My Story

Knock Knock.
Who is it?
Hello, it's me, Dorice Horenstein- Relationship Navigator Speaker and Certified Coach.
Thank you for inviting me in.

I know I am not your friend yet,
and I wish for you to know me.

Let’s prepare a cup of tea or coffee
(I am more of a coffee person),
and let me share who I am and why I do what I do.

I came to America from Israel at the age of twenty one. I grew up in a wonderful family, with four other siblings and two terrific parents. We were not financially wealthy. I remember my mom working three jobs at times just to keep the family afloat while my dad built homes as a contractor. 

I remember wearing hand-me-downs (which, by the way, I love doing with my girlfriends nowadays.) I shared one room with my three sisters growing up, and I fondly recall talking late into the night, sharing secrets, crushes on boys, and heart-wrenching love stories that went as quickly as they came. This sisterly intimacy affected how bonded we became. This is what I value today in friendships, relationships, and workplaces— humans’ need to have positive and healthy relationships that bond us together. 

I have always loved and felt proud of my homeland, Israel. At the age of eighteen, I enrolled in the army service. I was serving in the Israeli army when I met my husband. It was not love at first sight, but at second sight, as we often joke. Looking back at that time period, I can wholeheartedly say that my role in the army solidified who the young girl from a small town in central Israel would become. I was in a position to influence others, to support, to teach, to educate, to inspire those who were slightly younger than I was. Through my service, I began to understand the complex fabric of the different personalities around me.

I learned what makes a leader and what causes a leader to remain a leader. I experienced the great feelings of teamwork and togetherness, and I also saw the results and consequences of being alone and rejected from a group.

Today, I am the product of the experiences of that young soldier from decades ago. Shortly after I arrived in America, with only a suitcase and $600 to my name (and with no coat in the middle of December in Portland, Oregon,) it was obvious that I would need to do something related to my background. I earned my bachelor’s degree in English literature because I love languages, and a certification to teach English as a second language. Despite this, I actually began my professional career by teaching Hebrew and all aspects of Judaism to both children and adults. That love and knowledge of the Hebrew language is what I include in my talks to all audiences. Today I speak to different organizations addressing the capacity to deal with life’s challenges with a positive mindset. I address team building and collaboration, highlighting relationships and concepts, using Positive Intelligence tools. I wholeheartedly believe that it starts with the “me” before moving to the “we.”  Check out the menu under speaking for more on that.

One of my most proud accomplishments is that I have three wonderful children and a supportive spouse. My husband and I raised our children (who are now more adults than children) to become independent, healthy, and contributing members of the communities in which they live.

For sixteen years, I worked as an education director at a synagogue. This experience provided me with a fertile ground to explore issues of ethics and morality with blossoming teenagers prior to their Bar/Bat Mitzvahs as well as with their parents and other adults. I have taught classes and led group discussions about various works by world renowned Jewish thinkers. They have been my mentors who “visited me” at the Shabbat table with my children and husband- a table we often shared with dear family and friends.

Living in America, I have been privileged to learn from forward thinkers such as Oprah Winfrey, Gabrielle Bernstein, Brené Brown, Shirzad Chamine and so many other spiritual teachers and mentors. I treasure the feeling that I stand on shoulders of giants—Jews, as well non-Jews. All of these individuals contributed to who Dorice Horenstein is.

To get to where I am now, I had to sit still and listen to my inner voice. To my conscience. And I needed to hear where I should go, what my compass should be. How I will direct my path.

You see, all I knew was to teach those who came to me, who entered the physical space I was in-the synagogue. I discovered I wanted the world to be my classroom. I wanted to get to know YOU. Yes…you! So I looked at the wisdom of my native tongue to shed light, to help me. 

And I found it! In Hebrew the word “conscience” is Matzpoon. And the word for “compass” is Matzpen. Do you hear how similar they sound? Well, if they sound similarly, they are connected! For real! If I just listened to my inner wisdom, my conscience, I would know where my compass was leading me, the direction I needed to go.

I listened. And now I am here. A place where the world is my classroom. Where I meet, speak, coach and inspire people I would have never met in my previous position. And I am here to serve you. I received my International Federation of Coaches Certification as well as Positive Intelligence certification so I will equipped with the best tools to serve you. I am so lucky to have been invited already to several organizations (religious and secular, Jewish and non-Jewish) to inspire, motivate and re-energize! Today, I realize the difficulty many have in building positive and healthy relationships. Communicating our wishes and collaborating with others is a challenge to so many. In my presentations, I bring those challenges to the open, I talk about what sabotage us, what stand in the way between us and the “best of us.”  I expose the self talk so many people have in their mind, and I speak and coach about leaning into the best version of yourself. Born in a different county, I speak about culture differences in the work place, difference in communication between the genders, and I give tools and tips to working together, to building relationships. 

I transfer the love of all that I know to be true. I talk about relationships, starting with the most important one—the relationship with yourself. YOU ARE CRUCIAL TO YOUR OWN SUCCESS!

And of course, I wrote a book all about it. It is called Moments of the Heart, Four Relationships Everyone Should Have to Live Wholeheartedly. I am honored that it won several awards! Read more about it under the Book tab.

And so, with all that, certifications, experiences and all, I come to you today—with a new suitcase—this time, it’s filled with advice from what I have learned by watching, doing, reading, and hearing. My suitcase full of experiences is now my gift to you.

And the good news is that there is no lock on this suitcase, it is already open.

I offer myself to inspire and influence you with my stories and my truth. And as a coach I am there for you so you can find what truly matters to you and help you get there by posing powerful questions, and supporting you along the way. I hope you will reach out to me, so I can, too, meet the magnificent person that is YOU.

To Positivity! 

Dorice