That's me.
I'm Jessica John (she/her).
I'm a coach and mentor to performance artists across the globe. With over 30 years of high-level sport experience, I'm a premier skill acquisition specialist for circus artists and pole dancers, from Cirque du Soleil professionals trying to stay healthy on tour to committed enthusiasts trying to fit in training between careers and kids. I draw from my own rich movement background as a circus artist, dancer, and competitive athlete, as well as a former career as an intelligence officer and lawyer, to offer a unique opportunity to learn what it takes to reach high performance goals.
My human-centered coaching philosophy is evidence-based and multidisciplinary, addressing technical, strength, mobility, nutrition, psychological, and creative challenges. I use sport and exercise psychology theoretical frameworks to design performance programs that help my clients achieve their goals through habit-based behavior change interventions. What that looks like in practice is a relational approach to high performance coaching, aimed at helping driven aerialists reach their highest potential while still retaining their autonomy and creative voice.
In a past life, I worked as a leadership analyst with the CIA for more than a decade, where in addition to living in Africa and the Balkans, I developed training programs in applied political psychology. My background in assessing world leaders from a distance has inspired my innovation in working with and addressing mindset challenges in circus artists from afar. In additional to a bachelor’s degree from University of Colorado at Boulder—where I graduated with a degree in political science while immersing myself in physical and cultural anthropology—I also hold a law degree from Boston University and a master’s degree from George Washington University where I concentrated in political psychology.
I am a lifelong learner and my education did not stop at university. My movement education began as a GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® Trainer, and I continue to take specialized courses, such as Therapeutic Applications for the Shoulder Girdle, the Pelvic Girdle, and Scoliosis, that inform my coaching and practice. I am a Girls Gone Strong Women’s Coaching Specialist and a NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist, and am certified in the Functional Movement Screen Level 1, Progressing Ballet Technique Levels 1 & 2, Integrated Kinetic Neurology Level 1, and Precision Nutrition Level 1. I have participated in a Dance Movement Analysis course and Katie St. Clair’s Empowered Performance program to up-level my assessment and programming abilities. I am currently in a Clinical Somatics Education Level 1 certification, as well as a Certified Biomechanics Specialist Certfication through Conor Harris.
I view coaching as a relational practice and an opportunity to shape circus and pole culture. I hold a commitment to actively applying a trauma-informed lens, and I completed CULTIVATE {trauma-informed space holding training} with Katie Kurtz, MSW LISW-S. I have participated in James-Olivia Chu Hillman’s 6-month Disobedience School, Fleur Lawson’s Power With Not Power Over: Accountability in Action for White Women, and Kelly Diels' 11-month feminist power-building and culture-building program We Are The Culture Makers. I am currently working to build a racially equitable online business through Annie Gichuru's program Represented.
IÂ founded and direct Alter Circus, a contemporary circus, dance, and performance company. I am a Galen Hooks Method and Jacob Jonas the Company Digital Intensive alum.
I am not afraid to ask if I don't know the answer, and I use a range of outside advisers and referrals to help clients meet their goals.
I hold a systemic analysis and my feminism is inclusive and about justice. I believe that empowerment is a collective practice and a collective outcome. I believe in using my positional power as a coach to shape circus culture to cherish all bodies. I know that gender is a social construct, and I am in solidarity with my trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming siblings. I enthusiastically support Black Lives Matter and the movement to dismantle white supremacy. I believe that Fatphobia and Diet Culture are social justice issues. (H/T Kelly Diels)
