John Yeager

John Yeager is an educator, leadership coach, speaker, and author who has spent more than four decades exploring a question that has shaped both his life and his work: What helps people move forward when fear, uncertainty, and risk are present?

As Chief Education Officer of Yeager Leadership, John works with leaders and organizations across business, healthcare, education, manufacturing, athletics, and community settings to strengthen leadership, develop high-performing teams, and create cultures where people can grow and thrive.

John's approach combines research with extensive real-world experience. He earned his doctorate in education from Boston University and later graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's pioneering graduate program in applied positive psychology. His study of organizational behavior, human motivation, character development, and courageous leadership has informed decades of teaching, coaching, consulting, and speaking.

Athletics also played an important role in shaping John's understanding of leadership and human potential. A former elite lacrosse goaltender at the high school, college, and professional levels, John is a member of the Lacrosse Halls of Fame of New England, Eastern Massachusetts, and UMASS Boston/Boston State. He was also named one of the top 20 New England lacrosse players of all time by the New England Lacrosse Journal. He later brought lessons learned as an athlete into his work as a high school and college coach.

His newest book, Courage Keepers: A Guide to Brave Leadership and Inspiring Bold Action in Others, brings together much of what John has learned about courage throughout his career. Rather than treating courage as a rare quality possessed by a select few, John approaches it as a process and a capacity that can be developed.

Courage is learnable. Repeatable. Transferable.

Through his Courage Keeper™ work, John helps leaders understand what happens in the space between fear and action—and equips them to strengthen their own courage while helping others find theirs.

John's previous books include The Coaching Zone, SMART Strengths: The Parent/Teacher/Coach Guide to Building Character, Resilience and Relationships in Youth, Character and Coaching: Building Virtue in Athletic Programs, and Our Game: The Character & Culture of Lacrosse. His work has also appeared in Character Strengths Matter: How to Live a Full Life and Positive Psychology in Sport and Physical Activity. He has written for Sports Illustrated .com and has been quoted in Sports Illustrated and The New York Times Magazine.

Whether he is working with executives, educators, healthcare professionals, coaches, athletes, or emerging leaders, John's focus remains the same: helping people develop the capacity to move through uncertainty, act with courage, and bring out the best in others.

Because the best leaders don't simply demonstrate courage. They cultivate it in others.