Dr. John McGill 

During my time as a business coach & strategist, I've had the privilege of helping coaches, consultants, and solopreneurs elevate their businesses to new heights. 

My mission? To help them craft irresistible offers and effortlessly fill their client books—without any stress or salesy vibes.

Here's how I approach each client engagement:

Brand Boost: We start by transforming their brand into a client magnet. Through strategic positioning and messaging, we ensure that their brand stands out in a crowded market, attracting their ideal clients like bees to honey.

Client Connection: Next, we focus on converting interests into bookings through genuine conversations. By fostering authentic connections and building trust, we turn potential clients into loyal customers who can't wait to work with them.

Streamlined Systems: To streamline operations and eliminate unnecessary complexity, we implement efficient systems and processes. This allows them to focus their time and energy on what they do best—serving their clients and growing their business.

Peak Performance: Finally, we prioritize their wellbeing and work-life harmony. By helping them achieve fulfilling workdays with optimal health, focus, and energy, we ensure they can sustain their success in the long run.

I'm passionate about making their journey to success as smooth and enjoyable as possible. 

Whether it's making their business more profitable, healthier, or simply more enjoyable, I'm here to help.

If you're ready to welcome more clients with ease and take your business to the next level, let's chat. 

Send me a DM, and let's start crafting your path to success together.

Business Coach & Strategist

The College of Law Australia

You know the job, the one job where you get to use all the best parts of yourself?

Well, this was that job for me.

In the start of my legal career I had an experience where I was told I would never succeed in the legal world because of the colour of my skin.

A partner in a law firm said those words.  He said it because he liked me and thought he was doing me a favour preparing me for reality.

Imagine then the irony of finding myself running a law school in a country on the other side of the world?

Not just running it, changing it.

When I took over as the Executive Director, I inherited a program that hadn’t made any profit.  

What it did have was an incredible team of passionate people committed to giving students everything they could.

All my years of teaching, curriculum development, business coaching, sales training, business development and product development came together.

I tore the entire program apart and had everything rebuilt.

The efforts bent us all.  No one broke.

We went from the 5th largest post-graduate program for lawyers in Australia to the 2nd largest.

We doubled enrolments.  We doubled revenue.

We became profitable after my 3rd year of leadership and stayed profitable.

Was it hard?  The hardest thing I’ve ever been a part of.

Were there battles?  I still bear the scars.

Was it worth it?

Our completion rate went from 30% to 80%.

Our representation of women graduates went from 50% to 70%.

Yeah, it was worth every bit of blood, sweat and tears.

Best. Job. Ever.

(Ok, except for the one now where I work for me ;-)

Executive Director, Practitioner Education

Prime Practice

Fun fact: I’m terrified of dentists and they used to be my clients.

Well, I should say, I was terrified of dentists until I started working with them.

Here’s what most people don’t realise–dentists are some of the hardest working professionals alive.

Most dentists have their own practice.  Their practice is a million dollar plus business with staff and a relatively flat structure.

Dentists find themselves having to be responsible for:
- The delivery of services
- The human resource manager
- The marketing manager
- The sales manager
- The business development manager
- The client services manager

Oh, and like lawyers with their own practices, dentists didn’t learn business management in dental school.

That’s where we came in.  As business coaches we helped to fill the business gaps.

We trained everyone up in systems management and client services.  

Taught the dentists new sales techniques.

And then coached the dentists on business performance and ways to grow the practice.

I loved getting to know the dentists and their teams.  

Without a drill in their hands, they weren’t scary at all.

Then an interesting thing happened.

I came to this role after I had been working as a sales coach, living and breathing sales.

I observed one of our information sessions for practice owners and realised we could improve what we said and how we communicated our value to prospective clients.

Problem was, how do I share this with the executives and the CEO who started the company and who had run things for years and I was relatively still new?

I did what anyone in my shoes would do of course: I created a presentation diagnosing the problem and presenting a solution and invited the executives to a meeting none of them had been expecting.

How did it go?

The next week I was promoted to a new role as the Business Development Manager with a 50% raise.  

So, yeah, I’d say it went ok.

Business Development and Marketing Manager, Business Coach and Trainer

BOC Gases

Have you ever taken a job completely outside your comfort zone?

This was that type of job for me.

Not for the work we did.  The work was well within my skill sets. 

The environment was something new.

Gas? Products so dangerous every employee was required to take defensive driving classes?

I never imagined I’d be working in the sciences, let alone in something like natural gas.

It was a blast though (pun fully intended).

I started out with the training team associated with safety, health, environment and quality.

We designed rapid fire training programs, capturing the subjective matter knowledge of people working in the field.  

This was a role filled with characters and I enjoyed every moment.

An internal role popped up to work with the sales team as a sales coach and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

I became immersed in the world of sales at a product level, and supporting a sales team.  

Pure salespeople have an infectious energy.  They’re a hungry bunch.  Never a dull moment around them.

My favourite part was working on the sales coaching program.  

We introduced neuroscience coaching programs with the sales techniques.  

You should have seen the transformations as people learned more about how their brains impacted their behaviours.

This role gave me so many practical skills I still use to this day.

Sales Coach and Trainer

University of Sydney

Have you ever been a one-person show in a team?

I feel your pain, and your triumph.

As always, the best part of this role was the team I worked with and my students, the tutors.

The challenge was the team I worked with each had their own unique program and we were all forced to do everything ourselves for our own programs.

Meaning:
- Creating and delivering the training
- All the event management
- Designing the workshop, marketing and communication materials
- Managing the registrations, bookings and catering
- Designing pilot initiatives
- Coordinating peer observation and review programs
- Implementing a mentoring program
- Creating a reward and recognition program for tutors

My program was responsible for teaching and training over 120 casual tutors at the Business School.  

Most were students themselves and had never taught before.

I had my work cut out for me to try and make the program inviting enough to attract as many tutors as possible.

I created and delivered over 30 individual train-the-teacher seminars.  All in person.  Before Zoom took over the world.

Loved every minute of it.

Clearly, this job prepared me well to eventually run my own business.


P.S.

I was also juggling my own PhD, and teaching my own classes in Organisational Development.

My fondest memory will always be my last day of teaching so I could focus on finishing my PhD and my students, the tutors, had a surprise for me leaving me speechless for the first time ever.

Still brings a tear to the eye.

University Tutor & Teaching Development Manager

Increase peak executive performance with strategic mental sharpness habits in 90 days | Founder & Director: 90Well & 90Well@Work

I help coaches, consultants, and solopreneurs craft irresistible offers and book more clients—no stress, no salesy vibes. 

Here’s my straightforward approach:

1/ Brand Boost: make your brand a client magnet.

2/ Client Connection: turn followers into clients with genuine conversations.

3/ Streamlined Systems: simplify your operations to focus on your passion.

4/ Peak Performance: achieve fulfilling work days, with health, focus & energy, consistently.

I’m here to help you book more clients the easy way. 

Let’s chat about making your business profitable, healthy and enjoyable.

Book more clients (& stress less) to enjoy the job you love.

DM me for more.

Dr. John McGill 🧠

Calico Cultural

Calico Cultural works with small businesses, academics and indie authors who want to ensure their writing is correct, readable and memorable. 

Think of me as your writing partner in crime, not the grammar police!

My friendly, precise and thorough editing will add impact and clarity to your writing without compromising your voice or values.

Calico Cultural provides three key areas of support: 

🔸 Language Review: invaluable if processing or cognitive issues, or too many work commitments, get in the way of how well you express yourself.

🔸 Editing: including copyediting, proofreading and proof-editing.

🔸 Writing Support: a more holistic content review that adds impact and clarity to your writing, introducing a fresh eye and a new editorial perspective.

Working with a freelance consultant means finding the right person for the right job at the right time. 

For more information, visit Calico Cultural at https://calicocultural.com and we can have a chat about how we can work together.

Owner | Editor | Writer

Durham University

Working as a researcher for the Director of Durham’s Institute of Advanced Study, I gathered research material for surveys and multi-author, multi-disciplinary book projects; prepared, reviewed and copyedited manuscripts; liaised with publishers and image providers; and managed relationships with multiple contributors and authors. 

I also contributed to and co-edited a multi-author interdisciplinary volume, 'From the Lighthouse' (Routledge, 2018, with Veronica Strang and Tim Edensor).

As an Honorary Research Associate affiliated with the Anthropology Department at Durham University, I developed research interests emerging from my PhD, focusing on community, mental health and well-being in the North East of England. 

During this period, I completed a book based on my doctoral research, 'Gifts, Virtues and Obligations of University Volunteering: The proper thing to do'.

Selected Publications:  

Puckering, J. 2021. 'Gifts, Virtues and Obligations of University Volunteering: The proper thing to do', London: Routledge, URL: https://www.routledge.com/Gifts-Virtues-and-Obligations-of-University-Volunteering-The-Proper-Thing/Puckering/p/book/9780367859541 

Puckering, J. 2018. 'Contingent Images and Shifting Imaginaries of Staff and Student Volunteering in Higher Education', paper delivered at the Association of Social Anthropologists Conference, September 2018, Oxford University.

Strang, V., Edensor, T. and Puckering, J. (eds) 2018. 'From the Lighthouse: Interdisciplinary reflections on light', London: Routledge.

Researcher

My doctoral research enabled me to further develop the themes emerging throughout my undergraduate and postgraduate work in psychology and anthropology. These themes emphasised qualitative, interpretive and critical perspectives of community and belonging; the relationship between social expectations and community participation; the construction and maintenance of identities; and the power exercised through dominant rhetoric, social norms and hierarchies.

My PhD dissertation ('Volunteering in Higher Education: Gifts, Virtues or Obligations?') explored each of these themes from within anthropological frameworks of community theory and gift exchange.

The following publications outline the academic and social context of my research, focusing on experiences of volunteering and university-community engagement:

Puckering, J. 2021. 'Gifts, Virtues and Obligations in University Volunteering: The proper thing to do', London: Routledge.

Puckering, J. 2014. 'The Gift of Volunteering and the Virtues of Self-Love: An Anthropological Perspective'​, Traditiones, 43(3): 33-50. URL: http://isn.zrc-sazu.si/index.php?q=sl/node/416.

Puckering, J. 2014. '“In the County but not of the County”: Volunteering and Popular Perceptions of University-Community Relationships', Voluntary Sector and Volunteering Research Conference, VSSN/Sheffield Hallam University.

Oxford Diocese

Before and after my master’s degree, I continued to make good use of my project management skills by providing support to three parishes in the Diocese of Oxford. I was the initial point of contact for the diocese, benefice, and members of the public, providing information and assistance in relation to all pastoral queries. I managed benefice fees; liaised with benefice and parish treasurers; and co-ordinated church and volunteer activities including special services and events, weddings, funerals, and concerts.

Benefice Administrator

Unisys

2002 - 2005
Moving into the Quality System Management team, in addition to performing all the QSM responsibilities with my two colleagues, I provided quality training to project teams and managed the IT processes audit system. I also trained new internal auditors and quality managers; developed and delivered quality management training for the Unisys Training Department; and managed the upgrade, testing and training for a web-based Quality Management System.

2000 - 2002
Working as a Quality Manager in the Project Management Office, I delivered project services for large UK banking and insurance institutions, contributing to the successful execution of client projects; and audited projects for compliance with the Unisys Quality Management System and ISO 9001. I also managed the creation and implementation of quality standards and procedures, enabling projects to work more effectively at all stages of the project lifecycle.

Quality Manager

As a Test Manager, I developed testing methodology and practices that were adopted across the Unisys UK Financial Services practice. I was responsible for reviewing and approving test strategy and design documentation, and trained teams of both Unisys and client testing analysts.

Test Manager

Joining Unisys as a graduate trainee, my first role was as a Business Analyst, setting up a Project Office environment for dealing with multiple client projects in the UK banking sector. I worked as part of a team to develop standards and procedures for document control, risk/issue management and change control.

Business Analyst

No waffle. Just words.

Sometimes, that’s easier said than done.

Powerful and persuasive writing is about sending the right message in the right way to the right audience. It’s also about patience, creativity and excellent editing. All of this takes time and effort. 

And that’s where I come in: your writing partner in crime, not the grammar police. 

Hello! 👋 I'm Joanna Puckering, an editor and researcher with a background in quality management.

🔸️ Are you a small business owner, academic or independent author?

🔸️ Do processing or cognitive issues get in the way of how you express yourself in writing?

🔸️ Are you ideas rich but time poor?

🔸️ Is your multi-authored document crying out for a voice of its own?

🔸️ Are you hurtling towards a deadline but your draft blog or web pages need a thorough review and polish?

Whether you’re writing a business proposal, a book or a new web page, the key is crystal-clear communication. Write with passion, edit with precision and share your story in the way you want it told!

My friendly, precise and thorough editing is the crucial step in making that story correct, readable and memorable.

Here’s what I’ll do for you:

🌏 LANGUAGE REVIEW

A review for accuracy, clarity and readability is invaluable if processing or cognitive issues get in the way of how you express yourself in writing.

🔎 EDITING

COPYEDITING: emphasising overall quality, content, structure and tone (quality assurance). 

PROOFREADING: focusing closely on spelling, grammar, formatting, and finding any remaining errors or clunky sentences (quality control).

PROOF-EDITING: a convenient and cost-effective option combining elements of copyediting and proofreading, where schedule or budget may not allow for a full round of both.

✒️ WRITING SUPPORT

A more holistic content review, providing a fresh editorial eye. If you’ve done the legwork, I’ll add the spit and polish. (I can also highlight obscure idioms and un-mix your metaphors.)

Do you want to write words that other people want to read?

📩 DM me or send an email to joanna@calicocultural.com. You can also visit my website (https://calicocultural.com/) to find out how I can help you get the most from your writing.

📊 Business and project documentation
🌐 Websites and pages
📖 Dissertations*, academic papers
📚 Books (chapters or the whole manuscript)

* Students: Please check your institution's academic regulations before requesting editorial support.

taplio

The Battle

Dr. John McGill 🧠

Joanna Puckering, PhD

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