True Next Step with Dr. Sasha Raskin & Partners
MY STORY
I was born in Russia to Jewish parents, a doctor and an engineer. In the early 90’s it became possible for Jews to leave Russia, and millions did, because life was especially hard for Jews in the Soviet Union. We moved to Israel when I was 7 years old, and it was a huge culture shock. My parents struggled to support us, because they simply couldn’t get work in their professions because of the language barrier. We were very poor. I was sad, overwhelmed, lonely and lost.
When I discovered music at the age of 13, it changed everything. I began studying, playing and composing. I found the best teachers I could, and threw myself into studio recording. Back then, I didn’t make money on it, but I released a lot of original work, and gained a feeling of satisfaction from it. Later on, I found myself composing music for theater plays all around the world.
Fast forward to young adulthood. For many years I was depressed and lacked direction, and my ADHD definitely didn't help. Deep inside, I knew I wanted to study psychology, but instead, I tried to do what I thought was right and go to school for business so I could make lots of money! I was miserable as a business major. I desperately tried marketing, journalism, literature and musicology - everything except what I really wanted - for six years until I finally found the strength to listen to my intuition.
I loved psychology. I also began meditation and therapy, and realized that I wanted to apply psychology to help others and have a career as a therapist. I also began studying coaching in-depth, because I was interested in an accelerated, results-oriented process. I found a counseling master’s program in Boulder, Colorado at the Naropa University that combined mindfulness, meditation, and Western psychotherapy. It was at that point that I worked with a coach for the first time. We confronted my doubts, and created a vision and I was able to approach a trans-continental move by myself with clarity and determination.
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After my move to a different continent, in Boulder, CO, I succeeded beyond my wildest dreams. Because of my preparation with my coach, this time the move to a new country was easy.
I felt energized and empowered, sure that this was exactly what I wanted and needed to do. I made a lucrative profession with my music and recording skills while roaring through my degree at Naropa, where I am now teaching the next generation of counselors as an adjunct faculty.
I opened and continue to run a successful therapy and coaching practice in Boulder; I provide couples therapy, couples retreats, family therapy and individual therapy, and as a coach, I offer executive coaching and life coaching. I'm running an accelerator program for coaches and therapists. I continue to make and produce music. It was my honor to start a record label, Natural High Records, for teens in the Boulder area as a part of a substance abuse prevention program. My music is featured in theatre plays all around the world. At this point, no part of my experience or education, lost as I sometimes felt, has been useless. It has all woven beautifully into this multi-career life.
Do you need clarity on the decisions that need to be made? Do you need support on how to set goals and how to move yourself forward? Do you need an environment where your difficulties will be honored BUT not accepted as excuses? Do you need an environment that will support your desire to take action and utilize your strengths?
​If you're not sure what your next step should be, let me tell you that I've been in your shoes. For years I chased what was not essential and focused on things that I didn’t really care about that much. I started many companies: food catering, marketing agency, web design company, sound equipment company. While I achieved success, I was focusing on all the wrong things.
My calling is to touch lives and help others fulfill their dreams. By letting go of the unnecessary, I decided to study and practice what I was most interested in: why is it that people many times do what they don’t want to be doing (by postponing indefinitely) the dreams that they truly want to be doing.
After six years of changing my majors in undergrad school, I finally decided to study what I really wanted to study, the human mind and its ability to thrive in life, career, business, relationships and even ADHD:
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I learned to be a better counselor, educator and supervisor at a Ph.D. program in Counseling Education and Supervision.
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I learned how to help people to turn their lives around in a Counseling Master's program at Naropa University.
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I studied how people think and make decisions in my BA in Psychology.
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I learned how to help families and couples create the lives that they wanted as a certified Marriage and Family Therapist.
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I learned how to efficiently help clients create change in my coaching training in Adler Coaching Institute and taking it to the next level in mastering Coaching with Tony Robbins and Chloe Madanes.
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I learned how to support business owners and help my clients to show up powerfully and authentically in their personal relationships and romantic relationships by studying Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, Gottman Couples Therapy, and PACT Couples Therapy.
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To help business owners flourish I studied business and marketing with Hebrew University Business School, Frank Kern, Dan Kennedy, Tony Robbins, Rich Litvin, Dean Graziosi, and more.
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To help my clients live mindfully and create a balanced lifestyle I studied and practiced mindfulness and meditation at Naropa University, and with world-renowned teachers such as Thich Nhat Hanh, Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, Jenny Bondurant, and more.
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To help adults to cope with the challenges of ADHD and thrive by using its gifts, while mastering time management, productivity, and hyperfocus, I trained with the leading expert in the field of ADHD, Greg Crosby.
After making an impact in the field by training the next generation of therapists as a Counseling Teacher at Naropa University for a number of years, I've decided to focus mainly on the True Next Step coaching center. I coached hundreds of individuals, couples, families, and organizations, to create the changes that they struggled to create on their own. I've became a number 1 bestselling co-author in 12 countries. And I do this while English is my third language and I have severe ADHD. So truly, if I can do it, so can you. And better yet, we can do it together!
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As time went by, since I am only one person, and the needs of my potential clients exceeded the time that I have available, I've added additional wonderful coaches and True Next Step became a coaching center, with a variety of coaches, each with their own strengths and specializations. This also allows us to find the best coach for you!
