John Hession spent 35 years working in banking and financial services in Ireland before a professional development course changed the direction of his life. What started as a course requirement unlocked something bigger — a recognition of how deeply mindset shapes outcomes, and a passion for helping other people unlock their own potential.
That was the beginning of what would become AOK Performance Coaching, now in its 20th year.
John started working with the power of mindfulness in sport long before it was part of mainstream training — back when high-performance athletes were only beginning to scratch the surface of what the mind could do for performance. Two decades on, he's a qualified Personal & Business Coach, an NLP Practitioner, and certified in the therapeutic use of mindfulness — bringing all three together into a coaching style built on positive psychology and an understanding of how the brain actually drives performance.
AOK isn't a brand name John picked for how it sounds. It's the foundation of how he coaches.
That single idea breaks the story so many people carry around with them — the quiet "victim mentality" that convinces high performers something is wrong with them that needs to be repaired. John's work is about helping people realise they're already A-OK, and building the self-awareness to act like it — on the pitch, in the boardroom, and in life.
John's own competitive background runs deep — he played at inter-county level in Gaelic football and won an All-Ireland bronze medal in GAA handball. He's a lifelong golfer and an avid walker who has completed multiple Camino de Santiago pilgrimages — pursuits that keep him close to the same discipline, patience, and presence he coaches into others.