Growing up in NYC’s Lower East Side, he connected with the ethnic, racial and religious diversity of his unique surroundings. “I started searching for who I am among all these different kinds of people,” he remembers. And through his work with patients and clients, Tischler—who sums himself up as “a helper”—is not only leading others toward their individual development, but finding revelation in his own search for deeper meaning.

“Part of my personal growth and professional growth is to see a reality where everybody’s very beautiful and special and needed in the world,” he says. “I think the greatest thing I bring is the real respect I have for every human being.”

This is Erik Tischler’s story.