Meet John Hehman

 

We were lucky to catch up with John Hehman recently and have shared our conversation below.

John, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?

To directly answer the question of “How have i learned to be effective/successful even when I am the only person in the room that looks like me?” is I exist in authenticity and I listen. I listen to what other people are saying and I engage with them where they are authentically. I do not let the perceptions and insecurities of others infect me. That is a them problem. When a person feels truly heard, they’re more apt to communicate clearly with what they want. I take a lot of steps when doing anything, because I want to do my best. The first thing is, if given the opportunity: I prepare myself for the moment. I take the time to really think about what I am going to say, what my phrasing and inflections will be, what my responses could be given the variables of the personality types I find myself engaged with, what other peoples reactions could be and how I will respond or react to their own reactions and internal mental saboteurs. The single best piece of advice i can give anyone trying to be successful: If you find yourself in a conversation that does not appeal to you, as soon as you recognize it, slow your breathing, scan your body for tension and let it go, remember not to take anything personally and speak factually, with kindness.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’m John Hehman, and I hold a deep passion for music as well as for harnessing the transformative power of life coaching to unlock a person’s potential. Growing up in a challenging environment taught me the value of self-awareness and the importance of showing up authentically in every circumstance—lessons that now guide my work every day.

Based in Indiana, I operate both Bang Recording and Realized Vision Solutions. At Bang Recording, I bring decades of experience in audio engineering and production to life. I love working on hip-hop beats, experimenting with vocals, re-amping guitars and bass to create unique tones, or setting up a live funk band in the studio! Whether I’m performing, composing, or producing, I treat music as an essential form of expression and individuality, ensuring that every project resonates with genuine emotion and creativity.

At the same time, through Realized Vision Solutions, I guide executives, entrepreneurs, and aspiring professionals to develop strong communication skills, cultivate true contentment, and adopt mental habits that break through self imposed barriers. I practice Positive Mental Emotional Intelligence, believing that every experience: joyful or painful, is a stepping stone to growth. The fusion of music’s raw energy with the insights of life coaching inspires me to drive meaningful change in others.

I’m deeply grateful to exist as all that I am and to have the opportunity to help others realize their full potential.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The three most impactful resources I’ve discovered I had available to me, is very important to understanding who I am and how I operate: The first quality I employed, was dedication. Everything that has inspired me to take action over the years, whether that be skateboarding and picking up a guitar as a youth, or taking the time to really listen to someone’s story so I could empathize or relate to their struggles. I’ve always tried to guide people as a producer if i could, but ultimately, help them feel valued in their own existence, and express the passions of their art at the same time. All of that, stems from my dedication to show up as the best me I can in any moment.

My second quality, that has helped me, is my authenticity. I’ve learned over the years that showing up as yourself while being able to admit when you’re wrong, when you need to learn, when you’re mistaken, and when you’re responsible for the circumstances of the moment, is unfortunately not something widely practiced. Imagine how freeing it is! Being yourself in every moment and existing with honest intent is pure power. The key to being ease and flow with yourself in any moment, is to not let your fear, or, the insecurities of others, to take your focus. This is something I’ve worked on since I was a child. Only through gaining knew insight and knowledge, have I truly begun to harness it’s full potentials. I am excited about where I am, but who knows what’s next!?

The third quality I would like to share that I believe has helped me, is my determination. Lets start in an odd place, but I think it will make sense in the end: Like many of you, I have been distracted with my own bad habits, attacked by others and myself, lied to, lied about, lied for, used, cheated on, abused, and blamed for other peoples actions, assumptions, choices, lack of accountability and otherwise poor life circumstances. Even through all of that, I have never given up on my goals, ever. I have wanted to give up on numerous things over the years, and it seems like, every time those thoughts start to creep in, the universe answers back with an opportunity. Sometimes I’ve found myself out of practice and missed the opportunity, but I always weigh an opportunity. Every chance I’ve gotten one. I want to take informed action, because, I am determined to achieve my goals and I am living in them. You can too, if you choose to stay the course! Determination IS a super power.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

The most personally valuable book I have read, was “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle. The biggest realization I had from that book, was the profound awareness that I am in fact, NOT my mind, but rather my mind is a tool at my disposal, to learn how to use properly. Once I understood that fact, with his guidance and practice, I was able to remove myself from my thought processes, as well as my emotions and look at them objectively. From there, I spent many hours inside of introspection and looked into other authors as well, Victor Frankl (Man’s Search for Meaning), David Hawkins (Letting Go), Don Miguel Ruiz (The Four Agreements), Randy Pausch (The Last Lecture), Bruce Perry and Oprah (What happened to you?) and most recently Shirzad Chemine. I took Shirzad’s neuroscience backed Positive Emotional Intelligence course. To be honest, it was life changing to the point, that I took it upon myself to learn how to coach in their model. The work is root causality based, and it garners strong life changing results, relatively quickly! I love coaching people with it, because it brings out the best in them while overcoming their own hurdles. I know the original question asked for one book, but I couldn’t correlate the amount of value the rest of these people have had on my development in such a broad spectrum of input, to just one instance without giving the rest of these lovely authors, the acknowledgement they deserve.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Ara Optics is the first photo with the friend of mine jumping, the face shots of my are credit to Lauren Hehman, the black and white image is credit to Rob Salem, the Red image (can you have an intern blur the background on those scrims please? lol) is John Roland. I own my branding images.

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