John R. Coats holds master’s degrees from Virginia Theological Seminary (Episcopal) and Bennington College Writing Seminars. A former parish priest, he was a principal speaker and seminar leader for the More to Life training program in the United States, Great Britain, and South Africa, and an independent management consultant. The More To Life/Kairos Foundation is a non-profit educational charity which aims to help people connect their daily lives with their highest values and sponsors personal development training programs on four continents. Coats was involved with the program from 1981 to 1995; as a senior trainer, he lead over 300 weekend intensives, working with about 30,000 people, and today remains well connected with the program as well as with people he worked in such places as California, London, South Africa, Knoxville, Atlanta and Houston. He lives with his wife, Pamela, in Houston, Texas.