Max Kohanzad

Biography

Max Kohanzad is a professional life coach, trainer and business mentor with over eight years experience. Max has provided personal effectiveness development training to a wide spectrum of audiences and has coached and trained more than 1,000 people.

He originally trained to be a rabbi and was the resident scholar at the Mayanot Institute in Jerusalem before graduating from Rabbinical College of America in 1998. He then went on to complete an MA in Jewish Studies in 2000 at the University of Manchester and has since studied for a PhD in Religion and Theology.

Max became interested in Life Coaching and completed his apprenticeship under Jane Howitt, a UK accredited Life Coach and became a practicing Life Coach in the summer of 2000.

Max provides a variety of coaching styles for a number of groups:

• Business Coaching and Mentoring with entrepreneurs, business owners, managers and directors.
• Confidence Coaching with successful professionals that want to become more relaxed and confident in situations that they find challenging.
• Crisis Coaching for people in quarter or midlife crisis.
• More recently he has been a spiritual adviser and mentor for several clients wanting to enrich their lives with more meaning and purpose.

Max writes a popular blog under the pen name ‘Urban Guru’.

He is also the current Company Secretary of a Nationwide Counselling and Training organisation called Talking Matters Association and has been a member of the Trustees since 2001.

A Few Questions...

What’s your involvement with Soulmate?

In January 2008, Christian found me on ebay, whilst doing a search for “spiritual gurus in Manchester”. I’m the main Life Coach and spiritual advisor at Soulmate. Some people call me the “Urban Guru”, and I don’t mind, some say that I can see the future, some say that I’m the Messiah, others insist that “He’s not the messiah, he’s a very naughty boy”.

What do you do for fun?

I like to ride my fold-up bike into town as fast as I can, tickle our one year old baby boy and debate theology with unsuspecting student rabbis.

Who did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was 5 years old I wanted to be a rabbi, but I also fancied being a fireman too. I’ve always fancied myself as an interior designer, but I guess at the moment the only interiors I’m helping to design are the insides of people’s minds and souls.

What’s your favourite childhood memory?

Discovering chocolate age three and attempting to eat the entire contents of a large Quality Street tin.

If you were a superhero who would you be and what super powers would you have?

It would be a combination of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Superman. Jedi powers plus the ability to fly! Or it might be Monkey from the cult TV series ‘Monkey Magic’.

If you could have a one to one with anyone who would it be and why?

It would probably be the Buddha because I’d like to find out with he was really as enlightened as people claim and if he had any good tips for living successfully in the 21st century.

Describe the happiest moment in your life

Tickling my son.

If you were an animal what would you be?

An otter, they’re cute, hardworking and move through the river of life with ease.

What are you most grateful for?

Being alive, having the opportunity to be myself fully and inspiring others to live successfully.

What’s your vision of the future?

I’m an optimist, I have high hopes for the future, I see things getting better, technology improving our lives, people becoming more aware of the need for real happiness, I see our ‘me generation’ becoming a ‘we generation’, I see us working together to improve the lives of millions.

I see a shift in our focus and emphasis, so that we begin to pursue things that are really important, like living in balance with our environment, discovering meaning, purpose, tranquillity, love, happiness, creating communities, deepening our relationships.

How are you going to make the world a better place?

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