about 5 months. And during the course of this window, my life has undergone positive changes-slowly but surely I learned much about worthiness, future thinking and the beauty of being the best optimal self you are chosen to be. I continually look forward to our meetings. And although I have yet to find 'what I'm looking for' a la U2, I know now that the path has been enlightened. My outlook on life is polar opposites from where I was earlier this year. My eyes are pressed towards goals and achievements. My daily routines have been met with more fervor and my intuition and passion are leading me towards the path I was meant to take. When you acknowledge that you deserve and can achieve the miraculous, you have finally Awakened. Now, in order for you to start towards the path of your true calling-whatever that may be-you must take that first step, or should I say, the LEAP...Arya will help be one of many instruments and confidants to get you there. Thank you Arya for your insights and friendship... Aloha! read more

If you are in need of a life coach counselor combination, very qualified to help you with whatever you're going through.

I'm a licensed marriage and family therapist who has worked with seven different therapists, counselors, and coaches over the past 12 years. While some of them were helpful and some were not, none have been able to hold a candle to Arya and his ability to affect powerful change in the lives of his clients who are ready and willing to experience change. I began working with Arya in October of 2013, and was experiencing overwhelming levels of stress and anxiety due to the work I was doing. Through 3 months of life coaching and concurrently doing one of his group fitness programs, I felt my whole perspective on life shifting, and I was quickly able to cope with way more stress in a much more effective way after just a few months. So of course I wanted more, and continued working with Arya in different capacities for about 2 years, until I moved out of the area, and every session the work deepened and helped me grow in new ways. This 2 year period, honestly, had been me at my most present, grounded, and inspired, by far, and I credit Arya as being fundamental to me being able to cultivate that. At my job as a therapist, this was the time I was most inventive and intuitive in my interventions with my own clients, and I felt like I clicked into a flow that was greater than myself when working with others, which is an amazing feeling. During this period, I also upgraded and changed jobs two times, and Arya supported me greatly in having the bravery to pursue (and the confidence to attain) these positions. On top of this, he brought me back into touch with the playful and creative side of myself that I'd abandoned somewhere along the way, opening up my experience to writing and artwork that has made my life monumentally more fulfilling. During sessions, Arya is powerful, yet also humble and graceful. He is highly intuitive and spiritual, yet well-versed in science and the latest research. He tends to be spot on when it comes to knowing whether to push a client harder toward their goals and when simple active listening and empathy are required. I can't imagine who I would be if I hadn't met Arya, and cannot recommend him highly enough. read more

Arya is a very rare combination of laser sharp and accurate seeing, strategic brilliance, practical wisdom beyond his years, all balanced with an incredibly warm, welcoming, loving presence. I find most coaches or counselors are skilled on one side of that equation. Arya is naturally balanced. You'd be so lucky to work with him in any capacity: coaching, counseling, couples counseling, purpose work. He helped me unearth the organizing beliefs and principles that had me and my business operating at a low level. Once we learned what was keeping me below my capacity, we worked on changing and re-organizing those principles. It's made all the difference. I am happy, healthy and thriving. Thank you Arya! read more

Ayra is amazing counselor and brother on the path. He is committed to his own self work and relationship work and it emanates from his being. As another man I appreciated our sessions together. I enjoyed the support of another man on the journey to self reflection, inner growth and self improvement. Ayra is a great reflection for whats going on in your life. I received tremendous value immediately as he helped me release childhood traumas that were coming up. He also supported me and the woman I was dating at the time with an unexpected relationship session with the two of us. I would definitely recommend working with Ayra! read more

When it comes to finding a therapist, it's usually very difficult for me to find someone who caters to my needs. However, when I came across my counselor Arya, it was the first time that I met someone who not only wants to help you grow through your issues, but is willing to grow within their own profession through feedback from the client. I worked with Arya for a few months and still come to him as needed. There were a lot of things for me to appreciate about his work; from his helpful scholarships to help with appointment costs, to his very helpful advice and very soothing demeanor. I've struggled a lot with personal traumas and self depiction and I went to Arya because I was intrigued with the way he portrayed his services. Once I had my first free consultation, we made a plan to meet every other week to slowly integrate habits and rituals that I could implement into my life. With every appointment, it was very nice and relaxing to talk with Arya and have him listen to what I had to say. He really helped me to start to look at my life and myself in a different way where I can start a new chapter on my own. By the end of my sessions, I felt very optimistic with our work and I was ready to use his methods to help with my journey. I highly recommend this counselor, he's really worth your time! He truly helped me and I know he's helped countless others. read more

I first met Arya through his Embody Awesome bootcamp, which was an experience that taught me how to reframe exercise and waking up at 6am as an enjoyable experience, which is quite a feat! Arya has a gift of making you feel instantly comfortable, and as an engineer, I appreciate his scientific approach to getting results! I recommend Arya because he approaches his work with a lot of heart and compassion paired with a ton of wisdom and experience. If you are considering a big change in your life and you want someone to advocate for you to get through a challenge, Empowered Journey is the right place. Good luck and thanks Arya :) read more

I came looking for help with weight loss and found much more. Arya helped me reconnect with my body and through life coaching, also helped me surface and deal with some long buried pain and fears. I am deeply thankful. read more

Simply put, Arya's counseling has helped me create a life that is more fulfilling, both professionally and personally. As a life coach, Arya has provided me with the tools to manage my stress, and even allow that stress to work for me, instead of against me. Working with Arya is less about erasing or deleting habits (some of which actually make up who I am), but not letting those habits paralyze you. When I came to Arya seeking his counsel, I was struggling with obsessive-compulsive behavior, and I've slowly-but-surely learned to be comfortable with being uncomfortable, and as simple as that sounds, it's made a world of difference. Not only have our sessions benefited my life in a tangible, material way, but Arya also communicates in the language of metaphor and analogy, which encourages one to get out of their own head and consider life within the framework of everything else, and I have found this to improve my spirit more than I can articulate. I would be lying if I said I wasn't the tiniest bit skeptical going in, but it turns out that the relatively easy action of going in has led to a place of sincere contentment. read more

Arya is remarkably intuitive and deeply committed, with a talent for compassionately cutting through layers of excuses and emotional funk. I started working with Arya 10 months ago when I went looking for a personal trainer to treat my text-book case of chronic stagnation. We shifted from personal training to life coaching when I stopped exercising about 4 months in, claiming my life as a working mom was too demanding. Arya reminded me that the reason I started working with him was because I wanted to be more available for my kids. Through a couple of months of coaching he helped me prioritize a laundry list of competing priorities. We've shifted back to personal training, but this time through I'm building on a solid base of physical strength and personal resolve. Yes, my daily life still feels like an endurance test. What's different now is that I'm clear on why I need to carve out time to exercise. It helps that the exercises Arya assigns are almost fun... best workout ever was on Mother's Day when we spent an hour at the playground with my two kids. read more

Arya has been a powerfully positive influence on my life. His ability to be present and create a space where I can connect with my most truthful self has been invaluable. He has always helped me remember my purpose, my center, with a renewed sense of engaged possibility. I am so grateful for his work and presence in my life! Five Stars. He's worth it. You're worth it. read more

What can I say? Arya is extremely skilled at getting to the heart of the issue and understanding his clients. He utilizes so many different techniques to help his clients reach their goals. He is an incredible listener and teacher. He blends in his own experiences with vetted tools to create a session that is very impactful. I have worked with him both as an individual as well as with my partner and both experiences have helped me grow tremendously. He can help you see the situation with a new perspective. He coaches you to grow from where you are. He promotes a healthy community. I cant recommend him enough. read more