David’s own path into this work was shaped by disruption rather than design.

He grew up in a conservative Chinese Christian household in Canada, where the structure of a good life was clear and orderly. He followed it closely—marrying young, excelling academically, and securing a coveted academic post. When his marriage ended, that structure collapsed. What followed was not insight, but searching.

He turned first to strategies—particularly in the world of dating and attraction—eventually becoming a well-known coach in that field. From the outside, it looked like mastery. Internally, it was fragile. When a long-term relationship ended through betrayal, the dissonance became unavoidable. Years of striving for validation and control gave way to despair, including periods of serious suicidal ideation.

The turning point did not come through achievement or technique. It came through relationship. While helping raise his goddaughter from infancy, David experienced love flowing from him that was not contingent on anyone’s performance or outcome. That experience reframed how he understood motivation, connection, and what people are ultimately seeking beneath success.

He returned to his research with an evolved orientation, completing advanced training in multiple psychotherapeutic approaches, including IFS Therapy, ACT, DBT, Schema Therapy, CBT, Robbins-Madanes Coaching, and existential methods. These were integrated with his philosophical expertise and decades of close work with clients under real pressure.

Today, David works privately with a handful of clients and leads select small-group programs. His work is quiet, deliberate, and oriented toward helping people see themselves and their situations more clearly—especially when old narratives no longer hold.

Outside his professional life, David is a devoted husband and loving father. Parenthood, in particular, has deepened his interest in questions of continuity, responsibility, and the legacy people leave behind. Much of his work now centers on helping leaders build lives where achievement does not crowd out care, and where success does not come at the cost of fufillment.