Hello, my name is Dr. Polladach Theerapappisit. I am a Thai-Chinese-Aussie coach (born in Bangkok in 1966, moved to Australia since 1999). My Chinese name is: 鄭良雄 Zheng Liang Xiong (my dad came from China and my mom is a Thai-Chinese). My nick name in Thai is Aek (meaning # 1, as the first son). My full name in Thai is: ดร. พลเดช ธีรภาพไพสิฐ.
I believe that wealth is health from the inside out. Creating wealth mean creating my own inner peace and happiness. My mission is to empower and inspire people towards a positive understanding of the abundance of life through an awakening journey of inner peace and happiness, transforming our intelligence in mind and heart.
I have had an up and down in life like others. I came from a middle-class family that believes in hard working and common good ethics. I struggled with my childhood experiences when I had to work in the steel factory in which my dad was the owner! I felt a lot of pressure from studying to the best of my ability while working hard as a kid with my dad. He came from China with a strong belief in entrepreneurship and wanted me to own the factory after him as I am his oldest son. However, thing happens for a reason! I did choose my way to do well in schools (two of the greatest High Schools in Thailand ̶ Suankularb and Triam-udom) and then at the Universities in both undergraduate and postgraduate studies (with the King’s and the UK Government Scholarships) in order to qualify to work with the various professionals I wanted to be. I have transformed my professional life from architect and project manager to researcher and academic. With my first degree in Architecture (Honours, 1988) and a Masters’ degree (1995) in Urban Development Planning and Environmental Management (A.I.T., King’s Scholarship) in Thailand, my background was in a wide range of practice over 10 years in architectural and landscape design, real-estate project management, urban/regional planning and research. In 1998, with the U.K. Government’s Overseas Research Scholarships, I went to study a M.Phil. (Town Planning) at the University of Liverpool, Civic Design Department. Since 2000, I have had published one book, three book chapters and seven refereed papers in various multi-disciplinary studies linking community-based cultural tourism planning and ethics in tourism development in less-developed countries.
My learning has never been ending and I will keep learning until the last day of my life! Here is my Curriculum Vitae.
Although I am a Buddhist by my birth certificate, my spiritual beliefs are to be an honest, calm and kind person with a strong sense of believing in ‘giving’ back and self awakening. This personal set of values for life started in 1995 when I read a Dhamma book about the ‘Law of Nature’ and the ‘Truth’ and became a monk at Wat Chonlaprathan and Suan Mokkh. I have practised meditation in several techniques since then. I have been with His Holiness Dalai Lama three times in my life, once purely for a meditation practice. I have followed Phra Paisal Visalo’s Dhamma and meditation practices with several personal meetings. Importantly, I had an exceptional chance to interview one on one with Phra Bhramagunabhorn (P. Payutto) for three hours for my Paper discussion before publishing in 2003. Since 2010, I have followed the popular young preacher, Phra Maha Vudhijaya Vajiramedhi, (V. Vajiramedhi) who posts his teachings on his Twitter account for more than 971,000 followers (as of May 2014). Last but not least, I went for a 10-day Goenka’s Vipassana Course in the Blue Mountains at the end of 2012 and have then been attending the Goenka’s Vipassana Course on a monthly basis in Adelaide. At the end of 2013, I was at a 10-day Goenka’s Vipassana Course in Lampoon, Northern Thailand.
My life has not been without dramas! I had a serious health crisis in 1999 – the year when I moved from England to Australia as I received the full scholarships to start my PhD studies at Melbourne University, and again in 2007 with neck-fusion operation while I taught full time at the University of Western Sydney. The medical and professional practitioners have helped to keep me going through those tough periods of my life. No doubt that my family, relatives and close friends who care about me have significantly impacted to various degrees of mental support on my health and well-being while I have spent my life here in Australia.
At this stage of my life (47 years old in 2013) I love my life so much that I want to share my life experiences with others as a coach. Although I graduated with a Ph.D. (Regional Planning & Tourism) in Australia from Melbourne University in 2008 (with full Melbourne International Scholarships) I have been working at the University of Western Sydney (UWS) as a lecturer since 2001 and at the University of South Australia (UniSA) since 2013. I am confident that I can be your vehicle to take you to where you otherwise might not imagine you can be. I believe that the best of making merit is to empower and inspire people when they need it most. I like to stay calm but energetic with regular meditation practices, body movements and stretching exercises as well as swimming.
My passions are about coaching, consulting, teaching, mentoring, research, project planning, creative design and arts, painting, travelling and learning Dhamma. Everyday, I love having nice coffee and sometimes having green/herbal tea. Occasionally, I juice my life up with the taste of red wine when I could feel it would be at the right time, in the right place with the right group of people around. Most importantly, I really love to travel the world to learn other cultures. Ultimately, these new experiences have influenced how I perceive to the world as a global citizen and how I live and transform my life as who I am today. I believe the more we travel, the more we learn – not only about others but also our own selves.
The Crossroads in My Life
What You Think You Become. – Buddha.