Born and raised in Whitby, Ontario, John Coleman has always found himself enchanted by the possibilities of movement, the movement of people, and the movement of life in general. Following this fascination, John enrolled in a Kinesiology degree at the University of Ottawa, and in his third year he really discovered his calling.
It was John’s first sports psychology class, where he found his love for the movement of human emotion. John vividly recalls his first encounter with Dr. Terry Orlick during a late night Wednesday seminar, mainly because he was missing his religious Karaoke night at a local bar.
However, it only took a few words for John to become completely immersed in what Dr. Orlick had to say. John listened to what Dr. Orlick had learned through life and the people he worked with and found himself compelled to further pursue his enchantment in movement.
A competitive freeskier during university, John found himself seeking Dr. Orlick’s advice in order to find that optimum mental zone for competing. Through this interaction the rapport continued to grow. At the end of John’s fourth year Dr. Orlick offered him with the opportunity to take sport psychology as a Master’s and work alongside skiers. John accepted and his career as a sports psychology consultant began.
During the transition between his Masters and starting his PhD, John was asked by Dr. Terry Orlick to house sit and look after his children whilst he was away working. John recalls waking up in Dr. Orlick’s bed and reading an entry from his diary stating his thoughts after the first encounter with his teacher. It read "I want to spend as much time as I can with this guy." I don’t think you could come any closer!
Now close to finishing his PhD, John find’s himself working as an integral part of the National Para-alpine Ski team, the National Para-athletic track and field team and the National Ringette team. He is also a valued member of the team at Gaia Studio, in Three Sisters Village, Canmore, an ambassador for Vega whole foods, and as an inspirational, fun member of the Canmore community.
