“When I started coaching, I was carrying a lot of anger—at myself and at other people. Social situations made me anxious, and I was relying on unhealthy habits to cope with how overwhelmed I felt.

Over time, I noticed that I wasn’t getting pulled into the same mental patterns as often. I became better at pausing, regulating myself, and dealing with things more directly instead of escaping them.

Eventually it became hard to relate to how stuck I had felt before. I felt more grounded and more capable of handling my situation as it actually was. Journaling helped me make sense of what I was feeling and decide what to do next, rather than staying confused or reactive.

As a result, I rebuilt relationships, established consistent daily practices, and felt more focused and creative. Most importantly, I became more honest with myself and more steady in how I showed up.

This process helped me move forward instead of staying trapped in old emotions.”

— Chris

“For many years I struggled with addiction and carried a lot of shame around it. I kept it hidden, even while trying to get help. Over time in coaching, I began to see how much of that struggle was connected to anger I was holding—about my past, my circumstances, and myself.

As we worked through my life story, I stopped seeing myself as broken and started seeing how my patterns actually made sense. That shift made it possible to take responsibility without beating myself up for it.

I eventually reached over a year of sobriety. I also noticed changes in how I dealt with people. I became more direct, more assertive, and less internally charged. I wasn’t constantly carrying things forward or replaying old situations in my head.

I learned how to sit with difficult feelings without letting them control my behavior. That helped me make better decisions and feel more settled in myself.

Having someone really know my story without judgment helped loosen a lot of the shame I had been carrying for years. The work helped me move forward instead of staying stuck.”

— Darren

“When I started coaching, I realized I was living by values that weren’t really mine. I had taken on other people’s expectations out of fear of rejection or conflict and was going along with them without fully meaning it.

Over time, I began to notice parts of myself I had been ignoring or pushing aside. As I gave those parts more room, I became clearer about what actually mattered to me and more comfortable standing by it.

Through this process, I began to discover my own voice – and a deep, genuine self-confidence. I’m no longer constantly checking myself against other people or trying to avoid tension, and I feel more grounded in my own decisions.”

— Andrew

“For years I tried to journal consistently, but I couldn’t maintain it. Every attempt eventually turned into pressure, self-criticism, and resistance. I wanted the habit, but part of me seemed to push back every time I tried to force it.

Through coaching, I began to see that this wasn’t a discipline problem. It was coming from unresolved frustration and self-directed resentment that showed up as avoidance and inconsistency. Once I started understanding what those habits were protecting me from, journaling stopped feeling like something imposed on me and became something I chose to return to.

I also started noticing how different patterns in my life were connected. The same inner tension that disrupted journaling was affecting other areas as well. Working at the root of that tension had a wider impact than I expected, and changes in one area began to carry over into others.

The process helped me stop fighting myself and start working with myself. As a result, journaling became a consistent daily practice, and making changes no longer felt like punishment or restraint, but a more grounded way of taking responsibility for my life.”

— Dan

“For a long time I struggled with addiction, anger, and a lot of self-destructive thinking about who I was and how I measured up. Much of that anger was directed inward, and it spilled over into how I reacted to situations and people in my life.

Through coaching, I began to see how past experiences were still getting triggered in the present and quietly driving my reactions. I noticed how quickly frustration or old hurt could turn into patterns of thinking and behavior that didn’t actually serve me.

As I gained more clarity, I became better at catching those moments and responding differently. I learned how to handle conflict without immediately turning it into self-attack or blame toward others. I also learned to recognize progress instead of treating every setback as proof that something was wrong with me.

Over time, I reconnected with values and ideals that had mattered to me earlier in life but had been buried under anger and disappointment. That shift helped me feel more grounded in who I am and more deliberate in how I act.

Having someone listen closely, ask direct questions, and stay present with difficult material made it easier to be honest about things I had avoided for years. The process helped me understand myself better and relate to my emotions in a way that no longer runs my life.”

— Tony

“I struggled with a hidden addiction for more than 15 years. It became increasingly embarrassing, so I kept it to myself while quietly trying to fix it. I read books, joined 12-step programs, and invested in courses that promised results, but nothing really stuck.

At the same time, I was constantly pushing myself to earn other people’s approval. I didn’t trust my own judgment, so I kept swinging between over-effort and self-doubt. The pressure and disappointment kept building, and underneath it all there was a growing sense of resentment—toward myself and toward the situation—because no matter how hard I tried, I felt stuck.

Through coaching, I began to see how much of my behavior was driven by fear and by reactions I hadn’t questioned. As I became more aware of those patterns, I stopped trying to force change and started taking responsibility in a more realistic way.

For the first time, I feel like I’m acting from an adult place rather than reacting out of insecurity. I’ve been free from the habit for nearly a year now, and my thinking is more grounded and steady than it’s ever been.”

— Vishal

“Before I started coaching, I felt completely stuck in my own head. Whenever I felt doubt, jealousy, or resentment, I immediately felt guilty for having those feelings, like I wasn’t supposed to feel that way. I was constantly overanalyzing everything, trying to be perfect, and then beating myself up when I wasn’t. I believed that being ‘spiritual’ meant I had to be calm and in control all the time, and when I wasn’t, I saw it as a personal failure. It was exhausting.

One of the first things I learned was to stop running from my emotions and stop treating myself like I was broken. That shift alone changed how I looked at everything. I started to see that my so-called bad habits weren’t the real problem. They were responses to deeper insecurity, comparison, and the pressure I put on myself to earn love by doing everything right.

As I became more honest about those patterns, I stopped trying to force myself into being someone I wasn’t. Letting go of that pressure made it possible to accept where I actually was, and from there, real change started to happen.

I can clearly see the contrast between who I was then and how I show up now. I’m more comfortable being myself, more at ease with other people, and more self-controlled when challenges come up. Progress no longer feels like chasing perfection. It feels like living more honestly.

This work helped me break out of guilt and anxiety and reconnect with myself in a way that feels grounded and sustainable.”

— Gary

“I’ve been a student of Damodar’s for about six months. What I appreciated right away was the empathy and intelligence he brings to his work.

Early on, I started identifying negative tendencies I had been stuck in for a long time. As we looked more closely, I realized a lot of them were connected to resentment toward my parents that I had never really given myself permission to feel. I had spent years pushing that down and trying to be understanding instead, but it was still affecting how I saw myself and how I moved through life.

Being able to acknowledge that resentment without turning it into blame or guilt was a turning point. It helped me accept parts of myself I had been fighting and see my reactions with more clarity instead of contempt.

At the same time, I was encouraged to develop a more positive and realistic vision for my future. Having that direction gave my life more meaning and helped me stop fixating on everything I thought was wrong with me.

One of the biggest changes is that I can now accept positive feedback without immediately rejecting it or shutting down. I don’t automatically block out anything good anymore.

I genuinely think Damodar’s program and coaching are incredibly valuable. It helped me recognize my own value in a way that feels real and stable.”

— Nicolas

“Working with Damodar made it feel possible to talk openly without worrying about being judged or criticized. That gave me enough distance to step back from behaviors I wasn’t proud of and actually look at why I was doing them instead of just reacting or repeating them.

As I understood the reasons behind those patterns, it became easier to interrupt them before they played out. What surprised me was that this didn’t just help me—it also changed how I showed up with the people close to me.

I realized that a lot of my frustration and acting out came from being disconnected from my own values. I didn’t need to go looking for some new code to live by. The morals that could guide me were already there, buried under resentment, defensiveness, and pressure I hadn’t acknowledged.

Letting myself admit that I didn’t have everything together took more strength than pretending I did. But that honesty helped me understand myself better and move forward in a more grounded way.”

— Marcus