As a young adult, John caught fire studying the work of famed American humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers who pioneered empathic listening and relationship, and the Indian social leader Mahatma Gandhi who embodied the power of “nonviolence”.  In 1998 John met Marshall Rosenberg, who had created a body of work called Nonviolent Communication (NVC) and gave over four decades of his life traveling the world sharing it. John went on to work closely with him as his mentor for over a decade. He passed the torch of that liberating energy to John and others, and he has carried it forward through an international body of work and training program John co-developed with colleague Ike Lasater called Mediate Your Life. This work developed into what John now calls Empathy & Mindfulness in Conversation.