Testimonials
RE: Johan Taft
I was introduced to Johan when my husband – at the time an ex-Chief Executive who had fallen on hard times – was investigating the possibility of working with him. I had no hesitation in urging my husband to embark on a programme – based on gut instinct only – and four months later I was thrilled to be able to start working with Johan myself.
I therefore have the benefit of being both an observer/supporter and an actual client, and I have no reservation in recommending Johan wholeheartedly to anyone he considers working with. And I have learned that if Johan offers you a programme, you should be thrilled. It is not an easy process and not one that should be undertaken lightly – but Johan works with potential, and he doesn’t take on just any old client; as far as I am concerned, it is a privilege to be offered the chance to work with him.
The programme followed by my husband developed along very different lines from my own – proof, if it were needed, of the bespoke nature and understanding of Johan’s work. Yes, at the beginning we followed the same exercises, but as we each developed our own understanding and committed more and more to what we needed to do (my, how we wriggled and squirmed at times like naughty schoolchildren refusing to do their homework!!) our programmes became personal to each of us.
We have now both completed the first phase that we contracted to do with Johan. We have both achieved results that I don’t think would have happened without following the programme – especially in my husband’s case as his was tangible, namely to be back in full time employment by the end of the year – and the learning curve has been exponential. I would thoroughly recommend working with Johan if you get the opportunity – the rewards are a revelation and unexpected and the learning experience invaluable. Whatever you have to do in order to embark on his programme – I strongly urge you to just do it!
Pippa Williams
Portsmouth, UK.
Before I got to know Johan, I was sceptical about the whole
’self-help’ / ’self-development’ thing. It just struck me as an awful
lot of ra-ra-ra to make insecure people feel better about themselves,
with very little substance.
I have to admit, I’m still sceptical about a lot of them, but what
Johan offers is very different. He has a very down to earth approach,
and has actually done everything he teaches you to do. As a result, I
have the utmost faith in what he delivers, and that has given me the
confidence to carry through with it. Which means I’m getting results!
What I liked most about the course is that Johan adapts it perfectly
to fit your situation. You never feel that you’re “left alone” to get
on with it – that’s important because it can be very emotionally
challenging at times.
The biggest benefit has been in the amount of control I now have over
my life. As a result of the work we’ve done, I’ve now designed and
built a business which suits my lifestyle, and gives me great joy.
(It’s also the most profitable business I’ve ever run). This spills
over into other areas of my life – I have more time and energy for my
family, and I no longer get stuck in the same old self-destructive
patterns. This is despite a lot of obstacles that I had to deal with
along the journey.
I’d definitely recommend Johan, with one caveat – be sure that you’re
really committed to taking control of your life and circumstances.
The work you’ll do is tough, but very, very rewarding.
Iain Gray
London, UK.
Marketing – Laid Bare
http://www.marketinglaidbare.com
To whomever this may interest:
Testimonial for Johan Taft of Magnify Your Greatness
This testimonial is written 4 months after my recent mentoring programme with Johan which completed around Nov 2009. I run my own business as a marketing agency, and the issues I seemed to face were increasing the speed of delivered creativity. This can be loosely defined as the creative work needed to complete more projects more quickly seemed to take a long time to do. In short it just takes too long to think up approaches.
The sessions also revealed a somewhat different set of issues: lack of centeredness leading to excessively chasing the small things around, several mindsets that drain productive thinking, who the ideal client was (which was most revealing.) The session also revealed and magnified some core strengths of my driving persona such as sharing and being constructive
A serious issue that led to why cashflow was eternally poor (it came from a major private life challenge that remains to this day) was identified, leading to one of the biggest discoveries of the session, about “expect and you shall receive”. Part of what you do is change what it is you expect and visualise it. It sounds trite saying this, but works.
I applied considerable effort to the coaching, and unquestionably make the point that applied effort makes long term changes. The programme results redefined what I it is I’m expecting and looking for, radiate that expectancy, adjust my behaviours and actions, get paid more for the creativity I have from wealthier clients, and redefine the clients. This has led to a new revenue line for the business, program management, which interestingly enough looks set to get 50% of its annual target by mid April, from exactly the right client profile identified in the coaching.
As a well grounded businessperson, and not said lightly, this coaching seems to have gone deep, with a feel of a permanent change. So if you as a reader of this testimonial are seriously considering Johan’s work, then as long as you diligently apply yourself to the program with equal effort to me, you will find yourself & your business in a quite different place at the end, as I have.
Yours sincerely
Chris Clark
London, UK.
www.clarkmarketing.co.uk
Yes Johan, that was an excellent introductory webinar. Lots of practical information and – dear to my heart – lots of inspiring and intriguing anecdotes to spice your talk. You really paid attention to the audience too. I took notes copiously and will remember to be a more reflective listener from this day forward. A few years ago I went through a six-month training course to become a volunteer crisis counselor in Tokyo. The theme throughout was to be a good reflective listener. I, quite frankly, had trouble with that theme because I always had an opinion wrapped with advice. Last night, however, I took out that manual and started to review it from cover to cover. After your lecture, that may have become my Holy Grail. Thanks tremendously for sharing your time and energy. Cordially, Richard Posner
Richard Posner, Tokyo, Japan.
http://successinjapan.com/
Johan has masterfully helped me refine my vision for 2009 and I now have complete clarity on all the steps needed in order for me to manifest my vision and reach my objectives; I truly feel empowered, thank you Johan for your superb program!”
Christophe Poizat
(Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach “High-Impact Marketing on a Shoestring Budget”) Nice, France.
To Whom it May Concern,
This time last year I was an automaton. Each week was the same. Sixty to seventy hours at work, which at least forty was spent in traffic jams; arguments with my Director, patience from my long suffering partner and lost weekends of partying to forget the stress of the week. Mondays would drag me, exhausted, from my bed and the cycle would start all over again.
From the outside I was successful. I’d always had the well paid job and the nice car. Inside was a different story. Each night when I closed my eyes to sleep I was tormented by past events. My default attitude was extreme and explosive anger, my blood pressure was high, my liver was failing and I was constantly afraid. Afraid of losing the well paid job, afraid of losing my long suffering partner, afraid of failing to meet the mortgage payments, afraid of being afraid. Then I met Johan.
As we sat in Marylebone, talking for the first time he told me his price and I felt sick inside. I did not have enough saved and would have to borrow it. I did it anyway.
Twelve months on. Mondays no longer drag me from my bed and the only cycles that figure in my life are the natural rhythms of my body. The seventy hour week is long gone, along with the arguments, the anger and the nightmares. In its place is joy. Now my head is empty of trash there is room to see the wonders of this world. Now the exhaustion is gone I have the energy to savour each moment. Now my default attitude is happiness my liver is functioning and my blood pressure in normal. Most of all however, now I am not afraid!
Without Johan I could not have made these changes. He has shown me how to turn my life around and make it the way I want it. He has made the impossible, possible and for that I am eternally grateful.
Yours faithfully
Maria F Truman Birmingham, UK.
I am very grateful to Johan for helping me to review my old identity and to create a new identity that supports my vision of who I am and supports me in achieving my dream. Johan is a very caring yet exacting coach and I recommend him highly.
Caroline Newman (Solicitor and Success Coach) London, UK.
In my line of work i meet coaches and mentors all the time. Finding someone with integrity and authenticity who walks the path they teach can be a little tricky. Consistently, gradually over time Johan has guided me in unravelling so much of my past unhelpful belief system. With Johan’s razor sharp clarity and profound depth of understanding and compassion he has never left me exposed or feeling vulnerable (the feeling of needing a day to recover after a session never existed, instead I walk away from Johan feeling really strong within myself) Johan has guided me to great depth’s of new resolve to be and live my truth. I would entrust my life and the lives of my children to this man, knowing he would give anyone their freedom to live their lives unencumbered by the past, and the strength to create what they would truly love. There is nothing I cannot tell him, indeed he knows everything about my current life and continues to powerfully guide me towards my highest potential. My powerful connection to self now enables me to have clear communication with myself and others, awareness in the moment and the ability to throw out of my life situations and thoughts that don’t serve my true potential.
When I first met Johan I was chasing success. I had been running my business for a few years and it was my whole life. The rest of my existence was on hold till i succeeded/ if i stopped for a moment I felt deep unhappiness and frustration with the state of my relationship to my son, family and self. My way of fixing everything was to insure i succeeded in the future. Today i have inner peace, i am working with my business from a completely fresh place. I’m happy at home what ever i am doing and whomever i am with, even when things seem challenging here and instead of counting on my business to change my life, it is now just one part of my life. I have spontaneity again and i enjoy the moment so much more, my internal reality is completely different and alot clearer. Johan is a remarkable man who i feel really blessed to have met. I had no idea what i was in for, ,i just knew Johan was able to listen to what was happening for me in a way i couldn’t even hear for myself. Since then he has guided me consistently and successfully towards inner freedom, and self sustainability. It’s my great good fortune to have met him. Finding Johan is finding gold.
Thank you Johan.
Liz Adams, London, UK .
A soul mate of mine recommended Johan. I wasn’t sure why Johan should be the one to calm down the incredibly fast moving circle of thoughts in my mind: Why am I not really happy when everything seems to be good? Why am I on a constant search for “something” and do not know what it is? Why can no success give me a feeling of satisfaction with myself? I always sensed there is a greater sea of possibilities, but how will I get close to it?
Listening to Johan’s impressive life story when we first met and looking into his eyes made me feel sure, that there is something for me to be discovered and now is the best time to do it. Through Johan’s training I was able to detach from the endless daily “to do list” and see the work on myself as a top priority. The most delightful was that I finally DID something only for myself. I am using the energy previously lost into the spin of my thoughts into a meaningful search on what my “New Self” is like. This is the most satisfying feeling I had in the last 10 years.
Johan turns around the comms rule “80:20”, where 80 percent is the ballast and only 20 percent is valuable information we are getting from communication with each other. He literally takes you into the program with giving the 80 percent a value.
People wisdom presented with light humour, seriousness with a delightful distance from a “drama image of life” and the believe Johan creates for one, is like a gentle but very precise push to improve the way one thinks and responds to life.
The bookstores, internet and life coaches are full of good advice. But there is a big difference between hearing or reading the great stuff and actively applying it in your own way into your life which works only for you. “LIVING IT” is why Johan’s program is unique and I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone.
And no, Johan did not come with a set of nice answers on my questions. But he gave a great direction to my search so I feel happy with myself knowing that where I am, is just the beginning of the road.
Dana P. ( Global Corporate Comms Manager, Prague, Czech Republic)
I first met Johan over a year ago at a breakfast networking meeting where he was a guest. He introduced himself and explained what it was that he did and gave an example of one of his clients to illustrate. I was very impressed with the compassionate way he worked with his client, truly respecting him as an individual who needed a unique approach. I decided that I wanted to work with Johan straight away. I came to him because I had been struggling for many years with low energy and enthusiasm, being without paid work since I was made redundant five years before and in financial difficulties. I was emotionally stuck and had no idea how I was going to move forward.
Over our time together Johan has helped me step by step to put the building blocks of my life together. I have become clear about my purpose in life, my destiny, my place in the world and how I can contribute to the best of my ability. Sometimes during a particularly difficult time for me we would have a session together where we seemed to step out of the physical world into the spiritual to find a way through and then back to the physical (where I found that my life had magically changed as a result.)
I have become very much stronger in myself to meet the difficulties and challenges of life which in the past would have left me drowning in despair. Indeed I now welcome them for the opportunities they give me to grow and become stronger and more resourceful. My energy and enthusiasm is now high and I am setting up a business venture which is both challenging and exciting. I have other areas of my life yet to work on and view this with confidence, knowing that I have the inner power and, in Johan, the external power to win through.
I have worked with many other people in the past to help me through my difficulties but Johan is the first to really make a breakthrough and help bring about such a difference and transformation. It needed someone with amazing skills to do this so I would really recommend Johan to anyone who feels they have so much more to give but are just stuck where they are and do not know the way forward.
P. Levitt (Small business owner) London, UK.
Johan is a tough mentor. Don’t expect an easy ride, He’ll stretch you beyond the point of no return which will become your greatest breakthrough.
I learnt my most valuable lesson from Johan when he challenged me to step up to the plate and
contribute more. At the time I felt very challenged.
Now I’m so thankful for the challenge because I’ve had my most noticeable breakthrough to date and it’s
as a direct result of Johan pushing me to contribute more value to the lives of many more people.
If you’re thinking of engaging Johan’s services as a personal mentor don’t hesitate connect with Johan
and you will see the difference in a very short period of time !
Thank you for giving me the experience Johan.
Claude Bonte (Ex CEO Spyda V.I.P) London, UK.
Johan’s divinity (through symbolism):
“A very long Silver Sword
Light as a feather, floating in the sky
Shining in the Sun
Carved patterns adorned on its body.”
Far reaching impact, spanning a great distance, carrying a message that lights the souls of others, and is so bright some turn away from its brilliance.
Liz Adams, London, UK.
You know that if it wasn’t for you (and I mustn’t forget Gary) I wouldn’t have this 40 year old hormonal system. You’ve always been such a strong inspiration to me. Respect for all that you do for humanity. You really are a shining star!
PP Arnold (Singer, 61 yrs of age) Spain.
Dear Johan,
The ultimate me , “big body glow” me ,the person I know so well but
don’t always present, has a best friend!
This friend nurtures , encourages , inspires , invents , focuses on ,
shines the light on: all things necessary in order for the ultimate
me to emerge and stay out to play.
This friend finds interesting and often unusual ways to help me crack
old boring patterns and to profoundly understand and utilise new ideas
and concepts.
Profoundly in the sense that everything occurs differently although
nothing has really changed and in the way that other person, the conditioned me, wrapped
up in old patterns can scream shout plead beg to make me do things the
old way , I still hear it but gladly and excitedly go and present my
“big body glow” instead and follow my bliss!
This friend is Johan and I thank him for his infinite wisdom and love.
xxx c
Camilla Griehsel Vearncombe (singer/songwriter.) County Cork, Ireland.
“On a friend’s recommendation, I came to you for a breakthrough in relationships. I was lonely, afraid of intimacy and petrified of getting close to anyone, yet I really wished to get married.
The process you took me through certainly was demanding but it enabled me to cut through all those hindrances and I discovered a new me; I like to think the real me! As you know, less than 4 months later I found my soul-mate and we are now happily married and living overseas. I cannot thank you enough!!”
Janice S. (New York City, NY.)
Testimonial :
A mere 6 weeks ago, as part of my ongoing mentoring programme, Johan and I began work on a program to transform my body and the nature of my relationship to it. For some years now I had been increasingly troubled by gout and frequent heartburn and had finally reached the limit of my patience with myself for tolerating it!
Johan set out to clean my system and dramatically changed my diet, advising certain nutritional supplements and changes of approach. Since then I have been untroubled by the gout and had but a single incidence of heartburn (when I cheated the diet!!) with the unforeseen benefit of losing nearly 10 kilos! I feel like I have been unwrapped and am bursting with vitality.
What I really like about the way Johan works is how he creates with you the best ways to hold onto and stand in the inspiration that had you begin your journey, wherever it leads. He can be tough if he needs to but his gentleness is equally empowering, I can unreservedly recommend working with him whatever the dream you wish to actualize.
Yours Sincerely
Colin Vearncombe (aka “Black“. Singer, songwriter and poet)
Johan shoots from the hip. His history as Ops Director of Burger King probably drove him to become a vegetarian but professionally as a consultant, coach and mentor he is a flesh-ripping, bone-crushing carnivore. Years of martial arts training and meditation has given him extraordinary self-discipline, balance and focus. Grafting his way to the top of corporate life in the fiercely competitive and tough fast-food business has given him insight into people, politics, behaviour, motivation, systems, customers, accountability, responsibility and commercial good sense. As a coach and supporter he helps his clients focus on the real causes of their issues, challenges them to push far beyond their self-limiting beliefs and notional boundaries and holds them to account. What Johan does is tough, it’s expensive and takes real effort. Don’t waste his time if you just want your skewed worldview endorsed. But if you really want to make positive change quickly, and you’re willing to make the effort of implementing and embedding those changes into habit, Johan is the man to go to. DON’T expect an easy ride. His mind is sharp, he learns faster than almost anyone I’ve ever trained and he’s not afraid of taking risks. He drives his hard clients and your commitment to your own success is the only variable open to doubt. Any restauranteur who wants to crush their current levels of performance; any athlete who wants to break through their best historical levels of performance and compete on a world stage; any performer who finds the lifestyle and pressures of life in the public eye and on the road; or any business person who is falling short of their optimal career or commercial performance will experience value in retaining Johan. Fast, lasting change isn’t achieved without effort or investment. His path isn’t ever going to be easy but it is exciting and effective. I’ve no hesitation in recommending Johan Taft if you want to grow well beyond your current possibilities.
Marcus Cauchi (Sales trainer – London)
I’ve had the privilege of working alongside Johan as a “buddy” for the last 4 months on a training course that we’ve both undertaken. I estimate that working with him has increased the value that I’ve gained from the course tenfold. He’s enabled me to find self-discipline I never knew I had, completely forget about fears that stood between me and my goals, and raise my expectations to match what I’m really capable of. How? Johan creates an area of calm, intense focus wherever he works, encouraging outstanding creativity and enabling those around him to exceed their own boundaries. Just as you think you can’t go any further, or you’ve boxed yourself in, Johan’s there to challenge and guide you. His armoury includes a gift for metaphor and storytelling, over a decade of hands-on street fighting experience in one of the most high-pressure, ruthless business environments in the world, and learning from Eastern philosophy and mysticism giving him a level of insight and understanding that can only be described as uncanny. Add to this a flair for self-observation and a steadfast refusal to take himself seriously which make him a joy to work with. If all the coaches and mentors in the world were cocktails, Johan would be the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster. Thank you for your help, Johan, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend you to anyone.
Iain Gray (IT specialist-London)
“To defend the title successfully, and go down in history as the most successful Scottish male gymnast of all time, I had to find a link to regenerate the belief and passion from inside of me, and I feel that through the programme you taught, together we found that link.”
-Steve Frew, (Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist, Scotland)
I have started my improvement programme with Johan a few months ago and must say the whole
experience has been extremely beneficial so far: I am seeing positive impact in many areas in my
life and I am only half way through: I am rediscovering my vitality, my attitude to winning and
loosing is becoming powerful and positive, I feel more alert, I am getting absolute clarity about
what I want to do in my life, a super creativity is emerging in my mind and I am feeling more and
more connected to life. I’m really having a great time doing the programme! Johan has already
over-delivered what he promised to me. I have got more practical insights and guidance in a few
months that I could possibly imagine. Johan has that special ability to clearly identify what you
need most in order to help you make Quantum leaps. He is always conveying his advice very
clearly and very gently. I would highly recommend his improvement programme to anyone who is
looking at increasing their personal effectiveness and well-being, living to their full potential. Johan
chooses his students, if you are lucky enough to be accepted: go for it! He has exceptional
coaching abilities, he will definitely help you to magnify your greatness!
Thank you for everything so far Johan!
Christophe Poizat. (Entrepreneur, France)
