Wesley Gunselman graduated from the University of Central Arkansas in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science. Following graduation, he completed the Campus Missionary in Training (CMIT) program at UCA and helped re-pioneer the Chi Alpha ministry at Texas Christian University. After a year and a half on campus at TCU, he transitioned into the marketplace, spending two years teaching elementary-age kids at a Montessori charter school. He then stepped back from full-time teaching to begin his own life coaching business, Well House Coaching.
Wesley currently lives in Fort Worth, Texas with his wife and fellow Chi Alpha alumnus Jane, who he married in 2014. They both enjoy gardening and a variety of outdoor activities. Wesley shares how Chi Alpha shaped his life and his heart for the Alumni in his area:
Describe the impact Chi Alpha had on you as a student.
Chi Alpha really helped me reconsider all of my knowledge of faith and Christianity I received growing up and allowed me to develop my own faith by filtering everything I know through a new lens. I grew up in a world where everything was told to me and I was rarely encouraged to ask questions.
Through Chi Alpha, I realized I can play a very important role in people’s lives and Christianity is about helping people find healing and salvation, not simply telling people what they’re doing wrong.
What is the purpose of life coaching, how can it help people, and how did Chi Alpha help prepare you to do it?
In general, coaching is for people who are working to achieve specific goals. A life coach helps strategize how to get to that goal. It’s not done by telling the client what to do, but by allowing the client to discover new options he or she hasn’t thought of before. I like helping people build something bigger than themselves and maintain a healthy family dynamic while pursuing their goals.
I think Chi Alpha really helped me build a desire to have one-on-one conversations with people. When I discovered coaching, I found a way to have even more effective conversations about spiritual development without feeling the need to insert my own opinion.
Describe your vision for the alumni in your area. How do you hope to motivate them to action?
I really want to see the alumni of Chi Alpha carry the vision we received in school. The passion we carried while in school does not need to fade away once we enter the marketplace. People still need godly relationships in their lives, and we can still provide that for people.
I really want to see a community that extends beyond the walls of the churches of the area. I want our alumni to know there are other like-minded people in our community and that we’re not doing it alone. When it’s hard, there’s someone you can call. There’s still that vision to reach everybody for Christ. We hope to have social get togethers, hear each other’s stories, and offer networking. I feel that I am gifted in getting people together, facilitating community and good conversations. Once people get together, they can share each other’s strengths and support each other’s weaknesses.