Being Well by Design: The Art and Science of Holistic Thriving
A Dynamic framework of curricular coaching for holistic growth across the core dimensions of mind, body, heart and spirit.
True thriving isn't about optimizing one area of life - it's about harmonizing your mental clarity, physical vitality, emotional resilience, and spiritual purpose into a life that feels whole and deeply satisfying. That's where a curriculum-based framework for learning, discovery and transformation comes in.
We are not human beings…we are human “becomings”
“I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of a man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.”
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Henry David Thoreau
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
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Mary Oliver
“Curating our lives from a place of vision, self-awareness, purpose, values and creative energy is the province of each one of us, and the greatest work we will ever do.”
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Brent Bartel
Life is short, so?
My Story
Hello my friend,
My name is Brent. I am a life coach…more specifically, I am a seasoned and passionate practitioner of human performance, effectiveness, transformation, change, alignment, harmony, sustainable growth, joy, and true thriving.
Thriving in the fullest sense isn't about hacking your productivity or ascribing to New Age longevity optimization practices. Thriving is about being well, or what I like to call holistic well-being.
Living life in crescendo is about weaving together your mental clarity, physical vitality, emotional resilience, and spiritual purpose into a life that feels alive, aligned, aware and authentically yours.
As a devoted practitioner and coach of the art and science of holistic well-being, I am passionate about helping my clients discover and apply principal, process, and practice that leads to a more purposeful and joyful life.
True Thriving Demands A Whole-Person Approach
Mind
(Mental)
Heart
(Emotional)
Body
(Physical)
Spirit
(Spiritual)
We live in a world where reductionist self-help trends and many coaching programs/approaches focus on narrowly defined dimensions of growth and performance (“niching down” seems to be the common mantra in the coaching lexicon). Modern personal development often promotes compartmentalized solutions. For example:
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“Optimize your morning routine for productivity!” (Ignores emotional blocks.)
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“Follow this diet to lose weight!" (Overlooks emotional stress eating triggers. )
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“Meditate for mindfulness!" (Fails if chronic inflammation impairs focus.)
But neuroscience, psychoneuroimmunology (a very big word for the interaction between psychological processes, the nervous system, and the immune system), and epigenetics confirm that we are deeply interconnected systems. Development or deterioration in one domain of life (mental, physical, emotional/social, and spiritual) can have a corresponding effect in other domains of life.
We are dynamic, interconnected beings.
What harms the body weakens the mind.
What drains the mind strains relationships.
What fractures relationships erodes purpose
and the cycle continues...
Science Confirms: Life Doesn’t Happen in Silos.
🧠 Your gut affects your brain. Poor digestion fuels anxiety and depression (Harvard Medical School, 2020).
💔 Loneliness is deadlier than obesity. Weak social ties increase mortality risk by 50% (Holt-Lunstad, PLoS Medicine, 2015).
🧘 Meditation rebuilds your brain. Just 8 weeks of mindfulness thickens the prefrontal cortex (Lazar et al., Psychiatry Research, 2005).
⚡ Chronic stress ages your cells. High cortisol shortens telomeres, accelerating aging (Epel et al., PNAS, 2004).
To paraphrase the great American essayist and philosopher, Henry David Thoreau, for every thousand hacking at the leaves, one strikes at the root.
Because real transformation isn’t about fixing symptoms—it’s about healing systems. It’s about identifying the root causes of an abundant and transformative life, and working systematically at that level, on those things.
The Holistic Alternative: Thrive in All Four Dimensions
To sustainably excel in life, you must nurture the Core Four:
1. Mental – Clarity, focus, and healthy thought patterns.
2. Physical – A resilient, energized body.
3. Emotional/Social – Mastering emotions and fulfilling relationships.
4. Spiritual – A life of meaning, purpose and alignment.
Neglect one, and the others suffer.
Strengthen one, and the rest rise.
This is The Work We’ll Do Together
I don’t offer band-aid solutions.
I help you strike at the root—so you don’t just survive, but thrive—in every dimension of life.
True change happens when we honor our four dimensional humanity. I call this working from a whole-person paradigm.
Ready to move beyond piecemeal fixes?
Start Your Holistic Transformation Today!
Services
Experience personalized coaching sessions designed to empower you on your journey to holistic self-improvement.
Thrive by Design: Foundations of Sustainable Transformation
12 Modules, 16 Coaching Sessions
Thrive by Design: Foundations of Sustainable Transformation could be referred to as a “curricular coaching model.” That is a fancy way of saying the program is presented in the form of 12 learning modules, each building sequentially upon the last. Each module engages learners through concepts, models, diagrams, tools, exercises, self-reflection, and much more. The curriculum combined with a knowledgeable, highly-skilled and committed coach creates a landscape for intentional change and powerful transformation. The great American poet, Maya Angelou said, “The human heart…tells us that we are more alike than we are unalike.” Common to most individuals is a desire for self-directed change, and to achieve a sense of lasting happiness. This pursuit can seem perplexing, elusive, and subject to the many circumstances and influences of our lives. It is easy to fall into a pattern where we live life by default, not by design. The Thrive by Design approach, combined with expert coaching, leads learners through a meaningful journey of self-discovery, and the capacity to move beyond circumstances, barriers, limiting beliefs, and scripting to create a life that is truly satisfying. This 16 session package allows for clients to move through the Foundations experience at a pace that is appropriate to their needs. Some modules might reasonably take more than one session to fully explore. Further, this package provides additional sessions that can be used for specific client needs apart from the Foundations coaching experience.
Vitality by Design: Foundations of Physical Well-Being
9 Modules, 10 Coaching Sessions
Vitality by Design: Foundations of Physical Well-Being is a transformative “curricular coaching model” delivered through nine expertly crafted, research-based modules, each building sequentially to empower clients to optimize their physical health and mental clarity. This dynamic program engages learners through a blend of science-backed concepts, practical tools, exercises, self-reflection, and actionable strategies, guided by a knowledgeable and dedicated coach. Together, these elements create a powerful framework for achieving sustainable health and holistic well-being. Common to most is a desire to feel vibrant, energized, and in control of their physical and mental health, yet modern life’s demands often lead to habits that undermine vitality. It’s easy to fall into patterns of stress, poor nutrition, or neglect of the body’s needs. Vitality by Design offers a structured journey of self-awareness and empowerment, helping clients overcome cognitive distortions, align with their core values, and build healthy habits to thrive in body and mind. This 10 session program explores critical topics such as the mind-body connection, the motivational triad, metabolic health through intermittent fasting, nutrition strategies (including macros, the food pyramid, and avoiding harmful sugars and seed oils), hormone balance, microbiome and mitochondrial health, stress reduction techniques, sleep optimization, and movement. It also incorporates powerful practices like breathwork, grounding, cold and heat exposure, hydration, mindfulness, meditation, and spiritual alignment. Designed for flexibility, the 10 sessions allow clients to progress at a pace suited to their needs, ensuring practical integration of these life-changing principles and practices. With the support of a skilled coach, clients will cultivate a deeper understanding of their physical and mental systems, mastering tools to reduce stress, enhance energy, and build lasting habits for longevity and vitality. Vitality by Design empowers you to move beyond default habits and create a life of intentional wellness, grounded in science and personalized for sustainable results.
Thrive by Design: Essentials of Sustainable Transformation
9 Modules, 12 Coaching Sessions
Thrive by Design: Essentials of Sustainable Transformation is a dynamic “curricular coaching model” delivered through nine carefully curated learning modules, each building sequentially to foster profound personal growth in the mental, emotional/social and spiritual domains. This streamlined program engages learners with a rich blend of concepts, models, diagrams, tools, exercises, and self-reflection, distilled into a concise yet powerful curriculum. Paired with a knowledgeable, highly-skilled, and dedicated coach, this course creates a focused landscape for intentional change and meaningful transformation. This 12 session package is designed for those seeking a robust yet efficient coaching experience, offering a more affordable alternative to the full Foundations program. The nine modules condense key topics—such as personal awareness, self-trust, thought management, meta cognition, emotional resilience and intelligence, mindset, self-talk, identity development, goal setting and more—into a streamlined curriculum that remains comprehensive and impactful. Each session is crafted to maximize insight and growth within a shorter timeframe, ensuring clients progress at a pace tailored to their needs while still achieving sustainable results.
FREE Coaching Discovery Call
45 Minute Coaching Discovery Experience
Life coaching, though an emerging discipline, is still relatively unknown to most people, and far fewer have actually experienced life coaching with a professional coach. This exploration experience provides an introduction to the dynamic processes of transformational coaching. Participants are invited to bring questions regarding the process and practice of life coaching, or bring personal issues to explore in this discovery coaching experience. Additionally, participants can choose from the following list of topics, most of which are addressed in the Thrive by Design: Foundations of Sustainable Transformation coaching course: * The basic coaching change model: self-directed change that lasts. * Your fascinating brain and your amazing mind. * The three primal levels of motivation and their impact in our lives. * Thought distortions: an unseen enemy. * Distinguishing the facts of our lives from the stories we tell about them. * The immense power of changing our internal narratives. * The power and influence of self-talk. * Metacognition: thinking about our thinking. * Negativity bias and cognitive dissonance: what they are and how they affect us. * Processing our thoughts and emotions through mindful release. * The FSEBEL Paradigm: explaining our relationship with reality. * Creating our legacy. * Developing greater self-awareness. * Emotions explained and explored. * Four common emotional responses: spiraling, resisting, distracting and reacting. * Emotional reboot: processing emotions in the moment. * Emotional intelligence: what is it, why do I want it, and how do I get more of it? * The Pyramid of Influence: a powerful model for cultivating human influence. * Core values: identifying and aligning. * Three levels of change: outcomes, systems and identity. The following list of topics are addressed in the Vitality by Design: Foundations of Physical Well-Being coaching course: * The Motivational Triad: seek pleasure, avoid pain, conserve energy. * The mind - body connection. * Intermittent fasting for metabolic health: the basics. * The hormone hierarchy. * Insulin Resistance: the epidemic you never heard of. * Nutrition 101: macros and calories. * Nutritional hacks for health. * Dietary protocols for metabolic health. * Sugar and refined carbs. * Harmful oils: the hateful eight. * Caring for your microbiome. * Mitochondria and metabolism. * How stress makes us fat. * Sleep: vital to well-being. * Healthy sleep habits. * Movement: your personal protocol. * Healthy habits: a manageable list.
The Roots of Identity &
Choosing Alternative Thoughts
This brief video gives you a taste of the kind of conversations we explore in my coaching program. In it, we look at how identity quietly shapes our choices, why negative self-talk can hold us back, and how shifting our thoughts can open the door to lasting change. Think of this as a quick glimpse into the kind of "aha" moments clients often experience as we work together.