John has a degree in psychology and was a Certified Addictions Counselor (C.A.C). His first job in the field, before he even graduated from college, was as a full-time therapist in the Detoxification Unit of a local hospital. He entered graduate school, but became disillusioned with how impractical it was, compared to what he was encountering in the "real world" of mental health and drug & alcohol treatment. After working in the"trenches" in mental health and drug & alcohol treatment, he launched a very successful private practice at age 24. He soon became frustrated with the ineffectiveness of traditional approaches to therapy.

Searching for more effective approaches, John found hypnosis and NLP. He saw clients change. Over time, he became the"therapists' therapist" the person other therapists would see for their own issues. During this time, he became a consultant for six colleges and universities, developing the first Drug & Alcohol and Wellness programs in the area. He then became a frequently requested consultant and speaker for numerous other colleges and universities. While working with the colleges, he really enjoyed applying NLP to the process of teaching, learning, and athletic performance. He was an adjunct Psychology Professor at Elizabethtown College for five years and he maintained a private psychotherapy practice from 1982 until 1997.

In 1990, John together with Julie Silverthorn founded Neuro Energetics one of America’s leading and most innovative NLP Institutes in 1990. Together they developed Humanistic Neuro-Linguistic Psychologytm Since then, together with Julie, and on his own, he has continued to develop and expand Humanistic Neuro-Linguistic Psychology, their legacy in progress.

Today John lives in Atlanta, Georgia, where he coaches, runs Master Classes "Inside the Garage" and Telecoachingu.com classes. He is a prolific developer of new Neuro-Energetics and solo products where he integrates his passion for music with NLP and Hypnosis. His current interests are creating new coaching processes and models and sports consulting. When he’s not teaching or coaching, you’ll find him working out, cooking, doing yoga, making music or engaging in his newest metaphor: golfing.