Today we’d like to introduce you to David Hale
Hi David, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I believe we are a spirit having a human experience and this experience is lived daily through our mind, body, and soul. I also know all of us “get stuck” at various points in our lives – life loses its zest, the monotony of transactional living weighs on us, and we invariably ask, “Is this all there is.” I’ve been there, many times. It’s during these seasons when we need a foundational truth to be revealed, resonating deep within us, compelling our full being to change direction – a soul shift. I experienced my own soul shift in May of 2005 when after 15 years of running, I came to the end of myself. My soul was told, “No. This is not all there is.” My life has never been the same.
It is from this position of abiding, soul level “success” that I started Soul Shift Coaching by David Hale. Though recovery, in its many forms, is a main focus of some of my clients, the majority of my clients begin the conversation by saying some form of, “I’m stuck. I’m in a funk. I need accountability to achieve my goals. I need help creating change in my life.” I know the feeling, I’ve been there before. It’s ok to feel that way and even have a season of apathy, but it’s not ok to stay there. At Soul Shift I parlay my own personal walk and years of practical application and study to help people live transformed lives through transformational coaching.
I moved to San Diego in 2020 with my wife and daughter. Several stars aligned to bring us here from the DC metro area. Fortunately, more stars are added to the constellation each year – we truly feel called to be here. A key part of my calling is to help fellow San Diegan’s live a transformed life by leading and guiding them on a journey to goal achievement, healthfully navigating life transitions, and getting un-stuck by building new life momentum.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Building a small business as a Transformation Coach has been a journey, and like many small businesses, it has had its bumps along the way. For one, there’s the universal challenge of building a client base. Transformation coaching is uniquely individual, which means many potential clients need time to learn about us and trust what we do. In addition to the administrative requirements and hurdles, getting the word out has meant refining our messaging, learning social media, and maintaining a long-term mindset.
One of the first challenges is getting the word out in a way that truly communicates the value of Transformation Coaching. Unlike more tangible services, transformation coaching offers life-changing but many times intangible benefits, making it hard to convey the depth and power of what we do. There’s a continuous learning curve around how best to communicate our message so people understand the value before experiencing it firsthand.
Another essential challenge is cultivating a long-term mindset. Transformation Coaching is about sustainable, lifelong change. This means the approach to business also has to be long-term, focusing not just on immediate gains but on building relationships, trust, and credibility. Often, the true impact of the work we do isn’t visible until much later, so patience and resilience are key.
Trusting the process and believing in my calling properly defines the challenges and brings with them lessons that define the journey. The hurdles in building a Transformation Coaching business have pushed me to refine my voice, deepen my purpose, and stretch beyond my comfort zone.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Soul Shift’s mission is to change lives through transformation coaching & professional leadership development.
The creation of Soul Shift is my response to expand my sphere of influence by bringing to a wider audience my natural leadership skills and soul level calling to help others transform their lives. My personalized coaching, motivational encouragement, and guided inner healing work is grounded in my core philosophy “The 1 Degree” – this is the accumulation of disciplined responses to life one day at a time. The only thing we control in this life is our response to it. “The 1 Degree” is the focused effort to respond healthfully, the majority of the time, over an extended period of time to all of life’s nuances and curve balls thus reaping the benefit of a transformed life.
Through Transformation coaching, I work with my clients to develop a customized, integrated plan to transform and align the mind, body and soul as they walk in a new life rhythm. By loosening the grip of the past, freeing them to achieve goals, and better manage life transitions they become a refreshed version of their essential being. This path is often forged by combining the practices of accountability, conscientious living, inner healing work and more.
I am a Certified Transformation Coach and have been mentoring, teaching, and guiding men and women over 18 years. My passion is to help people pursue and accomplish their goals by living a transformed life because of my own difficult yet rewarding path to face myself through deep inner healing work. I am blessed with the gifts of leadership and the ability to connect with people. I’ve held leadership positions throughout my life on sports teams, in the Marines, and in the corporate arena as I earned and applied my accounting degree, MBA, and CPA.
I have been a sought-after mentor for individual development and guided many men and women to transform their lives as well as help companies train future leaders. My unique gift is the special ability to connect with people from various backgrounds and life experiences and am honored to be a regular motivational speaker at a local homeless shelter.
As former U.S. Marine and collegiate athlete, I have vectored my competitive drive into two marathons, one Iron Man triathlon, and will compete in my first ultra-marathon in August 2025. I believe the discipline required to achieve physical goals is an easy tool everyone can apply to encourage discipline to permeate undisciplined areas in our lives. As we train, meet and exceed goals, however small or big they may be, we are updating and refining our “confidence profile.” We all have experiences/memories that are in our profile that shouldn’t be there, and experiences/memories that aren’t part of our confidence that should be! The physical realm is a critical gateway to aligning the mind and body and soul.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Eat right. Exercise. Sleep. Treat yourself from time to time. Invest in meaningful relationships. Serve others. Always have one big goal you’re working toward.
Remember the “Why”
Friction, challenges, and failures are a reality regardless of the endeavor. Maintaining a clear sense of why you’re doing what you’re doing can keep you grounded. Revisit your reasons and values often to stay motivated.
Embrace Curiosity Over Perfection
When starting, it’s easy to feel pressure to “get it right” immediately. Instead, focus on curiosity and learning. Perfectionism can be paralyzing, while curiosity keeps you moving forward and open to new perspectives.
Be Patient with Progress
Growth is rarely linear, and early on, it might feel like things are moving slowly. Don’t rush the journey; foundational work takes time and will pay off. Trust the process and recognize that small, consistent steps lead to big progress.
Invest in Building Skills and Habits
Skills compound over time, so try to learn things that will be valuable long-term. Consistent habits, like learning daily or working on specific goals, make a huge difference as time goes on.
Pricing:
- GROW – Coaching Program (60 days)
- TRANSFORM – Coaching Program (90 days)
- EVOLVE – Coaching Program (180 days)
- Annual Membership
Contact Info:
- Website: https://soulshift.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulshiftcoach/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SoulShiftCoaching
