Now Bodhi

A smiling photo of Bodhi when he was Bruce as a baby.
You named me what???

On August 18, 2015, my name legally evolved to Bodhi Jeffreys.

I was born with a name that never felt right. I never felt like a Bruce Cohen (Bruce Jeffrey Cohen). It's a fine name, and I'll be auctioning it off on Ebay, but it just never resonated with me. Worse, hearing it was irritating at a very deep level.

In college, I used stage names when playing music in clubs. I used Bruce Jeffreys for a while and it was better but still not right for me. I even tried Joshua Blakely, but discovered that I didn't have enough chest hair to pull that off.

My dear sister even ran a "Name That Bruce" contest. We received over 70 entries, some of which were so funny, but alas, nothing showed up.

Forward decades to 4 years ago. The name thing still haunted me. And for a guy who's work in the world depends on him being clear, this sure eluded me. Timing not right? Couldn't get out of my own way? Bad name karma for that time during the Ming Dynasty when I named my child Boobiedoo?

The Gift

But in 2011, in a sacred ceremony, Simone and I gave each other names — names we could grow into over the next span of our lives and work. We agreed to choose names that would start with the first letter of our first names, S, B.

I chose Shanti for her and she chose Bodhi for me. Without sharing the names with anyone else, 4 years we used those names exclusively with each other. She became Shanti and I became Bodhi. If felt so right.

The name Bodhi written in Sanskrit.

Every time she called out to me it was like a
sweet song playing. It was vibrationally resonant,

as though I'd stepped into a new frequency, my true vibration.

In late May, 2015, as her life force was slipping away and the time was nearing where she could no longer speak, she looked at me tenderly and said, "Bodhi my dear, you do realize that when I'm gone there will be no one to call you by your true name? It's time to tell the world who you are."

It was a devastatingly painful moment....and liberating.

It took a month of being with this, working it out, processing anything that was in the way of clarity and freedom to reach the moment of absolute surrender. Then elation. Got in my car and off to the courthouse I went.

What's In A Name?

The name Bodhi written in Pali.

Bodhi is often mistranslated as enlightenment. Closer is awakened. But the purest translation is "true nature of things". Jeffreys comes from the English, "Godfrey" which comes from the Germanic, "Gotafrid", which means "peace of God". For me, the translation is "freedom". And this is what my work and path in the world has always been about: The true nature of things and freedom.

As with so many things, Simone's intuition was spot on. This is a name I can spend the rest of my life growing into, more and more deeply. And it finally feels right.

Now, and ever, Bodhi

Recent testimonials

  • It feels safe to let go of the identification with mind in his presence.

    Silja Bjorklund Quantum Energetics Practitioner, QE With Silja Encinitas, California

    Working with Bodhi has brought me into a profoundly deep awareness of my true nature. It feels safe to let go of the identification with mind in his presence. His coaching to live this in my daily life is gentle, clear, and very effective.

  • It was my sessions with Bodhi that helped me to heal my most self-destructive patterns.

    Kirstin Nielsen Partner Relations Manager, Aarhus BSS Career Højbjerg, Denmark

    Bodhi is a fantastic teacher and coach, and I’m so thankful for working with him. Though I’ve worked with coaches and therapists over the last 10 years, it was my sessions with Bodhi that helped me to heal my most self-destructive patterns. Now I feel very blessed that my life flows. Bodhi is a very warm and humorous person, and I always get amazing insights during our sessions.

    As a coach I had primarily been using a very result-oriented model with a great number of people in Europe. After meeting Bodhi I learned to act from truth and I feel so much more present with my clients. As a result, my business has expanded naturally without any other effort than just being able to use what I’ve learned from Bodhi with my clients. He makes a great difference for so many people.

  • Bodhi's insight into guiding me to truth is rare and unique.

    Sofia Manning Best-Selling Author, Founder of Manning Inspire Copenhagen, Denmark

    I have met a lot of coaches and being a coach myself I have very high standards for what I think a great coach is. Bodhi is more than a great coach, he is a healer and teacher as well as a brilliant coach. Bodhi's insight into guiding me to truth is rare and unique. I feel lucky to have the opportunity to work with him and highly recommend his coaching to anyone who is committed to truth and living a life from freedom.

  • What Bodhi does almost makes traditional coaching obsolete.

    Calvin Correli President & CEO, Creator of Simplero New York, New York

    I have used many coaches over the years, but Bodhi is one that I return to because he is simply in a class of his own. My experience has been that a lot of coaches can help you get to your goals faster, only to have you realize that those goals didn't actually fulfill you or give you what you thought they would. What Bodhi does, is help me heal and clear out those things that prevent me from going where I truly need and want to go, in the simplest possible way. What Bodhi does almost makes traditional coaching obsolete.

  • Bodhi also has the greatest sense of humor and we laugh a lot during sessions!

    Dorthe Schorn Staff & Training Manager Hamburg, Germany

    Bodhi is an endless energy field of inspiration, purpose, clarity, truth, authenticity, compassion, joy, love and inner peace. The way he embodies and shares his profound wisdom of awakening is powerful and grounded, while gentle, light and constantly evolving. Bodhi is not only a teacher in the best possible sense of the word but a healer and “wise man” who can support you in tackling any personal or professional challenges.

    One of his greatest talents is meeting you exactly where you’re at, and then gently guiding you from there. Bodhi also has the greatest sense of humor and we laugh a lot during sessions! Working with him is a precious adventure and it has a tremendous impact on the way I show up and experience my working and private life.

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