Host Julie Harris Oliver welcomes transition and emerging leaders coach Ben Basilan, who shares how layoffs in his industry and his background in counseling and UX research led him to coaching. They explore identity as a root issue in major transitions such as becoming a manager or small business owner, experiencing layoffs, divorce, aging, and retirement, focusing on what feels fixed versus changeable and how “inner saboteurs” formed in childhood can stop serving us. Ben describes growing up as a Filipino immigrant kid navigating cultural and emotional silence, moving states, and realizing he was gay, then later finding greater openness through grad school and counseling training. They discuss authenticity at work as a spectrum tied to psychological safety and how integrating Ben’s identities as coach and researcher improved his motivation and communication. They also address identity clashes with loved ones amid polarized beliefs and the role of coaching in healing.

00:00 Welcome to Deep Work

00:31 Meet Ben Basilan

01:19 Why Ben Chose Coaching

02:10 Identity as a Theme

02:53 Transitions Trigger Identity

06:01 What Can Change

07:15 Roots of Rationality

09:33 Move South and Isolation

12:48 Coming Out and Becoming Whole

14:51 Authenticity at Work

18:40 Merging Work Identities

23:26 Life Stages and Reinvention

28:43 When Identities Clash

32:53 Coaching as Healing Purpose

33:54 Where to Find Ben

34:26 Closing Invitation