ABOUT JOHN
Experience to share. A commitment to serve.
I’m John Carnes. After three decades working in medical devices, healthcare, and leadership, I’m choosing to spend this chapter of my life doing work that matters to me: helping people think clearly, make deliberate choices, and move toward a life they want to live.
I’m retired from my corporate career. Coaching remains work I choose because I value the relationships and the opportunity to contribute.
I see this chapter as an opportunity to be a good steward of my time, experience, and what I’ve learned. For me, that means listening carefully, sharing what may be useful, and helping people develop the clarity and confidence to make their own choices.
Cancer has also shaped how I choose to live. I choose to see that experience as a blessing—a magnifying glass on what truly matters to me. It has brought my relationships, my time, and the ways I can help others into clearer focus.
That perspective is part of why I’m here. I want to spend my time intentionally, share what I’ve learned, and help others discover what matters most to them.
What brought me here
I first experienced coaching when I reached a plateau in my own career. Having someone help me look at my situation with greater objectivity changed how I approached it. That experience led me to pursue coach training and certification, and to help bring coaching into the workplace at Medtronic.
My background includes executive and life coaching, emotional intelligence, and years of working with people facing decisions, responsibility, and change. I bring that experience into our conversations, along with the understanding that your circumstances deserve to be understood on their own.
How I work
We start with what matters to you.
What do you want? What does success mean in your life? Which expectations are yours, and which have you carried because someone else put them there?
My role is to listen, ask useful questions, offer perspective, and help you turn what you learn into action. We make room for honest reflection, practical steps, accountability, and some humor along the way.
I enjoy working with people who are curious about themselves, willing to look honestly at where they are, and ready to do something with that understanding. You don’t need a complete plan. A willingness to begin gives us something to work with.
Knowing what you want to change and actually changing it can be very different things. Our work makes room for both.
Making room to give back
I believe useful mentorship should be within reach of people who can benefit from it.
I’m developing a donation-based portion of my practice alongside paid, ongoing coaching. This is a work in progress, shaped by the people I meet, the help I can offer, and the time I can thoughtfully commit.
For longer-term coaching, the relationship matters. We’ll take time to understand what you’re looking for and whether working together feels right for both of us.
Let’s start with a conversation
Bring a question, a decision, or something you’re ready to work on. We’ll start there.
