About David

Dave Sawka – My Story

I grew up with a father who never had anything handed to him. He was an immigrant from Ukraine who came right off the boat landing in New York city. He and his family spent two weeks living in the hull of cargo ship leaving Germany after World War II. At eleven years old, Dad didn’t speak a word of English, so the Nuns in the Ukrainian Catholic School handed him comic books to learn English. He had an internal motivation to survive and make something of his life. He never gave up in childhood, or adulthood and raised me with those same values.

One day dad gave me a clipboard with a pencil and paper attached to it. He said, “Write down 3-5 goals for the month”. Dad was teaching me the value of goals setting at 11 years old. I knew my $1.00 a week allowances wouldn’t go far. I took life very seriously back then and thought long and hard about what he said and wrote these four goals down on a piece of paper and put it on my wall next to my bed.

My thoughts were simple but achievable:

• Get 5 lawn mowing jobs in the neighborhood I could do on a weekly basis
• Buy a 10-speed bike with the money I saved from the mowing lawns
• Start a paper rout with the bike I bought and save enough money to buy a car
• Buy a Red 67 Mustang with a black hard top

When I was 17 bought my Ford Mustang a culmination of 7 years of work and setting goals. I knew if I set my mind to it, I could achieve anything. I was young and naive but excited about life and the unknown.

With the knowledge I received from my father as a pre-teen and into my adulthood I understood the power of setting long term goals for myself. Leaving home and going into the world without a safety net was a completely different experience.

To sum it up, I’ve lived on islands teaching waterskiing and sailing, played soccer in Germany, been to the depths of the ocean swimming with sharks, lost at sea scuba diving and almost died, received my master’s degree in counseling and Psychology, worked as a therapist, published a book and lived in three countries. My profession has spanned from Career Development as a Recruiter, Hospitality & management for an international resort and Corporate America managing, building, and training teams.

I learned from my father to stay humble and live in the moment. I bring that same energy into my coaching practice touching the lives of humanity and inspiring one person, one group, one department
at a time.

As a business coach I help mid-level managers, and front-line staff transition to a career, or identify the attributes they love in their current position that provides more purpose, passion, and abundance so they can live the life of their dreams.

Books & Publications

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Starting a Business

DiviBuilder

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