A leading high performance mindset coach, John Quinn has spent more than 25 years helping elite athletes, coaches, leaders and organisations unlock consistent performance in high-pressure environments.
Working across sport, business, education and government, John has built his reputation on a powerful philosophy: sustainable success comes from understanding who you are, living your values every day, and focusing on the behaviours that drive excellence rather than chasing outcomes.
Throughout his career, John has partnered with some of New Zealand's and the world's most successful sporting organisations. His experience includes working with the Crusaders, Black Caps, White Ferns, New Zealand Rugby, New Zealand Under-20s, New Zealand Secondary Schools Rugby, England's Red Roses, the Sydney Roosters, Kubota Spears in Japan, Hong Kong Rugby, the New Zealand Blacksticks and numerous national sporting bodies.
John has also coached many of New Zealand's most accomplished athletes, supporting Olympic medallists, world champions and record holders to perform at the highest level of international competition. Among those he has worked with are Dame Valerie Adams, Tom Walsh, Emma Twigg, Eliza McCartney, Hamish Kerr, William Stedman and Nat Rooney. His expertise has helped athletes prepare for and succeed at Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cups and other major global events.
A trusted adviser in the fields of performance psychology, leadership development, resilience and wellbeing, John has been part of New Zealand teams at multiple Commonwealth Games and has dedicated his career to understanding what separates good from great. His approach combines evidence-based mental performance strategies with practical tools that strengthen focus, decision-making, communication, leadership and consistency under pressure.
Known for translating elite sporting lessons into everyday life, John challenges conventional thinking around performance. His work encourages individuals and organisations to shift their focus from motivation and results towards identity, habits and behaviours that create long-term success. Through his practical and down-to-earth approach, he helps people build resilience, embrace discomfort, strengthen team culture and achieve sustainable high performance.
Talking Points
Performance Advantage
What separates the best from everyone else isn't talent—it's how they think, respond and show up every day. Drawing on lessons from Olympic champions, World Cup winners and elite business leaders, John shares the practical mindset habits that enable people to thrive under pressure, embrace challenges and consistently perform when it matters most.
Performance Advantage
Focus - the currency of performance
Performance follows attention. In this session, John explores how the world's best performers manage distractions, stay present in high-pressure moments, and direct their focus towards what they can control. Audiences will leave with practical tools to improve concentration, make better decisions under pressure, and perform consistently when it matters most.
Focus - the currency of performance
Building high-performing teams and cultures
High-performing teams don't happen by chance—they are built through trust, clear standards, strong leadership and a shared sense of purpose. Drawing on his experience with elite sporting teams and high-performing organisations, John shares practical strategies for creating cultures where people are connected, accountable and consistently bring out the best in each other.
Building high-performing teams and cultures
