It’s MysticMag‘s pleasure to bring to you an exclusive interview with Zen Benefiel, an expert in holistic coaching and organizational management. Zen shares insights into his journey from aerospace to holistic practices, emphasizing the importance of aligning mind, body, and spirit for personal growth and transformation. His work, spanning various industries, is rooted in helping individuals and organizations unlock their highest potential through deep collaboration and spiritual awareness.
Can you share a few details about your professional background and journey?
Of course, and thanks for asking. My professional journey has been an eclectic blend of structured environments, transformational experiences, and a deep exploration of human potential. I began my career in the aerospace industry, where I managed complex projects that required precision, focus, and a methodical approach. While aerospace provided a solid foundation in systems thinking and project management, I always felt a strong pull toward deeper, more holistic questions about life, consciousness, and the interconnections that shape our world.
To expand my understanding of organizational dynamics, I earned an MBA and later an MA in Organizational Management. This gave me the tools to look at organizations and communities not just as structured entities, but as living systems that thrive on collaboration, adaptability, and shared vision. Additionally, I earned a Secondary Teaching certification, which allowed me to step into the world of education and personal development, helping to shape young minds and guide them toward discovering their own potential.
Over time, I transitioned into event production, holistic coaching, and consulting, merging the strategic thinking I developed in aerospace and academia with the spiritual and personal growth practices I had been exploring. My journey has taken me from the rigid frameworks of industry to the expansive realms of consciousness, with the ultimate goal of helping individuals and organizations align with their highest potential.
What can you tell me about your Holistic Coaching Program?
My Holistic Coaching Program is contained in the name Be The Dream (bethedream.com), which I’ve had since 1988. It takes a whole being to achieve dreams, and each of us has one. The program is designed to help individuals align their mind, body, and spirit in a way that fosters authentic living and personal fulfillment. In my work, I draw from my own diverse educational background—my MBA, MA in Organizational Management, and certifications in Life Coaching and Hypnotherapy. These disciplines offer powerful tools for guiding clients through processes of self-discovery and transformation, ultimately leading to greater clarity, purpose, and empowerment.
The coaching process is holistic in every sense of the word. It involves working with clients to address all dimensions of their lives—whether it’s their professional aspirations, personal relationships, health, or spiritual growth. My approach encourages people to explore the deeper questions of life, such as: What is my purpose? What am I here to create? At the same time, it provides them with practical steps to implement meaningful change. I believe that by helping individuals realize their true potential, we are also creating positive ripple effects in the broader world.
One of the unique aspects of my program is the focus on alignment. Many people have success in one area of life but feel disconnected in others. My goal is to help clients integrate their personal, professional, and spiritual lives so they can move forward with a sense of wholeness and balance. Whether working with business leaders, creatives, or individuals seeking personal growth, my approach is deeply personal, rooted in both pragmatic strategies and spiritual awareness.
What is Team Partnering Solutions, and what is your role there?
Team Partnering LLC (teampartnering.com) is a consulting firm that I founded after sub-contracting for a decade, specializing in helping organizations, particularly in the construction industry, build effective teams through collaboration and communication. One of the primary services we offer is partnering facilitation for large-scale construction projects. Construction projects are inherently complex, with many moving parts and stakeholders. It’s easy for teams to become siloed or for conflicts to arise. My role is to facilitate conversations that ensure all parties—contractors, architects, owners, and other stakeholders—are on the same page, aligned around the same goals.
Our approach to partnering is holistic. We recognize that successful projects are about more than just meeting deadlines or staying within budget. They are about creating environments where collaboration thrives and communication is open and constructive. By facilitating these early-stage conversations, we help prevent conflicts from becoming project-stalling issues and create a shared vision for success. My work at Team Partnering Solutions is a natural extension of my coaching and leadership background but applied on a larger, organizational scale.
You are also involved in the Live and Let Live nonprofit. Please be kind enough to share a few details about that part of your work.
Live and Let Live (liveandletlive.org) is a global peace movement dedicated to promoting individual freedom and personal responsibility through the simple moral principle of live and let live. This principle encourages people to respect each other’s freedoms while ensuring that their actions don’t harm others. The movement is about creating a world where people can live in peace, free from the interference of others, as long as they respect the rights of their fellow human beings.
As the Operations Director for Live and Let Live, my role involves coordinating efforts to expand the movement’s reach, foster partnerships, and advocate for legal reforms that uphold individual rights. We work on a grassroots level, engaging with communities to spread the message of peaceful coexistence, but also on a global level, influencing policies that protect human freedoms. It’s about creating a cultural shift—moving away from the divisive us vs. them mentality and toward a world where people can live freely and harmoniously. The movement is rapidly growing, and I’m honored to be part of an initiative that has the potential to make such a significant impact on global peace.
What topics does your podcast cover?
My podcast, One World in a New World, explores the intersection of consciousness, science, personal growth, and societal evolution. We hit a million views in March of 2024, just shy of three years. It’s a platform where I bring together thought leaders, scientists, spiritual practitioners, and innovators from various fields to discuss some of the most pressing and intriguing questions of our time. The topics we cover range from global citizenship and sustainable development to personal transformation and the evolution of human consciousness.
The goal of the podcast is to spark deeper conversations that challenge conventional thinking and inspire people to expand their understanding of the world. We explore how personal growth and global change are interconnected—how individuals can contribute to the greater good by awakening to their own potential. The podcast has developed a loyal audience because it goes beyond surface-level discussions and dives into topics that are often left unexplored in mainstream conversations. Every episode is an opportunity to learn, grow, and explore new perspectives.
We noticed you’ve begun another endeavor, Planetary Citizens. Would you share a brief overview?
Planetary Citizens (planetarycitizens.net) is an initiative aimed at inspiring individuals to think beyond their immediate surroundings and recognize their role as stewards of the planet. The vision behind Planetary Citizens is to create a global network of individuals who are committed to a harmonious and sustainable future. We focus on three key areas: education, community building, and global collaboration. By educating people on the importance of planetary stewardship, creating spaces where communities can come together, and fostering collaboration across borders, we aim to inspire collective action for the betterment of humanity and the planet.
Planetary Citizens is not just about environmental sustainability—although that’s a key part of our mission. It’s about recognizing that we are all interconnected and that the actions we take in our local communities have a ripple effect on the world as a whole. Through events, media, and partnerships with like-minded organizations, we are working to build a movement of global citizens who are ready to step up and co-create a future that is sustainable, just, and filled with possibility. The initiative aligns closely with the themes explored in my podcast and coaching work, making it a natural extension of my lifelong mission to foster planetary harmony and collective growth.
To learn more about Zen’s work, you can visit bethedream.com, teampartnering.com, liveandletlive.org, and planetarycitizens.net
