How I Work
The Integrationist Approach (IDI Method)
Change sticks when insight becomes action in the life you truly live.
My work follows a simple, repeatable framework across coaching, therapy and social work, program facilitation, psychedelic preparation/sitting/integration, and esthetics: Intention → Discovery → Integration → Iterate. We clarify what matters, map reality, translate insight into small repeatable steps, and learn our way forward.
The IDI Method
Intention → Discovery → Integration
INTENTION: We name what matters now and how we’ll notice progress. Direction, not demand.
DISCOVERY: We map your story, systems, supports, barriers, and risks to design a plan that fits your capacity, constraints, and context.
INTEGRATION: We turn insight into small, trackable practices supported by cues, tools, environment, and accountability.
ITERATE: We review outcomes, keep what works, adjust what doesn’t, and consolidate wins.
why the IDI Method works
It lowers shame by honoring context — “stuck” often reflects design, not failure
It reduces risk via early safety checks, scope clarity, and referral pathways.
It increases follow-through with plans sized for your real life.
It builds trust through transparency, consent, and clear roles.
It scales across settings; one framework, many applications.
Intentions vs Expectations
INTENTIONS
Directional, values-based, flexible, and within your control — behaviors, attention, choices.
Example: “I approach my career conversations with honest courage.”
EXPECTATIONS
Demand a specific outcome on a rigid timeline, often outside your control, other people’s decisions, or exact dates.
Example: “I must land job X in 30 days.”
When we hold clear intentions, pair them with evidence-informed actions, and let results guide our next move, it fosters engagement and resilience instead of pressure, and premature quitting, or the perception of failure.
Integrationist
Where the Value in My Work Comes From
What is an Integrationist?
An Integrationist bridges the gap between insight and embodiment.
My job is to help you align your values with realistic plans and make change stick — personally, professionally, and creatively — across coaching, therapy/social work, programs, psychedelic preparation/sitting/integration, and even hair design.
What is an Integrationist Approach?
Client-centered and trauma-informed: safety, consent, and pacing come first.
Systems-aware: we account for personal, relational, and structural factors.
Evidence-informed: methods from behavior science, coaching psychology, therapy modalities (within licensure/scope and referrals as needed), and adult learning.
Small experiments over big promises: testable steps with real feedback.
Clear roles, boundaries, and ethics: scope-of-practice, confidentiality, and legal compliance.
What Does an Integrationist Do?
INTENTION
→
Elicit values and goals; translate them into one clear intention and success signals; align scope and consent.
DISCOVERY
→
Map history, attempts, patterns, supports/barriers; assess risks and fit; co-design a plan with practices, cadence, and metrics.
INTEGRATION
Convert insights into 1–3 micro-actions; set cues and supports; review data; celebrate wins; troubleshoot friction; iterate.
How the IDI Method Applies Across Modalities
Coaching/Business: strategy, micro-experiments, accountability.
Therapy/social work: assessment, stabilization, skills, resources, and referrals (within licensure/jurisdiction).
Programs: group agreements, practice labs, and transfer tasks that land in real life.
Psychedelic prep/integration: preparation, education, screening, meaning-making, aftercare and action.
Hairdressing: intention for look/feel, lifestyle fit, consent at change points, aftercare and maintenance plan.
Who Works with Integrationists?
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Individuals seeking meaningful change with support and structure.
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Clients navigating career moves, relationships, grief, life transitions, or performance goals — simply put, transformation.
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Program participants wanting to turn learning into action.
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People integrating big experiences. (For example: retreats, rites of passage, psychedelic contexts.)
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Clients who want services that respect trauma history, identity, culture, and access.
Who Benefits Most?
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Have insights but struggle to implement consistently.
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Want a plan that fits your actual time, energy, money, and access.
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Are done with all-or-nothing cycles and want steady progress.
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Value ethics, safety, consent, and cultural responsiveness.
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Will try one small action between sessions and learn from it.
The Integrationist approach uses the IDI Method (Intention → Discovery → Integration) to turn insight into embodied change.
It reduces overwhelm, increases follow-through, and builds confidence you can reuse across goals.
It’s for people and teams who want sustainable progress, clear boundaries, and a process that respects real-life constraints.
Tony Santini
Tony Santini is a certified Life Coach with a Bachelor's in Psychology and 27 years of experience in the beauty industry. He combines his deep understanding of human behavior with a rich background as an educator, consultant, salon owner, and former owner of The Salon Professional Academy in Madison, Wisconsin. Tony is a Master Stylist at Every Piece Salon and pursuing his Master’s in Social Work at the University at of Hawai'i at Mānoa. Tony offers a holistic approach to life coaching rooted in professional experience and a commitment to personal growth, available both in Honolulu, Hawaii, and virtually to clients everywhere.
