John GUCCI Foley

John GUCCI Foley is a former BlueAngel Lead Solo Pilot, an elite flight exhibition team comprised of the crème de le crème of the United States Navy. Considered among the best of the best pilots in the US military, John performed in a high-stakes environment, flying at speeds of more than 500 miles per hour in dangerous formations as close as 18 inches apart. Naturally, this sort of precision was dependent on a culture of high trust, excellent leadership and outstanding teamwork, knowledge which John now instils in organisations when booked for speaking engagement. Having spoken at over 1500 events worldwide for prestigious clients, including Google, Microsoft, BMW, Marriot and the NBA, John is among the top ten most in-demand high-performance speakers.

In 1978, John enlisted in the United States Naval Academy, earning a BSME in Engineering. He then joined the Naval War College in 1995 to earn a master’s in National Security and Strategic Studies before attending Stanford University Graduate School of Business to complete a master’s in Management. John went on to earn a third master’s degree in International Policy Studies at Stanford University. Throughout his 20-year career with the US Navy, John served as a Commander and Naval Aviator, materialising his childhood dream of joining the BlueAngels. In 2000 he was invited to join Partech as a Business Development Manager, which led to the establishment of John Foley Inc after John discovered his ability to foster high-performance corporate cultures.

Becoming a highly-sought after high-performance coach, John used his diamond performance framework to help teams reach their highest potential and maintain excellence under dynamic change. In 2020 he founded the Glad to Be Here Foundation, giving ten per cent of his speaking proceeds to charitable organisations, with donations of over $2 million to 380 charities. Moreover, John is the bestselling author of Fearless Success, which delves into his ground-breaking techniques for achieving high performance. John has also been featured in the movie Top Gun, where he flew one of the planes at a low altitude.

John has appeared on multiple podcasts, including the YogiTriathlete and is the host of the High-Performance Zone Podcast, which features expert guests discussing methods for achieving high performance in all aspects of life. Recently, John delivered an inspirational TEDx Talk titled Performance Beyond the BlueAngels, exploring the concept of elite teams. Having firmly established himself as a foremost expert on high performance, John is regularly booked for speaking events, where he inspires organisations to achieve more by drawing on his experience as an elite pilot. With an energetic delivery, full of amazing anecdotes and a contagious attitude, John captivates audiences, empowering them to embrace change and take risks.