Kevin Anthony Johnson (call him KJ) is an adopted son, father of three, artist, master coach, author and the founder of The Transformance Group. For over 24 years he’s served as a trusted advisor, trainer and life strategist to organizations, executives and their teams -- impacting the lives of thousands of leaders from Chicago to Shanghai. As an executive coach to public servants, startup leaders, high-performing teams and executives at purpose-driven companies like Linkedin, Sundance Film Festival, Esusu Financial, PwC, Kirkland & Ellis, Turner Construction and Automattic, KJ brings his signature style of heart, challenge and personal excellence to everyone he interacts with. He deftly weaves living systems, neuroscience and emotional fitness into a bold approach to healthy relationships and personal transformation.

KJ earned his certification as an evidence-based coach from Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, California and holds certifications for Transformational Leadership, Coaching and Social & Emotional Intelligence from Wright Graduate University for the Realization of Human Potential. He currently serves on the local & national boards of @826CHI, a nonprofit centered on amplifying the voice of our youth. He's the author of two books, an artist, Haiku aficionado, marathoner and philosopher—but most proudly he’s the father of three curious young adults who are making their own kind of change in the world.

Notable Client Achievements

• VP to COO at a Global Logistics Company

  • Client was escalating in career frustration—and emotional outbursts, challenged with scaling his leadership to the organization’s growth and displaying career-destructive behavior.
  • Results: Greater stress management skills, sustainable leadership habits and a complete turnaround in the team and organizational perception of client’s leadership and interpersonal skills along with a dramatic increase in work/life integration. A year later, Client was promoted to North American Chief Operations Officer.

• Executive Director of a Charitable Foundation

  • Family-run, floundering foundation elevates an executive admin to her first executive leadership role. Client (POC) struggled with her professional brand, mindsets, communication skills and influence with donors and stakeholders.
  • Results: In less than a year, the ED had nearly doubled the donor base and gifts per donor, and established clear giving policies and organizational mission toward community outcomes. Client improved processes, donor relations and collaborative engagement with her board.

• Founder and Chairperson of a Global Social Enterprise

  • The client experienced growth pains while scaling the enterprise to serve over 1 million students in Brazil. The major challenges were board relationships and staff expansion beyond the volunteer force.
  • Results: Increased alignment of activity with the organizational mission as well as strategic thinking time and improved delegation skills as he exceeded 2M students reached with his service.

• Technology Senior Director

  • Client (POC) at a tech firm serving over 500M customers moved up the organization in a fast-tracked manner and was having difficulty managing a sales team significantly older than him while also struggling with the politics of the organization.
  • Results: Developed a strong camaraderie on his team, which exceeded their sales plan by 20%. At the conclusion of our engagement, the client was selected to lead a business expansion to an untapped metropolitan market.

• Marketing VP in Investment Firm

  • High-potential leader struggling with executive presence and political skill as a woman on a predominantly male leadership team.
  • Results: Leader deepened relationships across the team, developed skill in “reading the room” and was promoted to her current role.