Working with Naf was a game-changer for me. As an entrepreneur and executive, I've always struggled to turn my swirling ideas into reality. Naf stepped in as more than just a coach; he became a guiding light. His wisdom didn't just help me reduce stress and embrace kindness; it did something extraordinary—I found myself strumming my guitar for hours every evening and connecting with my daughter on a level I never thought possible. And we never even directly aimed for these changes! Naf's approach, so full of genuine care and understanding, not only propelled my career forward but also enriched my life in the most unexpected ways.
Naphtali empowered our team with a new understanding so they could thrive and have a successful reopening, even in a time of extreme uncertainty.
For over twenty years, I have known Naphtali Visser as a vendor, consultant, business partner, and friend. Naphtali’s personal journey and growth continue to fuel ideas and opportunities that he so effectively shares. His ability to clearly communicate his own experience and distill this thinking and transformative mindset has allowed me, and many others that I know, to access and achieve their untapped potential. His message is, at its core, pointing to what you already know, yet is quite contrary to much of the typical advice of the business world. Tapping one’s own, or someone else's, potential does not come from incentives or consequences, but rather from engaging with the fundamental experience that it is to be human: shared, collaborative, honest, and fair. Naphtali’s take on business, management, and being a whole person gets at the core of what it means to be a “human working.”
I met with Naf in April 2019 for a 2 day intensive session. My web development business was going great on paper, but my life was my work- I was barely sleeping and I was constantly run down. Our sessions opened a lot of mental doors that helped me find more life balance, acceptance, and perspective. In the following years I transformed my business into something sustainable and far more successful. I was working less and had the mental space and energy to make bigger decisions (which helped lead me through a merger in 2021 and a sale in 2023). Naf does not tell you what to do; his gift is in helping you find transformative solutions from within yourself. Still to this day, I work less, wake up and go to sleep less burdened, have stronger relationships, dedicate more time to my hobbies, and in general I’m happier and more motivated than ever!
If you are genuinely interested in exploring what and who you are, Naphtali will help you go all the way. His coaching has provided me the insight to implement a new attitude to life and bring some clarity to what I want it to look like. And best of all, the kindness and compassion that has awoken in me continues to manifest in profound ways that have opened up opportunities I never would have believed possible.
Working with Naf has been such a breath of fresh air —he's helped me focus on what really matters in my business as an artist/entrepreneur and focus on the most important aspects of being a creative. I have a specific project I'm bringing to life, and Naf is the first coach of many I've worked with who really got to the core of the idea and helped me brainstorm ways on how to connect with investors. I have an overall sense of peace, wholeness and tranquility, to have someone in my corner who truly believes in me, is tough on me, and is rooting for me to succeed because how could I not with this much energy behind me?!
Naf is a gem coach! A truly dedicated, intelligent and empathetic being. Someone who goes far and beyond to support his clients and gently nudges them to see their best versions. Over the past several months, Naf has helped me navigate through social and psychological wilderness — from being riddled with anxiety and self-doubt to a place of fulfillment and hope — as I not only moved geographically to another continent but out of the shadows of isolation to an Ivy-League University.
During my first few interactions with Naf, he quickly became someone I admired for his way of thinking and general personality. After getting to know him and with my interest being peaked, I began talking with him on a weekly basis to discover his overall methodology to life and hopefully try and apply it to myself. With the first few weeks under my belt, I believed that our ways of thought had too much of a core difference; even though they usually had similarities in the end. After a while of discourse, life happened to present obstacles that I couldn’t navigate with my usual perception. From there, it just clicked. I began to perceive both impactful and mundane scenarios of life a bit differently than before. I would say the overall difference has been noticed as a good one! This way of thinking quickly transitioned to be apart of how I generally perceive everyday life and I wouldn’t change it for a second.
Working with Naf as a coach has been a transformative experience for me as both an entrepreneur, doctor, father, and husband. He has (maybe unknowingly) touched all aspects of my life. His approach is unique. Many coaches tell you what to do, or what to think. Naf teaches you how to think for yourself. It sounds so simple, but that's because as adults we overcomplicate everything. He always says to me, "You have all the answers, I'd just like to help you find them." He has not only helped me in translating abstract ideas into tangible successes but also immensely contributed to a better sense of mental well-being. Through his coaching, I've discovered many universal truths that translated into stress reduction, communicating with kindness, and empowering others, which has been revolutionary for both my relationships with others, my professional journey, and personal growth.
The reason why Naphtali is Naphtali and what makes him so special is that he is a truth seeker, that is, his ability to think in ways that make him sincere in everything throughout his life. I can tell you that Naphtali is the real deal, in the sense that everything that he talks about is from the bottom-up, that is actually how he lives his life, and that to me is so important.I have only met a handful of people in my life that live a life that they preach, and Naphtali is one of them. That's why I am so grateful to have had the chance to work with him over the past 18 months.When he talks to you, he doesn't try to tell you, "Hey this is the path, this is the way things are done." Naphtali asks you, "What do you think about this perspective? What would it look like if it was like this?" Nothing is forced. It's all coming from a place of, "If you get it, great, and if you don't get it, you'll be okay anyway." And that's something that I so appreciated about our work together, which allowed me to truly explore possibilities without being forced to see them in any particular way. Because of the fact that the exploration was sincere and genuine, the understandings were also genuine, which to me is the utmost representation of a coach. And Naphtali is one of the utmost representations of what a coach can be. He literally hits all of the checkmarks. He lives in the same way that he talks. He doesn't force anything upon you, it's all perspective. And because of that, the understandings that you get are also not forced, they are not things that you struggle to get to. And that is the only way that I see radical change happen in people.
Naphtali was able to guide me to some distinctions in my approach to work and life that had a profound effect on me [and] translated to more clarity in my decision-making process for work.
Working with Naphtali has been instrumental in my growth as a senior leader within an organization AND as a moonlighting entrepreneur. He has the ability to continually help me step back and gain a wider perspective of any given situation in order to see the humanity in any dynamic. I have become a more empathetic and understanding person/employee/individual contributor/manager since working with Naf and I’m grateful that we found each other!
Naf is one of a kind. His coaching style is to teach someone to fish, not giving them a fish - though sometimes, as he’s a compassionate person, he does that too. When I was out of a job he helped me shift my thinking so I could reduce my stress, hence develop resilience and from that place of reduced desperation, I was able to land a really good, well paying job which I’m enjoying and growing in.His paradigm shifting approach is ideal for entrepreneurs [and] companies to take their business to the next level. He will show you in a very practical way how and why compassion and “humanness” is good not just for your soul but also for your financial bottom line.
Naf has a deceptively simple approach to coaching. Naf is committed to the essence of human nature. He prescribes no tools or tips or checklists to follow. If you have worked with other coaches or tried self-help books, your first reaction might be somewhat perplexed. What you realize is clear as you work with Naf is that he leads you to achieve clarity of yourself and your situation. We all make assumptions that we believe are obvious and true. But, without realizing it, we can let those assumptions impose false barriers to achieving what we want to achieve. Naf has a deep understanding of business – and the tech industry specifically – which adds to the calm confidence you develop as you work with him. Naf suggests plenty of useful practical specifics that evolve out of your discussions as he guides you to clarity and shedding your blocks. I have greater perspective and understanding than I’ve ever had and I am very grateful to Naf Visser to helping me achieve that.
