Read what our clients say about 1-1 Coaching

 1-1 mPEAK Coaching Client Feedback

"If you are concerned that there is no barrier to entry to being a life coach, and that it is simply a formulaic approach to accountability, prepare to open your mind to Pete Kirchmer. He is none of the above. I have enjoyed many deep and studied conversations with Pete about all aspects of life. He is wise and knowing, he expresses himself with clarity, he remembers all former conversations and builds on them. He is a profound listener. On occasion he has boldly challenged the integrity of my assertions; he is kind but not afraid to be fierce in calling me on my flawed human ways. I referred a member of my family to Pete, and I think he said it best. “Working with Pete I was finally able to get my gut in touch with my head, and then I knew what I wanted to do.” If you have an opportunity to work with Pete, take it! You will be so glad you did."

~Jamie Madison, Davis, CA

"I had no idea what yesterday's session would bring - which, I suppose, is a hallmark and testament to the work we have done to be fully present in the moment. What came up yesterday for me in our "check in" was an opportunity to see the manifestation of the many hours of your coaching, the open space created for me to more often move away from those deep grooves of habit and reaction. Every conversation we've had for all of these months has led me to what feels like a parallel universe where I am more open, grounded, accepting, present and grateful. With your help, I've finally retired the belief that I can actually put trains back on tracks. I know now that meditation always trumps adrenaline and offers sanctuary. What a relief. You are the best kind of teacher who leads by example and guides with wholeheartedness. I now hear your words when I am stuck - a built-in roadmap to carry me through the darkest hour. Thank you. It is immensely comforting to know you are out there and that I can call on you..."

-D.C. San Diego

"I sought mindfulness coaching as the healthy alternative to coping with a stressful career. I am a person with sleep problems related to job stress but otherwise in good physical shape. Armed with my first prescription of Ambien and blood pressure of 150 over 88 I thought there had to be a better way.

“My sessions with Pete were personally tailored mindfulness practices that enabled me to help myself. During our work together Pete taught me how to approach and practice mindful meditation. I am very happy to share that my blood pressure declined to 114 over 79. My doctor and family are very pleased with the results. I am empowered.

“Working with Pete is working with coach, a person, a confidant that is engaged and focused on his client’s well-being. I found my experience to be very rewarding and openly recommend Pete Kirchmer to others."

-Fred Scott, San Diego

"I've worked with Pete for about a year, and in that time I have made more meaningful changes in my life than I had in a long time. Some things, like integrating exercise and meditation into my daily routine, I had been thinking about literally for years, but it was only once I started mindfulness coaching with Pete that I was able to recognize and address the issues behind the issues that seemed to be stopping me from changing my patterns. A lot of the concepts around mindfulness were just that to me - ideas, words - but from the very beginning Pete helped me to identify and relate to my emotions in a practical way that lead very naturally into setting intentions and taking action. It took me a while to commit to weekly coaching sessions, but Pete's patience and engagement with me even during that initial process of deciding to work together put me entirely at ease. I have found working with him to be deeply satisfying, challenging, and thoroughly enjoyable."

-Julia Bloch, NY

"I signed up with Pete after hearing him speak about willpower. I was intreaged by the idea of using mindfulness to build the willpower I needed to lose weight for good. The first thing I appreciated was the personal positive feedback on my attempts to change. Pete has a way of gently encouraging me to think about my problems from a different perspective and experiment with new behaviors. As a result of working with Pete, I've established a daily meditation practice, cut way back on eating simple carbs, and lost 15#. But more importantly, I'm happier. He's helped me learn to practice mindfulness in the face of my anxiety, anger, and cravings. I've discovered I can make changes that I wouldn't have considered before. He helps me feel good about myself. I have a long ways to go to reach my goals, but I'm feeling more hopeful than I have in a long time. I'd recommend Pete to anyone willing to try a mindfulness-based approach to making positive change happen."

-Leslie Oleson, San Jose, CA

"I met Pete at a very low point in my life; as close to rock bottom as I had ever been. He put out a hand and helped me back up. Through careful and patient guidance over the following year, Pete helped me to find myself. He didn’t tell me. He didn’t hand me answers. He asked questions to spur my thought processes. He taught me how to listen from within. How to feel. He taught me how to identify my triggers. And what they really meant. I could always expect to walk away from a session with a realization or something profound to think about. And actions to put into practise. He showed me how to find my own way. Pete encouraged me to journal. If he had not done that, I would not have realized that I have a gift to write. And that my writing touches others. And now I am writing poetry, of which a piece has been published. I sorted out a lot through writing. Through breathing, through meditating, through the many techniques that Pete introduced me to. Pete is a wise and compassionate person who I am blessed to have met in this lifetime. I am immeasurably grateful for this teacher who crossed my path when I needed him."

- Samantha James

"I signed up with Pete for coaching after attending a lecture he gave at Rancho La Puerta. I was in the middle of an overwhelming situation. I always THOUGHT I had a strong toolbox of coping mechanisms but nothing was working. It was like I was constantly climbing a mountain or looking up at one. I saw Pete as a calm, steady presence who could help me out of what felt like dark hole. And he did! I moved from a sporadic meditation practice to a daily one. I tackled my sleep issues by cutting out wine and paying more attention to feeling better. This equipped me better for the big challenges I was facing. I learned to manage the many things I felt I "HAD" to do or eliminated them. I did some delegating; taking less on. When I "failed" that was okay too. I felt less pressure because it WAS "okay". I learned that small tweaks can make a BIG difference.

“I think what grabbed me first was how Pete shared some of his OWN experiences. I felt a connection that he understood the challenges I faced. I found Pete to be self effacing and immensely humorous, also something I connected to, especially during a time when smiling actually felt alien. I loved starting the sessions with a small meditation so I could focus on what we were going to do. I liked the questions he asked to prepare for the sessions as well. I felt Pete was able to point out a different way of looking at a "problem" that I hadn't seen before. I was looking at the forest and he was seeing the trees!”

“I am surprised how the mindfulness practice has had such a profound effect on my "hard wiring". I never would have believed it if someone had told me I could feel this way. It's not always perfect (and that's okay too!) but it certainly has changed me.”

”I recommend Pete as a coach because what he has to offer works. I feel he walk the walk of what he offer to others. He KNOWS what he’s talking about. It's one thing to lead a horse to water (me, being the horse). Pete’s gift is that he inspired me to DRINK it. Our communication/relationship got me through an awful challenge on many levels. I came out of it KNOWING I can not only do that, but use the tools I learned for other things that come my way. And they surely will. I can't thank you enough, Pete. I'll never forget what your coaching did for me."

-Margie Rovarino

"I heard Pete speak at Rancho La Puerta in October, 2013 and scheduled a private session with him while there. I had no plans to retain a life coach and had no idea what such a service could offer me. At my private session, I spoke to him about two nagging issues: a marriage to a loving man who I loved but who worked all of the time and a newly acquired drinking problem (mine, not my husband's). I am in my 60's, with an otherwise satisfying and privileged life.

”At this session, was amazed at his insights and suggestions. I immediately implemented one of them and it had a quick and positive effect on my well being. I decided to retain him for weekly sessions (by phone) and continue to do so. He has helped me in so many ways. I would recommend him to anyone and for any reason. How to do justice to such a brilliant combination of traits? He combines his no-nonsense-no-BS approach with empathy and understanding. It is his practical approach that makes him is so effective. We focus on how to handle, what to say, how to think, when to let something go, when to engage..... Anyone who has him in their corner will thrive. ( I'm worried he won't continue to have time for me, after this review circulates.... But I have to be honest!)."

-Susan Minasian

"Pete was recommended by a good friend who had heard him give a couple of talks at Rancho La Puerta. She thought he might be a good resource for me for what I was working on. How right she was, and how fortunate for me that she spoke up! As resistant as I can be to put things like this in writing, I will this time. Perhaps it will help someone else take a step forward as well. I've met many coaches in my day and honestly had become skeptical of the title. So many of them seemed lost themselves and kind of wannabes. Pete is not a wannabe. Pete is competent and insightful. He coaches from a place that is not just well-intentioned, but also skillful and practiced. He has a style that is his own, but it's pragmatic and flexible. He has strategies and techniques, but he's not confined by or limited to them. Working with Pete really works for me. It has provided me with support and accountability, tools and techniques vs. me flying solo by the seat of my pants, reinventing the wheel, sometimes lost in my own story. If you are already curious or interested enough to be reading his website, I'd encourage you to take the leap. Try it out. If you really want to move forward and make some changes, there's a good chance Pete will help you. If you're really willing. And if you're not sure if you're willing or not, chances are he can help you figure that out, too"

-T.G., Bend, Or.

“While I have found great value at various times in my life in having a formal arrangement with another human being to help me navigate this thing called life, I have little patience for someone I can talk around. I fancy myself fairly self aware and naturally inquisitive about human potential and end up doing a fair amount of self-analysis in my head. So I generally approach life with the idea that I pretty much know what is going on in terms of the crazy going on inside my head. Therefore, what I truly value in both friendships and coaches is someone who cannot only keep up with my analysis but who can call me on my bullshit. Someone who can truly add value and see more than I can in a given situation. One who can identify the subtle and not so subtle patterns and point out areas I may be fooling myself, or just plain missing something. Pete is a good listener, he understood my sometimes convoluted thoughts, no matter how esoteric I may have been, he stayed with me, asked relevant questions, and then, just at the right moment would reflect back to me – ME. He often pointed out themes and desires that he had heard from me, but that had not reached my conscious brain yet. And most valuable of all, he would occasionally say something along the lines of, “but wait a minute Kenneth I heard you say such and such and that is incongruent with what you are now saying…”. Pete is a catalyst for ah ha moments and sped up my learning about myself and the way in which I am navigating my life.”

-Kenneth Smith, Entrepreneur, San Diego, CA

"I signed up to coach with Pete because I was getting tired and frustrated with living in limbo. My husband and I had been talking about moving and finding news jobs for so long but not doing anything about it - it was exhausting. I signed up to get guidance and a new perspective. I would love to say that as a result of coaching I meditate every day but I don't. What I have noticed is that I am more inquisitive about myself and what I want and especially mindful of the stories I tell myself. But overall what I notice is that I am happier, more relaxed and more at peace. I love that Pete doesn’t take any crap and that he held me totally accountable. He forced me to look and question everything. Even the things I didn't realize I needed to look at because they were so ingrained in my way of being. Sometimes I didn't want to talk to him because it takes work and energy to go inside and some days I just didn't want to go there. But those we're the days I got the most out of our time together. On those days I got the biggest ah- ha's. I would recommend Pete as a coach for his wisdom, calmness, intuition, insights and for challenging me. We have made our choice and we’re moving! And both me and my husband are really happy about it."

-Ilona Fordham

"Every once in a while you run across someone in your life that makes a difference. Pete is that person. Through decades of study, coaching, meditation, and his own mindful health, he has gained a quiet wisdom to motivate people, and has built a successful process and practice around it. We all have creative, health, competitive, etc. speed bumps that we just can't seem to get over, or sometimes don't know that we even have. Pete possesses the tools and intuition to identify the bump, help you lift yourself over it, and put it behind you. Pete is helping me embrace things that I have held at arms length for years, and embrace them with the passion that is my purpose. I came across Pete through a series of friends and am very grateful that he has blessed my life. If living a healthy life of purpose, with peace in your heart is what you are looking for, this is where it happens."

- T. Peterson - South Mission Beach, San Diego, CA

"Thank you so much for introducing me to your efforts and ideas within mPEAK Coaching. Your techniques and journaling assignments have allowed opportunities for me to uncover any outdated belief systems still fervently working within my current mode of living. While sometimes I prefer to hold on to these long held defenses, I think each of us deserve a chance to rid ourselves of these antiquated and small ways of moving through the world. Your work has been gentle yet persistent in allowing me to investigate all these issues. You have given a platform to that emerging best Self. Thank you for all your attention, it is a rare quality and one that I am grateful for. You are making a difference in the world. All my love to you Pete."

- Vicki Walsh, San Diego, CA

"I began my search for a Health/Wellness coach seeking a certain type of person. I found what I was looking for in Pete. My journey in the realm of fitness has been tortuous for exactly 20yrs this year. At 37 yrs old this year I felt as if I'd been on a roller coaster of fad diets and fad thinking, misinformation, or information that was cookie-cutter at best since age 17. I've had many emotional issues regarding all this roller coaster riding of ups/downs, minimal success followed by inevitable failure that I've been doing for all these years. I desperately wanted to find a new way, to start from scratch - unlearn and then relearn. Pete has been extremely valuable in this area. He has listened to the pain that I've shared with him about my past battles and I felt he could understand because I believed we shared some similar experiences. At this point I've been working with Pete for 13 weeks. He has a very gentle yet accountable way to help me move towards the things I want to move toward. Even at one point when I started to loose faith in this new "holistic"approach I am trying to get familiar with, he held the faith for me when I couldn't hold it myself. I've lived a life of either black or white when it comes to health/fitness. Pete is gently introducing me to all that is contained in the middle ground, the gray area. He has a vast array of referral information and when I discuss something that I'm interested in, most times he can recommend an article or a professional in a certain area, etc. What Pete is probably unaware of is how much he is restoring my faith in connecting emotionally with other men. As a gay man, I grew up in a time when gay and straight men didn't mix and for my whole life I've had to pretend to be or feel something I don't in order to feel accepted. I don't feel that way at all with Pete. He has, and continues to slowly build my trust that (straight) men can be accepting, embracing, understanding and work with a level of true compassion, something Pete does beautifully and for which I'm truly thankful. I've undergone a tremendous amount of change in the 13 weeks I've worked with Pete and most of it I give myself almost no credit for. Pete has helped me to take the time out to acknowledge the goals I've set, reached, and am working towards. Pete's approach is not the "quick fix" weekend workshop approach of personal empowerment overload for two or three days and then you're left to venture out on your own. He stays with you and helps you keep your eye on whatever prize you seek. I highly recommend him, and I thank him."

- Jason Markel, Palm Springs, CA

"I would like to take this opportunity to whole heartedly recommend Pete Kirchmer as a life coach! I started working with Pete a few years ago as a personal trainer. He was awesome ! As the sessions proceeded they were evolving into both personal growth sessions and personal training. As my life got a tad more complex we agreed that the coaching aspect is more what I needed than the pumping of weights. For the next few months I worked very hard and so did Pete ! Be prepared for transformation and some brain growth. Pete has a knack of getting the best out of you and provoking some serious introspection and insight. It was truly an awesome experience and to this day I am growing as a result of hiscoaching. He was a tremendous help in personal issues as well as business dilemmas. He was a instrumental in figuring out the next path, and making things happen! Bravo Pete, you are the best! If you never tries life coaching, GET READY, fasten your seat belt and be ready for things to happen"

- Jeffrey S Keeny DDS, San Diego, CA