Mark Meier
Mark Meier
MSW LICSW
Coach
Practicing since: 1994
Previous roles:
More than three decades helping people navigate change through coaching, clinical social work, teaching, and national consulting, with experience leading staff and operations as Facility Administrator of a large urban dialysis clinic.
Founder and Executive Director of Face It Foundation, a statewide peer-support nonprofit for men’s mental health.
Former Community Faculty at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine and Graduate School of Social Work.
Mobile / Off-Site, In Person, & Virtual
Men’s Growth & Well-Being
Purpose & Meaning
Life Transitions
Relationships
Who I Work With
I especially enjoy working with men who want to grow and think more deliberately about their lives. Some are starting or changing careers, building relationships, or becoming fathers. Others are asking, “Is this what I want?” or know they’re unhappy but aren’t sure what needs to change. Many carry responsibilities they rarely talk about. They want a place to talk openly, ask questions, and figure out what comes next with greater confidence.
About Me
I am intensely curious about what makes people tick—why we stay stuck, what helps us change, and what we want from one another. I laugh easily and make room for people to laugh, be vulnerable, and say difficult things. I use a lot of exclamation points and tend to go all in. I root hard for people. I am optimistic because I have seen people do things they never thought they could.
My outlook has also been shaped by experiences I would not have chosen. More than two decades ago, I survived a suicide attempt and was hospitalized. As I tried to explain how I had gotten there, a therapist listened and asked, “Now what?” That question has stayed with me. Painful things happen, and they deserve to be heard and taken seriously. We also have choices about how we move forward, even when those choices are difficult.
Marriage, raising three children, and decades of working with people have taught me about resilience, humor, and the importance of community. I believe we have more say over our lives than we sometimes want to acknowledge. I also believe we need one another. I have watched people find courage and make changes because someone listened, challenged them, or stayed beside them.
What We Work On
Life Transitions
Clarity
Relationships
Self-Trust & Confidence
Decision-Making
Purpose & Meaning
How I Work
I work through honest, active conversation. I listen for strengths, patterns, contradictions, and assumptions that may be worth questioning. I ask direct questions, share what I notice, and offer a perspective, a story, or something from my own experience when it may help. I like to sketch things out on a whiteboard to help us see patterns, connections, and possible next steps. I give people a question or idea to keep thinking about between conversations and may follow up with an article or other material when it seems useful. My aim is to help them get clearer about what matters, what they are choosing, and what they will do next.
Where I’m Not a Fit
If you’re looking primarily for business strategy or executive coaching, I’m probably not the right fit. I’m comfortable talking about work and leadership, but I’m interested in how those fit into the rest of your life.
Outside the Practice
Outside work, I stay active and social. I play pickleball, curl, golf, hike, fly fish, and go to the gym. I love the sauna and cold plunge experience, which I regularly share with my son Ben. I love being outdoors and enjoy activities that combine movement, challenge, and connection. I also enjoy performances at the Guthrie Theater and exhibitions at the Walker Art Center. My wife, Amy, and I have held University of Minnesota women’s volleyball season tickets for ten years, and we spend a lot of time in the flower garden we’ve built in our backyard.
Rabbit Holes
Gear & how it’s designed—from pickleball paddles & curling shoes to canoes, tents, & cookware
Living in the moment—exploring meditation, quiet reflection, Buddhist ideas, & the connection between nature & spirituality
The people behind the music—from rock to jazz, I find myself reading about artists and watching interviews to understand who they are and what shaped them
Influences
My wife, Amy, & our three children
The books “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “The Prince of Tides”
The Grateful Dead
The men of Face It
The films “Miracle”, “Good Will Hunting”, and “The Legend of Bagger Vance”
The Serenity Prayer
Something People Wouldn’t Guess About Me
In 2011, I rode a bicycle 3,600 miles from San Francisco to New York City to help launch Face It, giving more than 50 talks about men and suicide along the way. For nearly seven weeks and 1,600 miles, my child Archer, then in tenth grade, rode behind me on a tandem bicycle. The hours together on the bike, the people we met, and the sheer adventure of it made that one of the most fun and remarkable experiences of my life. I set out to talk about hope and recovery, and the people we met taught me more about both than I could have imagined.