Charles West of Brooklyn on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Charles West and have shared our conversation below.

Good morning Charles, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned about your customers?
I am blessed to have worked with clients all around the world from here in New York City to Los Angeles, London to New Delhi and Tazmania and through all of the coaching and RTT hypnotherapy sessions I have guided my clients through, I would say the most surprising thing I’ve learned is that, underneath all of their issues, paradigms, stresses and anxiety that brings them to work with me, that they/we are all so much more similar than we are different. Of course, the stress that an Emergency Room doctor deals with is going to look very different than the high schooler who tends to stress by pulling out her hair. It is their inability to healthfully tend to their inner selves when their outer circumstances are overwhelming that can trigger their innate need for safety and security. Then, their ability to care for their ER patient or to complete their algebra homework can be compromised. But, once they’ve learn how to tend to their mindset by using my coaching tools and hypnotherapy techniques, every client is able to come back to a grounded homebase within themselves.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am the founder and CEO of Divine Spark Coaching LLC. As a certified Life Mastery Consultant with the Brave Thinking Institute, a Rapid Transformational Hypnotherapist with the Marisa Peer School and an Ayurveda and Primordial Sound Meditation teacher with Chopra Global, I wear the brand of a groundbreaking HypnoCoach with pride and audacity. I support my clients in the areas of releasing anxiety, depression and stress, transcending trauma and PTSD, alcoholism and addiction, building fulfilling relationships, cultivating a strong sense of self-love and confidence and building Spiritual Muscles. I use these same skills to support corporate entities in developing greater wellness and robustness.

For over 20 years, I have studied and implement transformational spiritual principles that have changed, not only my life, but the lives of countless people around the world. I have helped my clients from all walks of life build their dreams, accelerate their results and create richer, more meaningful lives. My diverse international client list includes, not only, business experts, medical executives, religious leaders, but a wide range of artists, including Broadway performers, recording artists, an Emmy-nominated television producer and even a Shark Tank judge.

I have studied with, and have been personally mentored by Marianne Williamson, Dr. Joe Dispenza, Mary Morrissey, Marisa Peer, Deepak Chopra and Iyanla Vanzant. My 9/11 story was featured in Short Sweet & Sacred, volume 2, which attained bestseller status on Amazon.com. A few years ago, I launched the Divine Spark ATM, an iPhone app which is a wonderful tool for tuning into greater alignment with your desires and making deposits into your Spiritual Bank Account. As a motivational speaker, I have shared inspirational stories on stages from London to Los Angeles and I have appeared on many wonderful podcasts and I’m so grateful to know that my messages have touched the hearts of people around the
world.

As a classically trained singer, I made my Broadway debut in 199. Having performed in Miss Saigon, West Side Story, Hercules, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Fantasticks, South Pacific, My Fair Lady and Cyrano-the Musical and Phantom, I always feel right at home on stage. Oh, and by the way, my pronouns are Gentleman, Daddy, Sir.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
I would love to share an actual personal story with you to be a kind of testimony of my resilience: On the last week of February 1998, a massive crowd gathered in the heart of Times Square.

“FIVE!” screamed the throng. Times Square was blocked off to all traffic, because MTV Studios was on hand to film the unveiling of a huge new billboard. “FOUR!” roared everyone with excitement. A group of seven Broadway performers huddled together with lights, microphones and cameras pointed directly at them.

“THREE!” burst forth from the mass of people with growing intensity. If anyone had told my chubby, 13-year-old self that, one day, I would be featured on a Jockey Underwear billboard in Times Square representing the Broadway show I was performing in, I never would have believed them.

“TWO!” The horde was barely able to contain themselves as the energy, excitement and anticipation mounted and all eyes aimed upwards.

“ONE!” And, with utter amazement, voilá, there we were wearing costumes from our respective shows from the waist up and sporting different types of Jockey Underwear from the waist down. Cameras flashed as an enormous canvas fell to the ground. The energy vacuum created by the collective gasp from all the people crammed into Times Square, caused the atmosphere to shimmer and tremble.

“Wow!”, “Ooh!” and “Oh, my God!” echoed through the air. I did my best to take it all in and share in the exuberance with my colleagues. The cheers, the flashbulbs and the sight of this astounding artwork that I
was a part of, completely blew me away. As you can imagine, this was an incredibly exhilarating moment. I had absolutely no frame of reference for something like this? How could I? This wasn’t something that I trained for or took classes on. This wasn’t something I aspired to, being a kid from the Midwest. My primary concerns were memorizing the piano exercises that my teacher assigned me and to, somehow,
avoid get bullied and chased home from school again.

So, there I was, the furthest to the right, wearing a gorgeous blue silk waistcoat, a flouncy white cravat, brown suede gloves, mustard-colored britches, a powdered wig and holding a dandy fencing saber. At first glance, you might think I just returned to my English country estate after a vigorous duel… all except for the fact that my britches were down at my ankles and I was proudly sporting gray Jockey boxer briefs.
It just so happened that, during this time, MTV had their studios in the heart of Times Square and whenever Total Request Live was filming, the billboard was always in the background of their shot.
The billboard was, also, right across the street from the Minskoff Theater, which was home to The Scarlet Pimpernel, so I would see the billboard all the time, many times each day.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I was flattered to be asked to participate in this wonderful opportunity. Flattered…blown away, in fact…but, to tell you the truth, ultimately, I felt perplexed. See, it was hard for me to understand why I was asked to be the one to represent the show on the billboard, and not one of the more well-known actors. I didn’t play a leading role in the show. This billboard version of me was just 1 of 6 different roles that I played in the show. It was almost as if, I didn’t feel that I was worthy of this…but…no, it couldn’t have been that.

On several occasions, I went outside my theater onto the sidewalk and just stood there staring at the image of me on the billboard. I began to feel a strange gap…a void between the bold, confident
and fanciful way that I appeared up there and the way I felt about myself standing down below. I didn’t know what it was I was waiting for, but it was, as if, I needed this billboard version of me to reveal something to me, because there was something incomplete…something…empty about how I felt. I attempted to take him in more deeply and completely and started to notice a sensation of worry in my mind. As I took in his confidence, self- assuredness, his regal posture and dignified air, a feeling of confusion washed over me! “What in the world is going on?” I wondered. Each time I went outside I thought, maybe I’d have a feeling of pride and gratitude for this experience. I was confronted, instead, by a strange and suspicious feeling that one of us was an imposter! Also, there was a growing feeling deep inside of me that, in some way, I had done something wrong and this feeling turned into a suit of armour that kept me on guard and at a distance from the world.

I mean, here I was in my third Broadway production. I was doing precisely what I moved to NYC to do. I could dress up in a tuxedo or a costume and get on a stage and be great at using my talents and gifts, But, why was it that the moment the show ended and I walked out the stage door, I had to clue who I really was. Back then in ’98, life coaching hadn’t become such a popular modality for personal transformation, but it became apparent to me that I needed this billboard version of me to counsel me…to coach me…because, out of the two of us, he was the one that looked like he had all the answers…not me!

“Look at us up here, Charles” he said in his upscale British accent. “Isn’t this incredible? It’s the most incredible thing to ever happen to us! How many people will ever have the audacity and panache of strutting their stuff in Times Square like this? We must be feeling wonderfully naughty about ourselves, eh? Sink me, we’re on such a splendid roll, what could possibly stop us now”! I could hear his words echoing inside of me, but I could not make sense of what was going on within my heart that forced me into this emotional straight jacket. Things were definitely going my way and you’d think that I’d be feeling confidant after repeatedly being the right guy at the right time and place.
“Psst, Charles” my billboard-self called from above. “You are allowed to celebrate and feel joyful about being up here on this Jockey billboard. Boy, what is wrong with you?”
“I don’t know! I can’t say what it is. It’s almost like…if I allow myself to feel too good about this, I’ll either be punished for it or it will be taken away from me” I replied.
“What?! Why, that is simply the most preposterous piece of poppycock that I have ever heard, Charles! What in heaven’s name could possibly be filling your head with such ridiculous balderdash”?
I searched through the Rolodex of thoughts, feelings and emotions inside of me for an answer.
“I don’t know what it is, but…I just don’t know!”.
Not being able to identify what it was that had such a paralyzing grip on me was making it hard for me to breathe.
“What? What is it you don’t know Charles?”
“Maybe I just…No, No, I can’t say what it is!”
“Charles, what? Maybe you just what? What is it you can’t say, Charles? You can tell me. I won’t judge you, I promise. Come on, please! Charles, tell me what you don’t know!”
“I don’t…I don’t know how…I DON’T KNOW HOW TO LOVE MYSELF!!” I screamed aloud.
Now I really felt like I had more than a screw loose.

Ok, friends, I know that this is quite a story, but it’s all true. I had trained, studied and worked diligently for a long time and it confounded me why I didn’t feel worthy. I was living a life that looked like success in every way, but I was suffocating in this Emotional Straight Jacket trapped inside a suite of armour. It felt like I was apart from the world, rather than being a part of the world and I am beyond grateful that, over the past 20 years, I have received such grace, compassion and healing from the Universe that my perception of my place in the world is grounded in gratitude.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
Oh, this is such a powerful question that calls for deep reflection. I have a clear memory when I was 6-years-old of when pain was installed deeply into my mind. I cautiously approached my Sunday school teacher after a church service with a puzzling question. The preacher had just delivered a powerful and terrifying sermon on the 7 deadly plagues of Revelation where “all the rivers and oceans of the Earth will be turned to blood, men will become scorched from the sun’s heat and inflicted with loathsome smelly sores… ”
I felt confused and frightened and asked her, “Ma’am, why would God create something so scary like the plagues?”
“Now, Charlie, you’re a good little Christian soldier boy, right?”
“I’m really trying to be, ma’am.”
She folded her arms and in a stern voice said, “Well, then you don’t ever ask questions.”
And just like that, I was admonished for having feelings and completely silenced for trying to give voice to them.
This was the beginning of hiding my pain, stuffing my feelings and isolating from others. It took me such a long time to understand that any confusion, questions or needs I was feeling were not the problem, but the longer I held everything inside, the more difficult it was for me to feel any sense of balance or self-worth.
I finally stopped hiding my pain 21 years when I got sober and learned how to give voice to, literally, everything that I had been stifling my entire life. I developed a true inner sense of authenticity when I began listening to my pain instead of suppressing it. Shame was able to be transcended and my inner clarity has definitely become one my Superpowers. Now, because of the depth of my own healing, I am able to hold a very deep space of transformation for my clients and others, which is a total blessing.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
100%, yes. I spent the first 3 decades of my life so uncomfortable within myself that I had no idea who the real Charles was…ever! Now that I know who I am and what it feels like to be home within myself, I would never be dishonest by portraying or displaying an inauthentic version. Listen, I almost didn’t live to become the man that I am now and this journey of life that we are all on is sacred. It’s so important that we all learn to realize and live our lives in ways that demonstrate to ourselves and God/the Universe that we comprehend our importance and sacredness.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
What would remain are my deeply loving and compassionate heart, my voice to sing and to speak with and my resilient soul.
When I attended my first Dr. Joe Dispenza event about 8 years ago, the ballroom of the hotel in Atlanta was filled with a few hundred people meditating together and learning from him how to tune in more deeply to the Energy Centers in our bodies. I had been sober for 13 years at that time and noticed that, as a result of my sobriety and my diligence in not numbing myself, that I had become more sensitive…more aware. During a particular meditation one day I heard a voice. It was not Dr. Joe’s voice, so I very softly and slowly open my eyes to see who’s voice I heard speaking to me. I took a couple of deep breaths and understood that the voice I just heard speaking to me was, actually, my own. After a couple more deep breaths I heard my voice speaking to me again. Here is what it said;
“I humbly own my magnificence as a lightning rod of Divine energy overflowing with unlimited opportunities for abundance, love and joy.”
After a few more deep breaths and staying in my meditative state, I realized that I had just received a “Download from the Divine.” I believe it was David Bowie who is credited with the quote “Religion is for people who are afraid of going to hell, spirituality is for people who have been there”. Well, I have been to hell and back and, therefore, I am committed to living each and every day with an attitude of gratitude, an energy enthusiasm and my mission is to serve and support from the bottom of my heart.
One last thing; On my website, www.CharlesWest.co, there are a few self-hypnosis/meditative recordings that I made that are really helpful to release stress and anxiety. They’re free, so please use them often and a lot. Lastly, if you are feeling called to work with me, fill out the Consultation Request form on the home page of my site and I’ll get right back to you to set up a consultation with you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://CharlesWest.co
• Instagram: CharlesWestDivineSparkCoaching
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• Youtube: @CharlesWest9945