The first time I met John Christian, it felt like a scene from a movie. Heading from Lagos to Portimão, looking for a seat in a train, there he was – a charismatic gentleman with kind eyes and a huge suitcase which proved to be a great conversation starter.
WORDS Jana Kováčová
John looked twenty years younger than his actual age (75). I found out that the suitcase was a testament to his lifestyle as an actor, singer, entertainer, keynote speaker and life coach. Suddenly those few minutes until I had to get off the train were too short, so we exchanged numbers and just like that, I found a new, wise friend who has influenced my life tremendously.
As a child, John was what we call nowadays ‘right brain dominant’. He is an intuitive feeler and learner. He says, “The analytical stuff wasn’t easy for me. Teachers told me I wasn’t smart enough when it came to reading and writing, which caused me to become fearful and introverted.”
Having discovered that he could sing and make people laugh, he started an entertainment group at the age of 17, often performing to the sick and elderly in care homes. This led to him being invited to join a local acting group, which helped him to overcome his stage fright. He went on to become a Bluecoat entertainer at Pontins holiday camp, where he honed his craft. John went on to star in his own theatre and TV shows. His career reached its zenith when the parents of the Bee Gees began managing his career and he found himself in the company of many great artists, several of whom became close friends. Having been spotted by a casting director, acting roles in films and TV commercials followed, and he landed a recording contract with a major record label.
One of his biggest claims to fame was appearing in a scene in the Bond movie, No Time To Die. The scene was shot in the London underground, with a stuntman doing Daniel Craig’s part where he was supposed to jump in the middle of the escalator. “Thanks to my agent, I got to play a sophisticated businessman. Working on a Bond film was an amazing experience,” John recalls.
Despite this success, John did not feel fulfilled. “I found myself in a dressing room one night after a show, wondering why I still felt as if something was missing when I had achieved fame and fortune.”
John became interested in the psychological/spiritual side of human nature and how it is possible to overcome the fears and self-doubts that often hold us back in life. This led him to study meditation, mindfulness, yoga and martial arts, resulting in his becoming a coach. “My life experiences have taught me that everything we need is already within us. We just need the right help and support to draw it out of ourselves.”
John has travelled extensively throughout Europe, Australia, the US, Africa, Peru and Columbia during his education. He met many shamans and spiritual leaders, for example, Swami Sivananda, founder of The International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres, Dr Paul Solomon, founder of The Fellowship of The Inner Light, Reverend Tamo-San, founder of The Buddha’s Eye in Japan and Sir George Trevelyan, founder of The Wrekin Trust UK.
He has also learnt a lot from indigenous people, including the Mamos of Columbia, Aboriginal elders of Australia, Joseph Rael, Pueblo Shaman and Maasai people of Tanzania and Kenya, who he believes are connected with their hearts and intuition through living in nature. “That is what we were designed to do. Their message is to take responsibility for living correctly. They say, ‘Trust the mind within nature’ and everything will be revealed to you. They know from experience that everything is connected. Many have unfortunately learnt to survive by manipulating others emotionally because they do not feel loved and happy.”
Manifesting plays a vital role in John´s coaching. He explains, “Every thought is a manifestation, so is every feeling, every word, and every action. When we extend our inner self into the world energetically, it comes back as a positive or negative reaction. If we are consciously aware of this, we achieve the desired outcomes. In every breath, I visualise every cell of my body emanating the quality of energy that I want to be experiencing. Knowing that what I put out there comes back to me, often tenfold in return.”
Through all his discoveries, John believes that there is only one fundamental lesson in life and that is to know true and pure love. “I don’t mean romantic love, which is often based on need and is therefore not pure or true love. Pure love as an energy and a creative force is the source of all life. It transforms us from within. If we do not feel loved, we are prone to trying to make others responsible for how we think, feel and behave. Our true nature is love, which is why we always seek it, but it has to be found and experienced from within. We are, in essence, love, which is why we are always seeking to love and be loved. As it says in Scripture, ‘’Know Thy Self’’ and “To yourself, be true and the truth will set you free.”
John believes a key component in finding true happiness is to find a better life-work balance, taking responsibility for ourselves on all levels. His coaching modules are all based on skills to achieve this. “For example, when the body says ‘stop’, then stop. Having worked in cancer groups, I’ve often heard, ‘I knew I should have stopped, I was so stressed and now I’ve got this; all the worry and pressure to succeed resulted in lost years with the family.’ In order to overcome such conditional societal habits takes self-reflection and a desire to change. We instinctively know the right thing to do. We may have to take a break, change our diet, stop overeating, over-drinking, etc. No one can change your reality but you.”
John fell in love with Portugal while filming a Villa Plus TV commercial. He then returned several times to spend the winter months here. He now has his residency and is looking to buy an apartment in the Algarve. He would love to help even more people in Portugal or worldwide online and be able to work one on one or in groups.
John is now well established as a lecturer, keynote speaker and life skills coach, hosting workshops on charisma, the art of self-esteem, managing stress, relationships and teaching communication skills, among others. He is available to share his skills on all levels of society; he has worked in corporate, in the education system, in therapy groups, with the homeless and even saved a young man from a life in prison.
John offers a program that consists of ten modules tailored to the client’s needs, like self-confidence, balance in mind, body and spirit, business success, presentation skills, communication techniques, developing intuitive intelligence and better relationships.
