Brent Purple Oliver
meditation & mindfulness coach
ABOUT ME
I came to mindfulness and meditation by way of Buddhism, and they saved my life. I hate making such a dramatic, sweeping statement but it’s true. I would be absolutely dead without those things.
By age 22 I was a fabulous disaster. I’d dropped out of college because I had no idea what I wanted to do. No career seemed even slightly interesting, and I refused to settle for something I could just tolerate for the next 50 years. So instead, I waited tables and partied like a rock star. That lifesyle, combined with my crippling lack of dreams and passion, eventually had me barreling gleefully toward self-destruction.
Everything seemed meaningless. I alternated between crushing depression and seething rage, which pushed me right to the verge of giving up for good. In the midst of this final, apocalyptic decline, I stumbled across Buddhism and it clicked in a simple, essential way that nothing else ever had. It was like it connected to something that was already in me and completed a circuit.
Over many years, I studied Buddhism and mindfulness and meditated a lot. I explored dozens of traditions, approaches, organizations, and methodologies. I suffered less and enjoyed life more. As a dedicated skeptic and cynic, I was amazed at the results.
In fact, after the uncomfortable realization that this shit had certainly saved my bacon and was now my central focus, I wanted to share it with others. My misery had been legendary, my nihilism extreme, and my apathy truly back breaking. If I could turn all that around, I was willing to bet plenty of people could do the same, with a little support and guidance.
I’d long ago given up on finding a career that inspired and fulfilled me. And now here it was. Teaching mindfulness and meditation became the only thing I'd ever wanted to do.
More than 25 years of personal practice and study has given me a solid foundation and plenty of experience. I’ve completed extensive, multi-year teacher training programs with Unified Mindfulness and the Engaged Mindfulness Institute. On top of that, I'm also certified in trauma-sensitive mindfulness through David Treleaven.