John Starling is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, a graduate of the University of Baltimore, and the founder of Pietential. He has dedicated much of his life to helping people define what matters to them, understand themselves more clearly, and pursue growth with purpose.

From 1999 to 2019, John owned and operated several management consulting firms and served as a trusted business advisor, consultant, coach, and trainer to hundreds of organizations, ranging from startups to Fortune 50 companies. He has also worked as a professional life coach with individuals around the world.

John has long been active in community-based work. In 2010, he founded The School of the Way, a first-of-its-kind MMA — Mentoring & Martial Arts — school for low-income, at-risk youth in Baltimore. In 2016, he founded a girls’ soccer club in South Korea for elementary-aged girls who had no opportunity to play organized sports in their schools due to institutional and cultural gender discrimination.

A creative at his core, John is also a singer-songwriter under the name John Patrick Starling and the author of Flight of the Platypus, a children’s book about self-discovery and being okay with being yourself.