Our Story.

For the past fourteen years, Ben Layer has creatively served and progressively helped to transform student behavior and learning across multiple schools within the Chicagoland and Quad City areas.  In addition to managing day to day specialty school psychologist roles in the schools, Ben has served in leadership and coaching capacities at the district level, as well as, with state, regional, and national organizations.  Ben is recognized as a Nationally Certified School Psychologist and is the founder of PURPOSE Coaching.

Ben truly believes that successful professionals, businesses, and organizations do not happen just by chance.  With that being said, he seeks to bring individuals much more than a cookie cutter recipe for sustainable success.  In a 2016 interview with the Division of Exceptional Children, Ben stated, ‘there are a million ways that people all over this world have learned to manage their work and adapt to their challenges, in order to live a happy and comfortable life... I want to be the person that helps develop a million more opportunities for those very same people to ensure they continue experiencing a quality life- full of purpose, contentment, and adventure.’   Colleagues who have worked beside Ben, describe his interpersonal skills with statements such as, ‘judgment-free compassion, a likable personality, easy-going nature, and intense knowledge of the fields of psychology, special education, and personal growth’.

While working as a District School Psychologist and Instructional Coach within the educational field, Ben continually sought out opportunities to strengthen his character traits of leadership, competence, reliability, efficiency, and organization.  By establishing and maintaining trust with those he seeks to assist, as well as learn from, relationship building has always been the primary staple of his social competency. While his work within the schools has led to numerous successes throughout his career, the success stories that he humbly shares… always starts with: strength-based connections made with a particular student, meaningful consultation with parents and educators, and the enjoyment he gets from his seamless ability to work closely within a team.  Ben’s compassion, connections, and camaraderie with colleagues, students, families have allowed him to genuinely and effectively understand, identify, and treat the unique strengths and challenges in others.

When describing his purpose behind opening his new PURPOSE Coaching practice, he stated that he is proud and humbled by the opportunities he gets to use his abilities to connect an individual's personal strengths with identified needs and then provide customized coaching solutions that are successful, appropriate, and sustainable for future success. He completed his graduate work (M.S. & S.S.P.) at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC. Ben formed his Living Connected, LLC in 2018, which then led to the emergence of Purpose.