About Jon
Through-lines
(Themes that run from the beginning to the end...")
I’ve been contemplating my unconventional and varied work history and wondering what the through-lines are…what do I tell a potential client why I once sought coaching and why I became a coach? Work life is only one of a million reasons why folks might want coaching, but my frustrations with work were what drove me to it.
I’ve worked my whole life beginning with my first paper route in Charleston, WV back in the fourth grade, but I was never sure why I was doing it besides needing income. When I worked I always felt I was mostly trading my time and efforts for money, not deriving much purpose or satisfaction from it.
What I always cared about the most were my relationships with friends and family, combined with a desire to understand myself, others, and what is really going on underneath it all. And music. Always music.
Vocationally, my only true love was writing songs, playing guitar and performing, which I inconveniently did not figure out until I was almost finished with my studies at Duke University. I had only begun to learn to play guitar and had barely written any songs when I graduated and discovered I was now expected to “make a living”. The idea of pursuing a music career when I felt so unprepared seemed preposterous, and so I let it languish.
I went to work in Washington, D.C. in a high-pressure environment and did not muster the vision or courage to pursue my musical dream until I was turning 30 and couldn’t deny its power any longer. With monumental support from my wife I spent the next ten years in Nashville pursuing that dream full-time. I had major adventures, created a body of work I’m really proud of and made wonderful friends -- but I was never able to turn it into a living.
So back I went into working for the sake of work for another fifteen years. Work is good, and having jobs is good. I’m not knocking it. It’s really nice to have a place to raise your kids and make sure everybody eats. Still…
These are the main career hats I’ve worn and a few highlights:
Corporate Grassroots Public Affairs Lobbying (Operations)
- My intro to extreme pressure and The Endless Work Week
Songwriter, Singer, Guitar player, Music publisher, Producer
- Co-publishing songwriter deal with Sony/ATV; artist deal with Taylor Guitars; co-producer of major label release for Giant/Warner Brothers; solo album release “Reckless Devotion” available on Pandora and iTunes; many tales to tell
Stay at home dad
- Our son was a baby. Best job ever.
Stock analyst and Venture Capital Investment Manager
- My favorite of our portfolio companies changed healthcare and sold for half a billion dollars. That was kind of amazing to see.
CEO of Healthcare Internet Technology Company
- We built and launched a self-testing healthcare Web platform and a national physician network, and partnered with the largest lab company in the US.
Short order cook for hungry teenagers and manservant to a very large dog
- These are ongoing engagements…
As I ponder all of that busy doing, know what the through-lines were? Still the things I cared most about from the beginning: relationships…the hats I wear as husband, father, brother, friend and guy still interested in understanding what is really going on underneath it all.
When our Healthcare IT company folded a few years back, I stumbled exhausted and angry into a coaching relationship with a brilliant coach named Alison Carroll who helped me figure out how I could turn my work life into something with enough meaning to match my personal life, and not simply go back to some other job for the sake of having a job.
She, as good coaches do, skillfully helped me answer my own questions about what was next, to find a new range of possibilities for myself, and to discover that all of the various paths I’ve walked in my life are 100% relevant to a new way of life – in my case as a coach. I get to make a very nice living utilizing everything I’ve learned and done for the last thirty years - on the job and off - in the service of doing what I really care about.
Kind of amazing, really.
So--what are your reasons for wanting a coach?
What do you want to create?
And how can I serve?
I’ve worked my whole life beginning with my first paper route in Charleston, WV back in the fourth grade, but I was never sure why I was doing it besides needing income. When I worked I always felt I was mostly trading my time and efforts for money, not deriving much purpose or satisfaction from it.
What I always cared about the most were my relationships with friends and family, combined with a desire to understand myself, others, and what is really going on underneath it all. And music. Always music.
Vocationally, my only true love was writing songs, playing guitar and performing, which I inconveniently did not figure out until I was almost finished with my studies at Duke University. I had only begun to learn to play guitar and had barely written any songs when I graduated and discovered I was now expected to “make a living”. The idea of pursuing a music career when I felt so unprepared seemed preposterous, and so I let it languish.
I went to work in Washington, D.C. in a high-pressure environment and did not muster the vision or courage to pursue my musical dream until I was turning 30 and couldn’t deny its power any longer. With monumental support from my wife I spent the next ten years in Nashville pursuing that dream full-time. I had major adventures, created a body of work I’m really proud of and made wonderful friends -- but I was never able to turn it into a living.
So back I went into working for the sake of work for another fifteen years. Work is good, and having jobs is good. I’m not knocking it. It’s really nice to have a place to raise your kids and make sure everybody eats. Still…
These are the main career hats I’ve worn and a few highlights:
Corporate Grassroots Public Affairs Lobbying (Operations)
- My intro to extreme pressure and The Endless Work Week
Songwriter, Singer, Guitar player, Music publisher, Producer
- Co-publishing songwriter deal with Sony/ATV; artist deal with Taylor Guitars; co-producer of major label release for Giant/Warner Brothers; solo album release “Reckless Devotion” available on Pandora and iTunes; many tales to tell
Stay at home dad
- Our son was a baby. Best job ever.
Stock analyst and Venture Capital Investment Manager
- My favorite of our portfolio companies changed healthcare and sold for half a billion dollars. That was kind of amazing to see.
CEO of Healthcare Internet Technology Company
- We built and launched a self-testing healthcare Web platform and a national physician network, and partnered with the largest lab company in the US.
Short order cook for hungry teenagers and manservant to a very large dog
- These are ongoing engagements…
As I ponder all of that busy doing, know what the through-lines were? Still the things I cared most about from the beginning: relationships…the hats I wear as husband, father, brother, friend and guy still interested in understanding what is really going on underneath it all.
When our Healthcare IT company folded a few years back, I stumbled exhausted and angry into a coaching relationship with a brilliant coach named Alison Carroll who helped me figure out how I could turn my work life into something with enough meaning to match my personal life, and not simply go back to some other job for the sake of having a job.
She, as good coaches do, skillfully helped me answer my own questions about what was next, to find a new range of possibilities for myself, and to discover that all of the various paths I’ve walked in my life are 100% relevant to a new way of life – in my case as a coach. I get to make a very nice living utilizing everything I’ve learned and done for the last thirty years - on the job and off - in the service of doing what I really care about.
Kind of amazing, really.
So--what are your reasons for wanting a coach?
What do you want to create?
And how can I serve?
Trust is key to good relationships...