Max St John
Supervision, coaching and training.
I support people who are leading teams or driving change, by helping them understand what's in their own way and what they can do about it.Professional supervision
Individual and team supervision creates a regular space to reflect on practice, spot patterns and surface learning.Leadership coaching
Thinking out loud with a trusted partner creates greater awareness of self, potential for change and steps to get there.Conflict training
Working with others is always going to get messy but conflict is the greatest source of learning and creativity. More here
t: 07973 544740 | e: hello@maxstjohn.com
"If you want a practical and deep understanding of how to successfully navigate the complexities we find ourselves in, then Max is the guide you've been looking for."
- Tom, Executive Coach"When Max is in the room, you know things are going to get done. He makes the most difficult things feel easy."
- Richard, Head of Housing"I now have a true understanding of the pressure I put on myself and how to reclaim my locus of evaluation. It has opened up my professional world to be able to challenge the status quo and not fear the response."
- Susie, CEO
Conflict courses
In 2025 I'm offering three opportunities to join my small group, conflict navigation course:How to fight well
How to Fight Well is a discipline that combines Nonviolent Communication, models from Western pyschology and methods for managing our neurophysiological responsesThe course teaches models and methods for understanding your relationship with conflict and holding steady ground when it shows up.-> Spring Cohort starts 25th February - 12-2pm
-> Summer Cohort starts 3rd June - 10.30am-2.30pm
-> Autumn Cohort starts 9th September - 11-2pmFind out more at www.howtofightwell.com
Needs cards
The needs cards are used by facilitators. coaches and teachers around the world, translated into six languages including Arabic, French, Greek, Italian and Japanese. There is also a free, digital version below.£35 plus postage.
My background
I started my career at the world's biggest media company as it went through a disastrous merger, seeing firsthand how this impacted the organisation and its people. I escaped to work in one of the UK's first social media agencies, trying to convince organisations that Facebook and Twitter were going to be important. I can't tell you how sorry I am now.Over the next 25 years I went on to run a democratic company, set up an alternative business school in a derelict betting shop and become an an independent advisor to the UK government.I've taught at the Said Business School in Oxford, the Kaos Pilots in Bern and the Knowmads in Amsterdam.I've worked with Coca Cola, WWF UK, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the BBC and Channel 4 Television, the Environmental Funders Network and the Unitarian Church.
Coaching through craft
I offer intensive coaching stays using the craft of blacksmithing and walking on Dartmoor as a process for making sense of what life and work throws at you.
I am a practicing blacksmith with a full, professional forge. I have trained with two 'master smiths', I am a registered member of two guilds and I've been teaching for three years.I believe that craft offers a unique set of conditions for better self-understanding and an improved sense of grounded-ness (you can read more about that here)I teach the fundamental skills of blacksmithing combined with 1-2-1 coaching sessions and time outdoors, at my forge near Exeter, mid-Devon.
Dartmoor as a coaching space
Dartmoor is both a wild space and one that humans have been deeply involved with for thousands of years. It's an incredibly varied terrain with steep Tors, river valleys and ancient stone circles.I've been walking and camping here for five years, finding special spots, learning the routes and navigating its challenges, but I've been hiking and climbing since I was very young.I find the combination of being in a natural, open space and walking, allows people to process their thoughts and feelings in a unique way.I use Dartmoor as a place to run coaching sessions, usually as part of a coaching intensive at my forge
How it works
If you'd like to explore the idea of working together, we can start with a conversation about where you are at and what your needs are.I will talk you through the options for combining craft, coaching and walking, and we can put something together that's designed for you.Email hello@maxstjohn.com if you'd like to talk about it together.
About my coaching practice
I am a coach and advisor to people leading organisations, a blacksmith specialising in tools and artistic metal work and a forest school practitioner working with primary age children in outdoor settings.I've spent the past 20 years coaching people who need to find their direction, first within organisations, but for the past 10 years supporting leaders, founders and change-makers as a self-employed coach.
Using the needs cards
What are the Needs Cards for?
The Needs Cards are a tool for connection and clarity.You can use them:1. Working with groups – facilitating workshops or meetings.
2. Working with individuals – in coaching or counselling.
3. Working alone – for self-reflection or decision making.Used well, the cards help to create:
● Safe space: allowing people to be vulnerable, together.
● Empathy: seeing each other in our shared humanity.
● Clarity: getting to the heart of any issue or question.The words on the cards describe 'Needs' as taught in the practice of Nonviolent Communication and my conflict practice How to Fight WellThey describe the root motivations or drivers for our thoughts, feelings and behaviours, helping us to peel back the layers of confusion or ambiguity that create conflict between us and within us.
How to use the cards
The Needs Cards work best as a check-in tool or an intervention in a conversation where there is conflict or confusion.In either situation, start by inviting people to get settled - either through an explicit grounding exercise or implicitly modelling the conditions in the space by being slow, quiet and taking your time.invite people (or yourself, if working alone) to hold in mind a context or question such as:● "How are you showing up today?"
● "Why you chose to be here rather than somewhere else."
● "The question or issue that seems to be getting in your way."Invite them to look over the cards without looking for answers but instead just seeing which one or two words seem to stick out more than others.Give people time and once everyone has found what they need, ask them if they'd be happy to reflect on why they think those words stood out - being clear that there are no right answers.
Resources
If you're new to working with needs, here are some good starting points:How to listen to your needs (Audio)Negotiating like everyone's needs matterNeeds 101: What are needs?Needs vs Values - What's the DifferenceWhy we fight: Judgement, blame and unmet needsYou can more writing on needs and conflict via my Substack Newsletter.
or my archived Medium publicationIf you're looking to integrate needs or conflict skills into your practice - or you are a coach, facilitator or leader looking for supervision - feel free to get in touch to explore working together hello@maxstjohn.com