About Peter Valderhaug

Svart-hvitt portrett av Peter R. Valderhaug sittende i en lenestol.

Identity Architect and Human Change Specialist

My name is Peter R. Valderhaug. I work as a coach, speaker, and instructor. The common thread in my work is identity, clarity, and action.

I help you as a leader, entrepreneur, or professional make the knowledge you already possess visible in the choices you make daily and in your relationships. My work often involves gaining greater access to calm under pressure, making important decisions, and creating a direction that feels personal and meaningful.

Identity refers to the expectations you hold about who you are in specific situations. These expectations influence what you notice, how your body reacts, how you speak, and what you actually do.

When all these areas begin to pull in the same direction, it becomes easier to do what you actually want to do.

A life devoted to how people function

A large part of my professional life has been dedicated to questions such as:

  • What makes a person access their capacity in one situation and lose it in another?
  • How are our decisions shaped by language, emotions, and expectations?
  • What makes a new action become a lasting part of who we are?

Through coaching, teaching, and working with leaders and teams, I have had the opportunity to explore these questions in many different contexts.

I have worked with individuals, leadership teams, entrepreneurs, students, and performers in high-performance environments. I have also given lectures and conducted processes for companies such as Oslo Police District, ISS, TOMRA, and Vanir Esport.

In a publicly funded project with NAV Fredrikstad and AOF Østlandet, we investigated how skills from gaming could be translated into language that provided value in education and working life. The project showed how quickly self-image can change when people are helped to see their own skills from a new perspective.

Peter R. Valderhaug smiler ved et kafébord med en kaffekopp i hendene.

"Walk the talk"

My own understanding of identity change gained new depth when I confronted a pattern that had characterized much of my life.

In January 2023, I "woke up" and realized I was morbidly obese. For many years, food had been a source of peace, security, and regulation. My body had become a billboard for an internal pattern that wasn't quite right.

It became a crucial turning point for me when I began to explore the connection between attention, emotions, language, action, and identity.

I asked questions such as:

  • How do I truly feel about myself?
  • How do I talk about myself?
  • What do I really notice in myself and others?
  • What do I actually do every day?
  • Who do I expect myself to be?

The answers to these questions became the start of a new way of approaching myself and everyday life. Journaling, visualization, and concrete daily choices gradually created new experiences. My attention shifted. My language changed, and my actions followed.

Over the past three years, I have lost nearly 65 kilos and completed over 800 workouts, without feeling like I sacrificed anything or was on a diet.

For me, "walk the talk" is about doing the same work I invite others into. I examine my own patterns. I face my own reactions. I practice aligning my values, choices, and actions.

Weight loss is the most visible result of this work. The most important change has happened in my relationship with myself, my emotions, and the person I expect to be.

This experience shapes the way I work as a coach today. I teach a process I am personally engaged in, and I know how much focus, patience, and honesty are required when an old pattern needs to take a new direction.

What I'm working on today

Private Coaching

I work individually with leaders, entrepreneurs, and professionals who want greater clarity, stability under pressure, and actions that endure in everyday life.

Read more about coaching

Lectures and development processes

I give lectures, workshops, and facilitate development processes in communication, relationships, identity, leadership, and human change.

See my work for businesses

NLP Practitioner and Master Practitioner

I teach NLP courses where participants are licensed through The Society of NLP and Dr. Richard Bandler.

NLP is a practical approach to how language, attention, and internal state affect the way we communicate, make decisions, and act. You learn to build better rapport, stand more firmly in challenging situations, and help people make desired changes more concrete and achievable.

The teaching combines precise skills with practical training in communication, state work, and change.

Explore courses

The Authenticity Paradox

Together with Lexi Cruz, I have created The Authenticity Paradox, an English-language podcast and digital community. The project is based on a question that is also closely related to much of my work:

"What if the hardest person to become is the person you already know you are?"

Explore The Authenticity Paradox

How I work

I my interactions with people, I am characterized by curiosity, clarity, and great respect for the situations they are facing.

First, we work on understanding what is actually happening. What truly matters most? What do you want to access? What is influencing your reactions, choices, and actions right now?

From there, work methods are chosen based on your specific situation. The work may draw elements from coaching, NLP, hypnosis, reflection, Gestalt, psychology, visualization, and practical exercises.

I am direct and thorough. I listen for connections, language, and patterns that easily get lost in a quick conversation. I place great emphasis on listening for what is not being said. The goal is to make the complex simple and clear enough for you to face your situation and your life with greater freedom and precision.

Do you want to work on your own patterns, choices, and direction?

Read more about how private coaching can help you create greater clarity and stability under pressure.

Explore coaching