About us – Guiding adventurous souls!
Statement of Purpose:
“We come together as playful, vulnerable, passionate souls, co-creating magic and inspiring transformative loving and extraordinary living.” This has been the “mission statement” of our marriage for the past 5 years. We believe that part of the gift and giveaway of our relationship is to bring the lessons we have learned in soulful living and loving to others.
Why Soul Actualization?
The concept of Soul Actualization is a play on Abraham Maslow’s (American psychologist) hierarchy of needs, which he developed after studying what he called “exemplary” people. In short, his theory states that we move through a series of motivations in life, one proceeding the other, until we strive for “Self Actualization.” Ultimately, we want to be our best – to realize our innate human potential. Over the years of working with many individuals, youths and corporate groups, we have come to the belief that our SOULS are here for a reason, a Divine mission, and that mission is for our souls to overcome our personal obstacles and wounding in order to evolve. Many of us (we actually think ALL of us) crave deeper meaning, wisdom and growth. Thus we coined the term Soul Actualization to represent the inevitable quest of the Soul towards our full potential.
Our Philosophy & Beliefs:
  • We embrace the original meaning of the study of Psychology. Psyche means soul – therefore psychology is the study of the soul. As we work with our own and others’ psyches, our belief is that it is not merely “mind” or mental work, but that psychological (soul) healing and growth must include Spirit and the evolution of the soul. In this, we are not licensed therapists and we do not work with people with diagnosed “mental illnesses.” We work with individuals, couples and groups who are seeking growth as part of their soul’s unfolding.
  • We all have the ability and the birthright to heal ourselves to live the lives we came here to live.
  • Our wounding happened in relationship – our healing also happens in relationship.
  • Soul work is deep, transformative work that requires us to dig down, have courage, and peer into the avoided corners of our psyches.
  • Our souls long for the opportunity to live lives of purpose – we have to slow down to listen to that deeper calling.
  • Commitment to a romantic partnership offers a unique container to dive into our deepest work of relationship where our “attachment styles,” projections and longings have an opportunity to be worked through.
  • Often it takes a community to hold space for healing. This is why we love the Shadow Work container.
  • Integration is the goal. We believe the more parts of ourselves that we can reclaim, the more we will have access to our power, our love and our wholeness.
  • Nature provides a powerful mirror of who we are. Ultimately, Nature, as a reflection of the Divine, is the teacher.
  • The work we do is grounded. We are not aiming to “transcend” our humanity, but rather to embrace our humanity, remember our connection to Spirit, and accept ourselves and each other for ALL of who we are.
  • The journey to greater healing, joy and aliveness is just that, a journey, not a destination.

Jeannie Daly- Gunter, MA, PCC, Co-Founder

I remember being fascinated by the idea of love as a child. I decorated my room with hearts, had crushes on boys (a lot), and was starstruck by the possibility of being in love. Love has been one of my “quests” and I slowly learned the reality and complexities of love, different from my idealized version, by practicing serial monogamy over and over again for 24 years. At age 39 I met Mark and got married for the first time a year and a half later. Mark and I agreed that we wanted our marriage to be a path of personal and spiritual growth, and we have committed to doing just that. It hasn’t always been easy, but it has been full of life and energy, growth and adventure. We have also committed to having our marriage be a “blessing to the world.” I am grateful that my marriage with Mark provides an opportunity to do this powerful work of supporting couples to walk their own relationships as a healing path.

I have been fortunate to have been a facilitator of personal and professional growth programs and a ceremonialist for twenty-five years. I have learned many different modalities for working with individuals, couples and groups. I am a Voice Dialogue Coach, Certified Shadow Work ® Facilitator and coach, Professional Certified Coach and Couples Coach. I have also worked nationally and internationally as a wilderness guide, facilitator, organizational consultant, and trainer. I have been a rites of passage guide since 1999 and am a vision quest guide trained through the School of Lost Borders. I am a certified Council Trainer and facilitator through The Ojai Foundation. (see ojaifoundation.org) I have facilitated and trained Council over the last fifteen years with youth, teachers, corporations, in community, with couples and women’s groups. I am also the President and Founding Director of Transformative Training, a company that has for the last 11 years provided executive coaching and training in leadership, communication skills, conflict management, and team development. (transformativetraining.com) In addition, I have taught Non-violent Communication, DiSC personality styles, and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator for the last 18 years. I am also a Gottman Seven Principles Leader through the Gottman Institute for relationships and a registered psychotherapist in Colorado. I love to synthesize models, systems and ways of knowing and Mark and I have combined all of this experience to create the powerful curriculum of Transformative Loving.

I also love to travel, hike, salsa dance and have adventures with my beloved, Mark.

Mark Daly-Gunter, JD, PCC, Co-Founder

My commitment to facilitating couples to create extraordinary partnerships began in 1999. I was a member of a men’s Council group and receiving amazing support for my personal growth and struggles in my marriage. I soon realized “Hey, I want to do this with my wife and other couples!” That led to co-founding a couple’s circle that created a safe and supportive container for couples to grow and deepen their relationship in community.  A few years later, my marriage ended after 11 years and I found myself picking up the pieces of my life as a single dad, co-parenting two spirited girls.  When I met Jeannie in 2008, we discovered we shared the same values around personal growth and couple’s work and began the vision to create a marriage committed to Transformative Loving. My experience with the highs and lows of marriage, divorce, co-parenting and blended families gives me the compassion and perspective to work with the big challenges confronting many couples.

Professionally, I was an immigration lawyer and mediator for 15 years where I was able to counsel and help many families come together. For the past 7 years I have taken my skills in advocacy and mediation and transitioned from the law to a career as the Director of Training for Transformative Training Solutions where I work with organizations in team and leadership development, communication skills and conflict resolution. During this time, I have studied and incorporated valuable tools, including Voice Dialogue, Non-Violent Communication, and Self-Actualized Personal and Professional Coaching. I am also a certified Shadow Work® facilitator, and a Gottman Seven Principles Leader. These tools, plus my experience working with Imago Relationship Therapy, the Gottman Institute for relationships, and the Mankind Project brings me to this unique place where I can listen and provide support and education to couples who intend to face their personal and joint challenges, deepen their love and create extraordinary partnerships.