Forgecraft Coaching

Life, leadership, and skill development coaching for young people looking to forge their own path
The road to success as an adult is paved with the things that made you weird as a kid.
- David Perell

In a world full of unique opportunities, knowing yourself & and applying your particular perspective, skills, and experiences to solve challenges & make the world a better place is the key to living a fulfilling life. But society seems dead set on raising exceptionally mediocre people - choosing to focus their efforts on trying to be just a little bit better at the same things everyone else is good at. I'm here to help young people figure out how to stand out & be truly outstanding; to push the right buttons & ask the right questions to get them to better understand who they are, figure out where they find meaning, provide support as they develop their skills, make connections to help them find & build community, and watch as they go off & make their mark on the world.

Let's do this!

Say "hi" at brad@forgecraftcoaching.com or book an introduction meeting.

I believe, of course, in giving to all the people a good education. But the education must contain much besides book-learning in order to be really good. We must ever remember that no keenness and subtleness of intellect, no polish, no cleverness, in any way make up for the lack of the great solid qualities. Self-restraint, self-mastery, common sense, the power of accepting individual responsibility and yet acting in conjunction with others.
- Theodore Rosevelt

What I Do

I don't really do packages or fancy branded "I'll make your kid better at X in 6 weeks" sorts of programs. Every young person & every family is unique and brings their own distinct set of circumstances, experiences, skills, baggage, and quirks to work with. Just shoot me an email or schedule a call and tell me what's going on with your kiddo & I'll see if I can help. But, I will throw these areas out there as conversation starters if you're not sure just exactly what you should be asking for.

Meaning Making

So often people ask kids "what do you want to do when you grow up" and "where do you want to go to college" as if those are the ultimate goals that they're working towards. And then we wonder why they change their major 37 times or end up hating their career path by the time they're 25 - or miss their calling completely because they feel pressured to pursue something else! I can help your kid flip the script and start with exploring what's really important to them & what kind of change they want to make in the world to inform those other big decisions.

Habit Building & Breaking

Everything we do & think is rooted in habit. Your habits can be healthy, beneficial, and productive - or they can be limiting & destructive. Too, habits that used to be positive can become negative as you grow up or your situation changes, but that may not be incredibly obvious without some outside perspective. Kids can even get themselves stuck so deeply in bad habits & unhelpful thought patterns that they can't see a way to get out. I can work with your kid to identify their habits & patterns in how they spend their time, help keep them accountable, and introduce tools & techniques to help them independently work toward doing better.

Leadership Development

A lot of young people don't know how to set & pursue goals independently or navigate the smallest of setbacks without backup, let alone how to effectively work with a group of others to get something done. This is largely because they have little to no guidance on how to do any of that & few opportunites to practice those critical skills. I can help fill in those gaps & provide some tools so that they can take full advantage of those leadership opportunities when they arise.

Building a Better Nerd

So you've got a kid who is in to video games and/or computers. Like really, really in to them. Perhaps to the point where - especially if you're not especially technically inclined yourself - you're maybe a little... concerned. You can choose to fight this obsession, or you can embrace it. The former is a losing battle, but the latter I can help you with. Let's work together, build up your kid's artisinal disciplines, and direct that passion to something that's going to change the world.

My office is located in West Lafayette, IN and I generally prefer to meet with clients there, although I can be convinced to do house calls or meet at your favorite coffee shop or other community spot. I also have connections all over the western part of Indiana, so if you live in or around the Lafayette-Indianapolis-Vincennes triangle, we might be able to work something out. Video or phone call sessions are fine for introductions or occasionally for long-term clients, but I greatly prefer connecting in person.

My rates are all individualized & based on your income level & family size — I never want money to be an obstacle to getting kids the help and support they need (and I'm open to bartering for other goods & services). We'll discuss your situation & where you fall on this chart based on the Federal Poverty Guidelines and we'll go from there.

No one else can build you the bridge on which you, and only you, must cross the river of life. There may be countless bridges left by others and demigods who would gladly carry you across; but only at the price of pawning and foregoing yourself. There is but one path in the world that none can walk but you. Where does it lead? Don't ask, walk!
- Friedrich Nietzsche

Ready to start working together?

Say "hi" at brad@forgecraftcoaching.com or book an introduction meeting.