Testimonials

I didn’t know what I wanted when I first started speaking with John.  I just knew I wanted what other clients of his had and what he had.  The easiest way to describe is - I wanted to hold my head high.

Life was good but I feel like I was always second guessing myself and not committing out of fear of failure. I felt less than.

I had never considered coaching before. I had only read self help books. After doing one session with John I felt a change in myself and I wanted to develop that.

I always felt inspired after my sessions with John - and felt a difference in how I moved through life almost immediately.

To be honest, before we began I feared I wouldn’t get anything out of it and it would be a waste of time and money.  But the 6 months with John has changed me for the better.  And I think other people notice as well.  I now look forward to each day and the challenges in front of me.

Like many things in my life John crossed my path and it felt like the right thing to do. And I am so happy I did.

I would say that John has added a precision, focus and accountability to my actions which are helping me be the person I want to be. My self esteem/ confidence, focus, accountability  quickly developed and I now feel more direct, more precise, more efficient. I get excited about life more often. I think to myself as I go to bed-  I am so looking forward to tomorrow’s next adventure.

My overall look on life has shifted and I feel confident and strong.

I am so grateful that John Tretheway and I have crossed paths. And I hope to keep working with him.

I would recommend working with John to anyone.  If you are open to it there is no way you won’t see results.

"John is a great coach, and I couldn't be happier with the amazing progress I've made with his help. When I first started working with John, I was feeling stuck and unsure of how to move forward in my life. I wanted to make a big change in my career but I had convinced myself that I wasn’t qualified enough or good enough to pursue the work I actually wanted to be doing.

John's coaching style was incredibly effective in helping me break down my negative self-image and recognize, accept, and live in my strengths. He helped me move past a fear of failure and see that I could create the life I wanted to live. In a few short months I was able to make huge strides towards achieving my long-term goals. 

Making progress in my career and my relationships has been rewarding enough, but the greatest reward has been the shift in my mindset. During our first session I was uncomfortable even voicing my goals out loud or saying kind things about myself. Now I’m proud of my aspirations and happy to share my positive attributes.

I'm incredibly proud of all the positive changes I've made and the progress I've achieved with John's help. I’m so pleased that I took a risk and invested in myself. I had no experience with coaching when I set out on this journey and I wasn’t sure it would be the right course of action. Now I’d recommend the experience to anyone who is looking to make a change in their life or looking for help in achieving their goals!"

My time with John had a profound impact on my life.  He offered invaluable perspective in so many areas of my life, which has changed for the better in all aspects.  Simply put, John is very skilled at what he does.  His authenticity and overall outlook on life are infectious.  He holds you accountable in everything.  He offered the exact guidance I needed right when I needed it most.  Transformation does not come without hard and a bit of soul searching, but if you truly approach the opportunity to work with John with an open mind, you are guaranteed to see incredible growth in every area of your life.

Working with John was a true gift. A gift to me, my husband my child, and my filmmaking producing partner. While the nature of our coaching was to help me in my work it overflowed into all aspects of my life and helped me be the person I want to be and know myself to be. Working with John helped me be in better relationship with myself and my truth which of course helped me in my partnerships. I have done many weekend self help workshops over the years, but working with John I feel like the lessons keep growing. The “high” and clarity that I got from weekend work shops would always fade away, but the work with John is lasting. That lasting quality of his coaching is what keeps me honest and connected to my truth. It’s why I highly recommend him to my friends and family.

Working with John as a coach was life-altering in the most positive way! I believe coaching IS his true calling and that he was born to do it.  With John, I experienced nothing less than his 100% focus and concentration on moving my life forward.  My life was ready to make some huge adjustments and reach for some bigger dreams and goals; I was stuck before meeting John.

Through the generosity of his time and commitment, I decided he was the person to help me breakthrough on a deep level.  

John helped me to discover that so much of what I "thought" was success was in actuality other views of success that I adopted. It was very freeing to experience and express my truest passions and desires. It was wonderful to create the life I wanted step-by-step with John.

Admittedly, I am very accomplished and John aided me in seeing that the overachiever mindset I had could be deconstructed. And what I was left with was a clarity and freedom that I had never experienced, even after doing numerous self-help programs and books. 

The unique thing about working with John was that the work I did was hyperfocused on me and who I was being in the world.  It felt indulgent and selfish at first but it was exactly the life evaluation I needed. 

There were so many breakthroughs and one of the most impactful one was with my integrity.  I stopped making blanket assumptions with my partner, employees and friends which were leading to tremendous upsets in my life. Now, with John's coaching, I now quickly distinguish "agreements" with myself and those I encounter. 

Through intention and communication, I have created people in their highest sense versus only seeing their limitations.  This principle was truly transformed all aspects of my life.  

Working with John was, at times, uncomfortable in that I had to release negative views and patterns which I didn't know I had.

John was there at every turn like a gentle yet strong wave of compassion and wisdom to lift me up to my best existence.

If you are ready to breakthrough to the boldest you, I highly recommend John!

I am so happy I finally took the leap to help move my personal life and career forward.

Yes I was nervous about hiring a coach. I had the money fears, the thought that I wasn’t at a high enough level to deserve coaching, the fears of being vulnerable and exposing my weaknesses, the thoughts of is this the right time and do I have the time… Lots of thoughts getting in the way.

How did I move forward? Well, I’ve known John for quite a few years and have seen his own personal growth. For me, that was a big deal so I had a conversation to test it out. It was powerful. My fears began to dissolve and were replaced with much more empowered thinking. I knew this was something I couldn’t afford to wait on any longer.

Before I started with coaching I had a lot of inconsistencies both professionally and personally and often questioned my own intuition and experience. I knew I wanted to improve my communication and leadership skills and I wasn’t even clear what I meant by that.

John helped me to see what before were blind spots. Just one being where I would often speak in circles, now I have become more precise in my speaking by streamlining my communications with my teams both above and below resulting in happier employees and dramatic increases in productivity.

On a personal level, I have been able to continually improve my communications and thus relationship with my daughter who has also been coached by John. His teen coaching is amazing!!!

John is a straight shooter. Never minces words and gets right to the point when he sees an opportunity for improvement. We all get a lot of feedback from friends and family who, for the most part, have our best interests in mind. However, when you hire a coach... you are getting unbiased guidance... with no other motive than YOUR personal growth.

John also makes the coaching fun. Expect to laugh a lot... and be prepared for him to pick up on things that you may not know you’re doing. He’ll course correct and it’s amazing!

My life is calmer now. I look at challenges differently (not as overwhelming problems). I still work diligently every day to be better and do better. Now I’m at a very calm and heightened awareness and able to see and stop the vicious cycles before they start.

With the coaching I have been able to look deep to figure out what I really want in my life and actually create it. A life of empowerment, confidence, creating from inspiration (not fear) and experiencing deep relationships both professionally and personally. A life of abundance.

 In short, I should have done it years ago...

“The moment I met John, I knew he had something I was interested in. He seemed equal parts buoyant and grounded, and I noticed he brought such humility and humor to the way he facilitated. Probably the greatest gift he gave me during our six month program was the realization that personal growth doesn't have to feel like a grind—it can be a celebration. We're all out here learning and stumbling around together and the greatest gift we can give each other and ourselves is love and forgiveness. John gave me his unwavering support, love and wisdom and it allowed me to flourish. He changed the way I think about work, relationships, spirituality, and money. He encouraged me to go beyond my limited beliefs, asking myself: Why the hell not? And to take big risks that have paid off. It's challenging to condense all I learned with John into a single paragraph, but I would highly recommend his work to anyone seeking to make big shifts in their lives. I know I'll work with him again. 

Update:

I met John during a time of major transition in my life: My career, where I lived, and the ways I spent my time were all up in the air. In one of our first sessions I told John: "I've spent 36 years trying to prove myself to everyone. All I want is to feel like a normal guy." He laughed and then we went to work. The two year project we would embark on would dissolve practically every bullshit, limiting story I ever had about myself and take me into a realm of possibility I never knew existed: Could I really create my life exactly how I wanted it from the ground up? I am happy to report it is possible. Today, I have a thriving coaching practice, wonderful relationships, a life filled with joy and peace and financial abundance, but the best part is: If it all went away tomorrow, I know I'd be fine. That freedom is the way of being John supported me in living into. And I am eternally grateful to him for it. 

I first met John Tretheway (JT) via LinkedIn as we both graduated from USC. I created the local SOUTH BAY TROJANS Club and I wanted JT to become an active member. We started to chat online and got to know each other. I was struggling financially during COVID due to the local government lockdowns so did not have any extra money for coaching and mentoring, but I was interested in his services. I have been a Mentor for hundreds of people, officially and unofficially, over the decades but I always had bad luck in finding my own.
JT offered to help me with some gifted (no strings) sessions and I found these to be very helpful in addressing my issues with my wife, two young daughters, health, career path, and my new boss. He is a great listener and provided the kind-hearted feedback that I needed. I appreciated the fact that JT was never pushy about his coaching business with me. He readily admits that he is not perfect and does not pretend to be.  He is also admittedly a flawed individual, like us all, and is always working on himself. He uses his story of struggle and failure to let us know that anything is possible.

These initial conversations helped me make the changes needed to get my career back in line that provided the funds that I needed to one day take him up on his offer to hire him for a program that we recently completed.  During that time, I let him guide me to make changes and differences in my life and the most impactful one being my health as I was clearly overweight. He introduced me to the “FIT FATHERS PROJECT” that I have been on for 3 months now and only view “food as fuel”, exercise 5 times a week, and stopped my heavy drinking.  I have lost almost 30 pounds thus far and I am well on my way to a permanently healthier lifestyle.

Most everyone I know could benefit from having a Life Coach like JT but a lot of people are afraid to invest in themselves. I initially made that excuse but the more I thought about it, I viewed it as a true financial investment in me!  If I wanted to dramatically perform at the highest level and reach those financial rewards, how else was I going to get there without someone else’s help?  I did need to make wholesale changes to improve my health but the changes in the other areas were just what I called “course corrections” need just a little guidance that I could not perfect myself.

I believed in Coach JT enough to take a Friday off of work and invested in myself once again to join him for a 3-day “Game Changer” event put on by Devon Bandison.  This event helped me to start to clarify what I need to do to get to the next level because I cannot get there solely by myself. Life is a Team Sport.
You hire JT as your Life Coach because you probably tried to improve yourself for decades and it did not work. You need someone in your life that sees and exposes you as you truly are, not as you think you are.  We all know that we could do better in our lives, but how does one get there without outside help from someone like JT?

I was seeking real change and that is what has happened with JT’s help.  I am now a healthier, more fit father to my daughters who are proud of me and I plan to be around to walk them both down the aisle one day.  My relationship with my bride of 17 years has only strengthened as she now sees how hard I am trying to improve myself. I now have a plan of action on how to interact with my boss, whom I have a strategy to convert into a business partner.

My future is very bright!
Living my Best Life!

I initially got on a call with John because I needed help communicating with my husband, who was already a client of his. I had no expectations because this was my first call with a coach, although I was also quite nervous. John gracefully created a wide open, unconditionally loving space in which I suddenly and surprisingly ?opened up with the most clarity of expression, possibly of my entire life.

 The quality of listening and depth of presence in those calls with John were life changing for me. They gave me a reference point for what I want and need as well as what I want to give in my life. I experienced this as the sensation of standing, perched on top of a tall tree, teetering back and forth in the wind of uncertainty, and then, daring to open my eagle wings and soar out into the space of conscious creation. Nothing short of exhilarating.

 From this place, I could declare: Who I am is the most fully expressed Adult Woman I can be. I am unhindered by the past. I listen to others free of judgment, unsolicited advice, agendas and expectations. I am joyous. I am happy. I am soaring.

 This is what got created in the course of 4-5 calls with John. He listened. He asked poignant questions. He held an unconditionally loving space. Within that space, I was able to face old fears and insecurities with pure presence and a commitment to action. With John’s support, I was able to create an unapologetic life in which I am a powerful creator.

If you are considering working with him, you may want to know…John will love you no matter what you say. And he will ask you to do hard shit—that conversation you don’t want to have? That raise you don’t think you deserve? That relationship you’re feeling a victim to? John will face you into your fears and insecurities and support you to open into them with curiosity and a commitment to nothing less than transformation.

John and I have known one another for 15+ years and during a catch up call I shared about what was going on in my life and we got to talking about what I wanted to create and why that wasn’t happening. It was at that point I felt it was worth exploring coaching. The major issues I wanted to work on were my tendency to procrastinate and also wanted to further my professional development. 

     During our initial conversation I really related to the areas of growth coaching can improve so it was a no brainer for me. After our first conversation I didn’t have any concerns, I just went all-in. I wasn’t happy with certain areas of my life and had to look in the mirror, take accountability and improve myself. Best decision I’ve ever made. At the end of our sessions I was able to learn more than I could have ever imagined.     

     I thought life was fine other than a few areas I thought needed improvement. Once we began peeling back the layers I realized there was so many areas of my life that needed improvement. I wasn’t a good listener, lacked patience, procrastinated, scared to be uncomfortable, etc.

     My life has been completely transformed from working with John for just 6 months. A few areas I have improved on are having a better work/life balance, improved communication skills, improved leadership skills, stronger relationships with friends and family, clear goals with strategies to ensure success.

     I truly did not comprehend the power of a coach. I knew there were areas of my life I wanted to improve on, but felt it was something I could accomplish by myself. After my first session with John I knew I made the right decision to work with John. 

     I enjoyed that every session was new, different and exciting. John was able to give me a fresh, informed perspective on everyday problems I face. He offered new insight into challenges and helped identify negative patterns that were standing in the way of my success. He helped bridge the gap between the life I am currently living and the one I want to lead.

     No one is perfect and everyone has areas in their life that would drastically improve from coaching. There is a reason in every sport there are coaches to help players improve, they analyze your game and give insight on how to improve. I feel this is the same in life and business, you can make improvements by yourself, but with a coach it supercharges it. John is the supercharged coach!    

     I was surprised at how many areas of my life I didn’t realize needed improvement. Just as with my golf: I thought my swing was looking good, but then my coach videoed me and when I saw it I was shocked of what I thought it looked like in my head vs what it actually looked like. Through the coaching with John I discovered there were so many areas of my life I didn’t realize were impacted because of how I approached the situations until John and I discussed and reflected on how I could have handled certain situations better. I absolutely loved working with John and look forward to continuing to improve on myself!

     In just a short time of coaching my life has completely changed. I could never have imagined the growth in just 6 months. John was able to help me identify my strengths and come up with a plan to achieve long-lasting change. Every area of my life is better. Today I am a better father and husband, am closer with my friends, more patient, and a better leader A lot of our conversations lead back to leadership, which encompasses so many traits and I work every day to improve myself to be a better leader at work and at home.

     If you are on the fence about hiring a coach, stop waiting and take the leap. Coaching gives you an entirely different perspective in life and gives you the skills to improve in every area of life. Coaching helps develop steps to improve yourself and work to set and achieve goals. Everyone can benefit from coaching. I am 100% confident that if John offered a 100% money back to clients that aren’t satisfied he would never have a client take him up on it. The knowledge you attain from coaching is truly life changing.

My experience: I had mentioned some frustrations and challenges I was having in my personal and professional lives, we started talking about coaching, life coaching, what it entails, and the benefits and applications to everyday life. We talked about how I might benefit. I wasn’t sure at first if it was right for me (Oh no! Something new!) but after thinking about it and realizing my frustrations weren’t going to go away by themselves, I decided to move forward. I am so glad I did.

Some years ago, John had made some profound and fundamental changes in his own life, through coaching, and I was able to see them take hold firsthand. It’s one thing for someone to tell you they’ve changed but to witness the transformation with your own eyes is so much more powerful. That metamorphosis and my own desire for change were the catalysts to work with John. 

His honesty, wit, loyalty, generosity of spirit and good good heart have been at the core of my privilege of friendship with him. 

John has a gift for truly listening with no judgment, creating an open environment to foster ideas for real change. He had asked me to provide some topics I wanted to discuss, areas on which I wanted focus. We’d pick an issue from the list and dive right in. He’d listen to me describe a problem and then we’d spend the session getting to the root of the problem and thinking of actions to not only get through it and solve it but to to use the new thoughts and actions as a springboard for betterment.

Look at it this way, as a number-line. Let’s say you’re at a negative five in some aspect of your life. It’d be great to solve that problem and eliminate it, right? On a number-line though, that merely takes you to zero. John helped me use the new thoughts/actions/tools to go from my negative five to plus five. It was both inspiring and empowering.

His coaching has impacted several aspects of my life. My relationships with my daughter and my girlfriend have improved as I feel I am a much more patient listener, really listening to what they say and think (as opposed to just waiting for my turn to talk or always trying to immediately fix something). My attitude toward work has improved in that I have learned to much more appreciate my boss, what I do, and my situation in general. I’d have to say the main thing John has helped me with is that I am infinitely more calm.

There is a popular saying these past 15-20 years, “It is what it is.” I HATE that saying, or at least I used to hate it. It always seemed so fatalistic, nothing can be done, just give up. That grated on me to no end. However, John helped me see that phrase in a different light. Not as giving up but more as a reality for that moment, i.e., “Okay, this has happened, you can’t change it, how are you going to handle it, how are going to move forward and how are you going to learn from it?” So much more productive. And in the same light, regarding learning from something, John helped me realize that judgment and assigning blame are counterproductive and a waste of time. If there is responsibility to be taken by oneself or whomever, realize what is, what could be more optimal the next time around and come up with a plan to implement it. No sense in judging, blaming and getting upset. They are a waste of time, energy and thought. Figure it out, get a plan and move on.

I often spent a lot of time making up stories in my head about what other people are thinking, might be thinking, might say, might do, etc. I would create stories and scenarios that had no basis in reality. John helped me realize these stories are not productive, in fact, they are counterproductive. They provide no sense of calm and worse, by consuming your mind and thoughts, they do not allow you to think. Life can be so much more when one has time to think and create without the hindrance and drag of some fictional reality. Even if you only measured your life in efficiency, the increased time realized and spent moving forward is astronomical. 

Finally, I have a long way to go and so much more growing to do. However, thanks to John, I can see the potential: a larger life (however you want to define that), an inspired life and an empowered life. Coaching has provided me with two new types of awareness. Awareness of my behaviors - am I falling back into old habits, am I making up stories, am I having fits of frustration, am I wasting time and thought? Before, my mind would churn like a washing machine and not shut off until it had run full cycle or I was sufficiently distracted. Now however, I have the ability to turn off the machine after a couple of seconds and stop the mindless churning. From there, my second new awareness kicks in, that of a creative and fulfilled life!”

Thank you, John!
Sincerely,
Devin Bartlett 

Goal: I wanted to work on with my relationship with my husband and son.Results:  I came away with more insight, gratitude and tools in which to improve and appreciate my relationships.

Previous knowledge of coaching:  I was not familiar with what a coach could offer.

New knowledge from experience: Coaching gets you thinking about issues in a different and positive light.

The things I liked the best about working with John were that there were no expectations, no judgement and a very comfortable and trusting environment to share and work through whatever I wanted to deal with.

John is very easy to open up to, very invested in seeing you succeed and knows his stuff!  

Three life-changing benefits for me are a much better relationship with my husband, a better understanding of my son, and a mind blowing practice of living without expectations.

Life before coaching was good but I was not putting in the effort necessary to create and keep positive family relationships.

John provided the tools and motivation to apply actions to my insights and support me in working on those relationships which made for a much happier and healthier home life.

Biggest insight: It is possible to completely turn around any negative situation and make it great!

I regard you as a pivotal influence in my life as you have been so critically important to helping to turn my life around. You help me realize that "I could do it"....a lesson I had forgotten but now try to live to every day. Thank you.