Despite the lingering stigma around seeking help, especially in cultures where mental health remains a hushed topic, life coaching is steadily gaining ground. More people are beginning to recognize that seeking guidance isn’t a sign of weakness, but a step toward self-awareness and empowerment.

As social norms slowly shift and emotional well-being becomes a dinner-table topic, life coaching is no longer a luxury. It is becoming an essential pause, a mirror held up not just to reflect, but to realign. From the commanding decks of the Indian Navy to the contemplative calm of coaching sessions, Manoj Bhuraria’s journey is as inspiring as it is transformative.

The founder of Marg Darshan, a holistic life coaching platform, Manoj has seamlessly blended the discipline of defense services with the empathy and insight required to guide others on their personal and professional paths. Selected into the Indian Navy at just 18, Manoj’s formative years were shaped by intense training, constant movement, and leadership in multicultural settings. “These experiences added layers to my personality, fostering resilience, clarity, and a deep understanding of human behaviour. My path to life coaching wasn’t a planned destination, but a gradual unfolding marked by insights, introspection, and consistent feedback from those around me”, he informs.

What began as a quiet inclination during his Indian Navy service, took roots in 2011, when he pursued a Postgraduate Diploma in Guidance and Counseling from Annamalai University. Over time, his professional roles deepened this instinct. Notably, his training as a personality assessor at the Defense Institute of Psychological Research (DIPR), a prestigious and niche institution, gave him a strong psychological foundation. Serving in officer selection roles, including as President of a Services Selection Board, honed his ability to assess and connect with individuals on a deeper level.

This foundation was further fortified by a Master’s in College Counseling and professional certifications in Life Coaching and NLP, which formalized his natural capacity for empathy and insight. In 2023, Manoj co-founded Marg Darshan with his wife Monika, a Montessori-trained educator and Motherhood coach, creating a shared space for personal transformation.

His offerings span a wide spectrum, including personality assessments, behavioral interventions through NLP and classical methods, life and relationship coaching, counseling, and mentoring. He also supports aspiring defense candidates through mock interviews and provides workshops for students and educators. A key highlight is his initiative to host free weekly offline meditation sessions, fostering mindfulness and community wellbeing. In addition, Manoj has also authored a book, ‘How Our Children Brought Us Up’, which is a semiautobiographical account of his and his wife’s journey of self-growth through parenting.

I identify core issues, understand emotional frameworks, and then co-create personalized action plans by truly listening to my clients without judgment

The Spiritual Core of Coaching

In a space where life coaches often align themselves with specific schools of thought, be it CBT, NLP, or humanistic frameworks, Manoj stands apart with a fluid, spiritually anchored approach. Describing himself as a ‘free-flowing, all-rounder life coach’, Manoj draws upon his deep spiritual grounding as the core of his practice. “For me, coaching is not a rigid methodology, but a soulful engagement rooted in empathy, intuition, and higher awareness. Through my relatively short journey of around 15-16 months, I have already witnessed firsthand, how this spiritual bearing creates a profound and often rapid impact on my clients”, he asserts.

Many who approach him come after trying various therapies or coaches, often feeling unheard or unchanged. But what Manoj offers is a compassionate, nonprescriptive space, an integration of spiritual insight with life coaching wisdom gained from respected mentors and personal introspection. This synthesis allows him to connect with clients beyond surface-level issues, addressing their inner conflicts with clarity and depth.

Client-Centric Method

For Manoj, every coaching journey begins with a profound respect for the individuality of his clients. He approaches each person not as a case, but as a unique human being shaped by distinct life experiences and what he terms, ‘Fundamental Childhood Decisions’ (FCDs). Drawing from his insights as a parent and coach, Manoj has internalized the principle that no two individuals can be approached with the same lens. This deep-rooted belief forms the cornerstone of his practice. He consciously sets aside biases, allowing objectivity and empathy to guide the engagement. At the heart of his methodology lies the discipline of active, or deep listening. He can identify core issues, understand their emotional frameworks, and then co-create personalized action plans by truly hearing his clients without judgment. This tailored, human first approach enables clients to feel seen, heard, and empowered, often unlocking transformation from the very first conversation.

Vision Beyond the Horizon

Manoj envisions a multifaceted future for his life coaching journey. While continuing his one-on-one coaching practice under Marg Darshan, Manoj is increasingly focused on expanding his reach through workshops and seminars, particularly in academic institutions. These platforms, he believes, allow him to engage with larger audiences and create meaningful transformation in a shorter period. As a passionate writer, Manoj recently released the second edition of his debut book, enriched with expanded insights. “I have two more books coming out this year, and through them, I hope to reach people in a deeper, more personal way. For me, the road ahead is about staying connected, whether it’s through one-on-one conversations, group workshops, or simply putting my thoughts into words that might speak to someone when they need it most”, concludes Manoj.