By Desiree Williams
Jim White has a passion for helping families reach their full potential. So near the end of 2016, he incorporated his nonprofit, The Successful Family, to provide education and coaching for those going through tough times.
“The big picture purpose is to find ways to help people and to engage with them,” he said.
The Carmel resident defines a successful family as “one that speaks with respect, honors differences, provides a nurturing environment, supports each other and enjoys being together. Successful families have a knack for really enjoying and appreciating the good times, while at the same time, they have the ability to effectively deal with difficult issues that come their way.”
White provides assistance through the website through blogs, podcasts and more, and he has announced a series of workshops to begin in the fall. His goal is to offer coaching at no cost and use workshops and book fees as revenue sources.
A family man
White and his wife, Anne, met during their sophomore year at Lawrence North High School. Thirty-three years later, they have six kids between ages 15 and 30 and seven grandchildren.
White attended Indiana Wesleyan University, where he studied business and accounting. He worked in his family’s manufacturing company after graduating from college before moving on to health insurance for 15 years. For the past five years, he has worked at Katz, Sapper & Miller as a certified public accountant.
During his time in insurance, White went through the family coaching certification process.
“I really didn’t do anything with it at that time,” he said. “It was more of personal development.”
He has always had an interest in family and spiritual enrichment but said now is the right time for him to open this business.
”Our kids have gotten older, and now is the time to start doing something with the family coaching and the writing,” he said. “It just seems like the right time for me in my life cycle.”
In taking the leap, White had help from two friends, Roger Helmkamp and Pat Gibbons. They serve as the nonprofit’s board members.
“(Creating this organization) was kind of interesting and also not surprising,” Gibbons said. “Jim is always one for good, creative ideas. Knowing him and his faith background, it seemed like a natural fit.”
Changing perspective
The Successful Family is split into three categories: a blog and podcast, education programs and coaching. All are available online.
The blog is the first point of contact with visitors. Most posts focus on the importance of perspective.
White will write about a situation and how someone might normally react. He then offers steps to view the situation from a loving perspective and tips on how to modify reactions through forgiveness, gratitude and charity. The other categories offer parenting advice or marriage enrichment.
The podcast focuses on spiritual enrichment and provides a place for people to share their inspirational stories.
“People struggle sometimes,” he said. “They get frustrated and angry. You’ve got to go through periods when you’re just not happy. I think that’s not so much about their circumstances, but about the way they look at things, their perspective, so that’s where the spirituality comes into it.”
White does not label his organization as Christian but acknowledges there are spiritual aspects to his work.
A work in progress
The organization also offers family enrichment education through book reviews and workshops. White has planned several parenting workshops for the fall. From those, he wants to connect with clients who might be in need of a family coach.
“People get ideas or strategies for maybe a different way to approach their parenting or their family environment,” he said. “Sometimes they struggle implementing those strategies into their circumstances, and that’s where the coaching comes in.”
White said there are four steps in the coaching process: to acknowledge and validate feelings, reframe perspective, take action and be accountable.
Coaching is done via phone in 30-minute sessions. Some families only need one phone call while others require weekly calls for a few months. White said the process depends on the family’s circumstance and what they want out of the experience.
“(Jim) just has this very calming and patient personality, so I just think he has a lot to offer other families,” Helmkamp said.
For more information, visit thesuccessfulfamily.org.
Parenting Workshops
The Successful Family is offering several parenting workshops this fall. They are:
Parenting From the Inside Out
7 p.m. Sept. 21 in the Community Room at Carmel High School – Hosted by Carmel Young Life, register at carmel.younglife.org
7 p.m. Oct. 19 at Saint Elizabeth Seton Church – Hosted by Saint Elizabeth Seton Church
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Parenting From the Inside Out – Teenagers
Wednesdays – 4 sessions starting Sept. 27. 7 p.m. via Google hangout. Limited to six participants
Parenting From the Inside Out – Babies and Preschoolers
Wednesdays – 4 sessions starting Oct. 25. 7 p.m. via Google hangout. Limited to six participants.
Learn more at thesuccessfulfamily.org.
On your own
When someone experiences anger or frustration, Jim White said there are three key questions to ask before acting on those feelings:
1. Who do I need to forgive?
2. What am I grateful for?
3. How can I make a difference?
“To me, those are three things that are kind of a theme that I’ve been trying to build into a lot of the writing, and it’s a part of the coaching process, too,” White said.
