Dave Wheitner, founder of Idealist Coach, blends his experience from several settings spanning life coaching, counseling psychology, management, public policy research, and environmental public health. Through his phone-based strategic life consulting practice, he guides people with overachieving tendencies and “misfit” qualities to create more fulfilling and meaningful lives. He is also very passionate about environmental and social justice issues, and enjoys working with others who have interests in those areas.
He has conducted behavioral leadership assessments for managers, created and taught a graduate self-development course for community leadership students, counseled adults recovering from addictions, conducted environmental public health and poverty research, and managed a multi-agency data project on urban family health and wellness. Raised in a near-poverty environment, he later experienced vastly different settings. After studying psychology at Yale, he earned an M.S. in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University and an M.A. in Counseling from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He also enjoys composing music, cycling, co-hosting vegan waffle parties, and jogging through the woods.
