John Blackburn - Live entertainment coach
- Isobel Arden
- Jul 4
- 5 min read
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Meet John Blackburn, a life of coaching, sports and clarity
John Blackburn is a dynamic business and performance coach with a passion for creativity and rhythm. Born in Devon in January 1983, he discovered rhythm early—first tinkering on the piano, then taking up drums and guitar through his teens, eventually forming the Odessa Quartet while studying at Birmingham Conservatoire. His early years were characterised by intense dedication, evolving from child prodigy to a musician with a refined blend of piano, percussion and guitar influences.
Educationally, John earned his bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma Christian University in 1996 and a master’s from Oklahoma State University in 1999. Soon after, he embarked on a coaching career in collegiate tennis: from 1999 to 2002 he led Palm Beach Atlantic’s women’s team to their first‑ever NAIA national ranking and tournament bids.
Between 2002 and 2005 he helmed Coker College’s squad, steadily lifting their conference standings. In 2005 he moved to Eastern Illinois University as head coach and, over a decade, guided the programme to historic NCAA Division I national rankings and accolades, including an Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year award. In 2015 he took charge of Methodist University, publishing a 104‑52 record, with three regular‑season conference titles, two tournament championships, and multiple NCAA Division III appearances. He was named USA South Women’s Coach of the Year in 2017 and achieved an outstanding 46‑3 conference.
Shifting focus around 2022, John turned his attention to the live entertainment and creative sectors. Today, he blends his coaching credentials (Advanced Diploma in Coaching, Licensed Master Practitioner of NLP, Association for Coaching with his musical roots to help artists, venues, producers and creative teams elevate their performance, mindset, leadership and presence—with plenty of humour.
John also hosts the No Rest For The Vivid podcast and runs The Vivid Business Club, where clients navigate mindset, strategy and growth—without taking themselves too seriously. Based in London, he continues to fuel change, mix ingenuity with structure, and inspire live‑performance professionals to step up and smile.
John Blackburn's Fantasy Cultural Year
With a magic wand in one hand, a time machine warmed up, and a Star Trek transporter on standby, Mark sat down with John Blackburn to imagine his dream cultural year. You can watch the conversation in full above— on YouTube or Spotify or SoundCloud.
What followed was a creative, witty, and globe-trotting journey across music, creative production and entertainment.
1. Coaching the Creatives
John delved into his coaching approach, which he explained centres around helping entertainment professionals—particularly producers—develop their "internal assets" to reach external goals, such as building an audience or managing a team.
His work spans teachers, musicians, and other live performers. As both a drummer and a musical director, John applies neurolinguistic programming to unlock potential and guide clients toward sustainable success in their creative pursuits.
2. Culture, Characters & Shared Curiosities
The conversation turned to lighter, more personal topics. John named the South Bank Centre as his favourite building, while Mark shared an anecdote about a clever marketing strategy used by the Philadelphia Orchestra. They reflected on the age demographics of classical music audiences and mused about the potential for generational change.
John revealed his current drink of choice—a sparkling water with lemon—and his favourite book, Use Your Brain for a Change and Keep the Change by NLP co-founder Richard Bandler. Mark expressed interest in reading it as well.
3. A Global Entertainment Odyssey
John shared exciting plans for a year-long global project, sponsored by a London family foundation. His mission: to create a "league table" of nations based on their strength in entertainment and creative production.
He chose Sydney as his starting point and planned to limit his listening to jazz during the journey, favouring artists like John Coltrane and Art Blakey. On arrival, he looked forward to a dance performance, though confessed a soft spot for musical theatre—particularly retrospectives featuring Gene Kelly and other golden-age stars.
4. Pizza, Badminton & Da Vinci
Mark and John took a detour into personal tastes, swapping stories about favourite foods and pastimes. John confessed a deep love for pizza and barbecue, and picked badminton as the sport he'd most like to watch—preferably in New York.
The pair also explored the intersection of art and technology, with John expressing interest in a digitally enhanced Da Vinci exhibition in Paris. Their shared curiosity and humour added warmth to the exchange.
5. A Fantasy Cultural Week in London
Mark and John curated their own fantasy week of performances in London. Monday would be a historic pop or rock concert—John selected the iconic Sting and Paul Simon performance at The O2.
Tuesday called for a play, and John suggested the much-discussed Stranger Things stage adaptation. Wednesday was for a musical, Thursday for opera (John was keen to try it for the first time), and Friday would be film night. Mark floated the idea of travelling back in time to witness the controversial 1913 premiere of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, which caused a riot but is now a celebrated classic.
6. Film Favourites & Dream Lunch Guests
Their cinematic preferences came to light—John selected Back to the Future for its nostalgia and charm, while Mark chose Interstellar, especially for its music.
Mark then proposed a hypothetical lunch at an Italian pizza fusion restaurant. John picked Robert Dilts, co-creator of NLP, as his dream guest, eager to discuss creativity and behavioural modelling. He imagined Dilts might bring along Gregory Bateson, Aristotle, or even Jesus, to deepen the philosophical conversation.
7. Memories, Music & Looking Ahead
As their conversation wound down, Mark thanked John for being part of the Arts and Culture Network—a community that is proudly member-funded. John mentioned he had a rare Friday off, but would soon head to an event in London.
They reminisced about shared musical experiences, from performing Clapping Music by Steve Reich to playful dice-based music games.
Explore some of John Blackburn's work.
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Mark Walmsley FRSA FCIM AGSM
Chief Culture Vulture
Arts & Culture Network
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