About John Fanous

Twenty-five years of leading.
A lifetime of learning.

Executive coach. Convene Chair. Author. And someone who has made most of the leadership mistakes he now helps others avoid.

John Fanous, executive coach and founder of Lumis Coaching

John Fanous

The Approach

Every organization goes through the same stages. The symptoms are predictable. So are the solutions.

I've spent twenty-five years working with organizations — churches, nonprofits, and businesses at every size — and what I've learned is that the friction leaders feel isn't random.

The Predictable Success framework gives language to what I'd been observing for years. Instead of coaching in the dark, we know exactly where you are, why it's hard right now, and what has to change.

And if your faith is central to how you lead, we don't have to pretend otherwise. That belongs in the room too.

Background & Credentials

What I bring to every engagement.

Predictable Success

Licensed Predictable Success Partner — the lifecycle methodology that tells you exactly where your organization is and what's blocking growth at this precise stage.

Convene Chair

I chair two peer advisory groups for Christian business leaders in the Sacramento and East Bay regions — bringing the same clarity and accountability to cohorts that I bring to individual clients.

25+ Years of Leadership

From planting churches to leading nonprofits to coaching executives, I've navigated organizational growth at every stage — and made most of the mistakes I now help others avoid.

Author

Writing The Evening Habit, releasing September 2026 — a book about the evening disciplines that make sustainable leadership possible.

Faith-Integrated Practice

For leaders whose faith shapes how they make decisions, this is a place where that's not only welcome — it's central to how we work together.

ICF-Aligned Coaching

Coaching built on ICF-aligned principles — active listening, powerful questions, and the discipline of helping leaders find what they already know.

How I Work

Honest. Specific.
Built for the long game.

I'm not here to make you feel good about where you are. I'm here to help you get somewhere better. That means honest conversations, specific observations, and a framework that tells us both exactly what we're dealing with.

Most of my clients stay for more than a year. Not because they're locked in, but because sustained coaching — a relationship built over time — is where the deepest work happens. The first few months are diagnosis and quick wins. The second year is where the organization actually changes.

I also believe that faith and strategy belong in the same room. If you're a founder or CEO whose faith shapes how you make decisions, I won't ask you to set that aside when we work together. We'll use it.

01
Diagnose before prescribing

The Friction Audit exists because I won't recommend a direction until I understand exactly where you are. Every engagement starts with honest diagnosis.

02
Name what others won't

The thing that's actually blocking you is usually something no one around you will say out loud. That's what I'm here for.

03
Hold you to what matters

Accountability isn't pressure — it's clarity about what you said you'd do and a relationship that makes you want to do it.

04
Integrate faith naturally

Not every session is a devotional. But for clients who want it, faith is woven into the strategy — not bolted on as an afterthought.

What Clients Say
"

John has a rare gift for naming exactly what's happening in an organization. He helped me see what I couldn't see on my own — and gave me a clear, honest path forward.

Phil Skei
Founder
Convene

Peer community for Christian business leaders.

In addition to individual coaching, I chair two Convene peer groups — curated cohorts of Christian CEOs and business owners who meet monthly for honest conversation, strategic input, and mutual accountability.

Convene is different from most peer groups because the faith dimension is explicit, the business content is rigorous, and the relationships are built over years — not weeks.

Ask About Peer Advisory

"The right peer group doesn't just give you advice. It gives you the courage to act on what you already know."

Sacramento Region, California

Monthly gatherings of Christian CEOs and founders — curated for fit, committed to honesty.

East Bay Region, California

A second cohort serving the East Bay — same rigor, same faith integration, same long-term commitment.

Ready to Have an Honest Conversation?

The first conversation
is free.

The Friction Audit is where every engagement begins. 90 minutes. Three assessments. One clear picture of where you are and what's in the way.

Schedule a Conversation Start with the Friction Audit — $500