About John
The Long and Winding Road
to the Mythic Self
As a Coach and Shamanic Ally, I help people reorient their lives around the Mythic. For me, it’s been a long and winding road to get here.
I believe it’s important you know who you're trusting with your inner world—someone you can feel safe opening up to. So, let me tell you a little bit about where I come from and how I found this path.
When I was young, I was chosen to be one of the three wise men in the Christmas play. I wore the white turban with the red ruby, followed the star, and brought gifts for the Christ child. I was there to bless him and serve as a way-shower. In hindsight, that moment feels like an early whisper from the Mythic—a glimpse of the sacred role I’d later embody.
I grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana. My father, the first in his family to graduate from high school and then college, passed down a deep work ethic and a belief in possibility. When I was 15, he gave me Think and Grow Rich. I devoured it—cover to cover, margins filled with notes and highlights. That book lit the fire for my early exploration of Western success thinking. Not long after, I was drawn to Eastern philosophy and meditation. I was starting to sense there was more to life—something deeper beneath the surface.
But after college, I set those teachings aside. I followed my ambition to New York City, chasing the external version of success, as many of us do.
It was in New York that I rose to success and fame, becoming the Celebrity Agent for some of the biggest music stars in the world, including Beyoncé and Usher. Later, I had the honor of coaching other gifted artists like actress Amanda Seyfried and singer-songwriter Matt White.
Despite living what most would consider an epic, rock star life, I felt an ache beneath it all—a sense that I was meant to make a deeper impact. The thrill of helping talented people make more money began to feel hollow. I knew there was more. I could feel a calling pulling me inward.
So I left that career—and my jet-set lifestyle—amidst the raised eyebrows of my peers. Over the next few years, I explored new terrain, honing my gifts while coaching hundreds of people to greater success. I spoke to thousands across the country through national conferences and Fortune 1000 companies, sharing what I called The Rock Star In You seminar series. During that time, I wrote a book and was featured in USA Today, Life & Style, and the New York Daily News.
Eventually, I was offered a high-profile role as a life coach on MTV’s Made, which led to being profiled on ABC News and Entertainment Tonight. Once again, I had seemingly reached the pinnacle—this time as a coach—with visibility, recognition, and financial success.
But once again, my soul whispered. And this time, I truly listened.
In 2009, I was called—more accurately, catapulted—to go deeper.
What followed was a long, often grueling journey of self-discovery. I immersed myself in indigenous wisdom traditions, studying with a world-renowned school of Shamanism. That path eventually led me to a teaching role and the co-founding of an advanced Shamanic studies school known as The Shaman’s Collective.
Over the years, I worked closely with indigenous wisdom keepers and shamanic elders in the high Andes of Peru and deep within the Amazon jungle. I underwent rites of initiation that stripped away everything I thought I was. I learned to sit in the unknown, to listen beyond words, and to see through the lens of the sacred.
In the process, I was gifted the Quechuan name “Otocramachi” by a respected medicine man—meaning “he who can speak with all things.” It was during this time that I stopped seeking outside myself and began to remember who I truly am. Through this journey, I found my Truth.
Having reoriented my own life around the Mythic, I can now say with deep gratitude that I live the life I once only dreamed of: meaningful, soul-aligned work I’m passionate about, a sacred marriage with the woman of my dreams, a healed and reconnected relationship with my 23-year-old son, and an unwavering inner compass for my purpose in this world.
Today, I lead private group journeys to sacred sites around the world—Peru, the Amazon, Greece, Bali—alongside my wife, who walks a parallel path of devotion and truth.
I now call Southern California home, where I study Tai Chi Chuan with a master teacher and live on three acres of sacred land—a space that also serves as a private retreat center for those awakening to a more conscious, connected way of being. Occasionally, I step back into the world of business to deliver keynote talks for companies like Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, Rodale Publishing, Ultra Diamond Retailers, and Billboard Magazine.
On a personal note, I find joy in the simple and sacred: exploring the hiking trails of Northern San Diego, competing in triathlons (my longest distance so far is 70.3), and playing with new sounds on my guitar. Lately, I’ve been drawn to the devotional energy of Sanskrit mantras by Ajeet Kaur, and revisiting the soulful storytelling of artists like Ray LaMontagne.
Some of my greatest pride comes at bedtime, crafting epic dragon tales for my three- and five-year-old children, Aquiline Love and Sorya Sage. A few of my spirit animals live close by—our black cat Panther and our wolf hybrid, Shai’ya Ray.
And finally, there are two things I don’t compromise on: Footwear and Coffee. Both are always Italian.
Of course, this path hasn’t been without its initiations.
Like so many of us, I’ve moved through profound family crises—both of my parents’ battles with cancer, the heartbreak of loved ones struggling with addiction, and moments of holding others through the darkest nights of their soul. I’ve also witnessed beauty beyond words, like ushering my son into this world during his water birth at home.
These are the moments that shape us. They soften us, crack us open, and invite us to show up more fully. They remind us of what really matters.
It is my deepest desire that you, too, align your life fully with who you truly are—and feel the power, clarity, and peace that comes when you live from that sacred place within.
How I work
with my clients
As your Coach, I work at the level of the mind.
As your Shamanic Ally, I work at the level of the heart.
Together, this unique combination takes you beyond traditional coaching—into the deepest aspects of Self—so you can remember who you truly are and live in alignment with your Soul’s purpose.
I now work with only five clients at a time—those who are ready to go far beyond where most life coaching ends, and into the sacred territory of the Soul. This is deep, transformational work. I hold it with the highest integrity and in full devotion to the path I’ve been taught.
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