In the words of the poet Rilke, we must ultimately endeavor to "live the questions." In our time together, I will help you tease out the questions in your soul, and formulate answers by way of action and exploration. I will serve as your guide through the marvelous complexity of both the inner life and outer world, and aid you in re-shaping your narratives. Along the way, we will build a shared vocabulary of what the good life is, and what it asks of us in how we show up each day. 

 

I am deeply informed by my own life experience. I’ve earned many material awards and accolades - from a perfect score on my SATs to working alongside brilliant distributed systems experts in my first real job after getting my undergraduate degree in computer science at Carnegie Mellon University. And yet, striving and straining to answer the questions in my own soul has been the most fruitful endeavor of my life. 

 

After spending a few years asking such questions and allowing myself to change with the answers I found, I can say the following: I am more easily moved by nature and art, I feel calmer in the face of uncertainty, I feel connected to my authentic and spontaneous self, and I’m able to purposefully channel my creative energy into endeavors that feel meaningful to me.
 

I am informed by two distinct worldviews, each of which vitalizes the other. The first one was cultivated in childhood, and is characterized by the scientific and the rational. The second is one I developed to answer my deepest questions in adulthood, and it pulls from literature, art, philosophy, and religion. Thus, my worldview is dynamic, and held in active tension between two poles: science and spirituality, chaos and beauty, Nature and God. I have discovered that a well-resourced life draws from both poles. Concretely, living a vital life right here in the present requires a healthy relationship with the formless world, the one that contains our visions, intuitions, and hopes.
 

My coaching is inspired by the human-centered approach developed by Carl Rogers, and I draw from parts work as well. I am currently honing my abilities as a coach through the Tee Barnett Coaching Training (TBCT) program, where I am lucky to be surrounded by a wealth and diversity of knowledge and expertise. 

 

I would love to get to know you if anything here spoke to you. Here’s a link to my calendar, let’s chat! The get-to-know-you call is free of cost. 

If you’d like to take a peek inside my mind, here’s an essay I wrote on high agency living and another one on chaos & technology. And here’s a link to my Twitter.

 

Testimonials for Pavitthra
 

" The main thing I'm noticing at the moment is much deeper clarity of thought and communication with myself. I feel like I'm much better at knowing my needs, and shaping my actions and environment to set me up to want what I want to want and do what I want.

I think a bunch of moment to moment decisions have been different for the above reason. I've sometimes taken breaks when I otherwise wouldn't, and other times set myself up for more productive and engaged work. I also think it's helped me be more present and kind in my relationships with people - I've felt myself able to engage in difficult situations where I would have been more closed off as a result of the orientation from coaching. " 

– Clem von Stengel, Researcher @ The Alignment of Complex Systems Research Group (ACS)

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" Pavitthra is an amazingly active, present listener — she took the time to deply understand the questions I was raising, and suggested framings and ways forward I wouldn't have thought of on my own. I came away from sessions feeling empowered to relate to what I'm doing with my time and career in a more deliberate, considered way. " 
 

– Finlay Moorhouse, researcher at Longview Philanthropy

 

" Pavitthra has a casual approach to coaching that makes it easier to open up. In the midst of regular conversation, she had the special talent of picking up on habits and patterns and challenging me to consider them. Truly grateful for this first venture into the world of coaching because of the things it has uncovered for me-- things that I can continue to work on independently or with coaching in the future. " 

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– Sam Okudo, Fulbright Scholar 2019

 

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