John C. Ashworth, MA
Sales Leader · Strategist · Content Builder · Renaissance Man
Who I am
Modern-day Renaissance man with a rare blend of deep sales instinct, creative force, and strategic clarity. Over 25+ years across sales, marketing, content creation, and business leadership — with a unique ability to decode industries and turn that understanding into something profitable, meaningful, and scalable. Former small business founder, local TV personality, fitness coach, and clinical exercise physiologist turned business strategist and growth architect. Now focused on the intersection of human connection and AI — and building teams and systems that thrive there.
Core strengths
Visionary Sales Leader — Helped drive Frazer Consultants from $300M to $1B in under two years. Serves, guides, educates, and closes with intention.
Connection-Driven Communicator — High-touch, low-pressure style rooted in authenticity. Builds trust fast and crafts solutions that actually land.
Content Creation Powerhouse — Thousands of videos, blog posts, and campaigns. Creator of 200+ "Fitness Friday" TV segments on NBC15.
Creative Strategist — Brings a steady stream of inventive, often unconventional solutions to complex problems — with elegant simplicity.
Modern Marketer — Builds sophisticated direct response systems using email, podcasts, video, social, and outbound. To serve is to sell.
Tech-Savvy & Tool-Obsessed — Deep love for smart tools. Learns fast, teaches clearly, and brings tech into the hands of those who need it most.
Bold Collaborator — Known for surfacing the questions no one's asking, unlocking smarter, faster paths. Collaborative by nature, provocative by design.
Endlessly Curious — Insatiable appetite for learning, pulling insights from every discipline — fitness, clinical science, software, and storytelling.
Professional history
Golden Considerations · Remote + Regional Territory
Lead sales and strategic growth in one of the most emotionally complex industries in the world — pre-need insurance and funeral planning. Full regional responsibility for relationship development, revenue generation, partner training, marketing support, and performance coaching.
- Doubled sales and profitability every year for three consecutive years by refining outbound strategy, strengthening partner alignment, and delivering targeted consultative support to high-potential clients typically ignored by this industry
- Serve as both strategist and coach, helping funeral professionals grow market share by integrating technology, storytelling, and modern marketing
- Developed systems for tracking, analyzing, and optimizing pre-need sales data across multiple states and territories
- Frequently called upon for advanced case support, difficult client conversations, and turnaround efforts with underperforming partners
- Creates thought leadership content bridging old-school service and next-generation growth strategies
Frazer Consultants (now Tribute Technologies) · Madison, WI
Integral member of the business development team during explosive growth — helping scale the company from $300M to $1B in under two years. Reshaped how funeral professionals adopt and implement digital tools.
- Partnered with funeral homes across the country to bring modern tech solutions into legacy operations, increasing adoption and revenue per client
- Played a lead role in designing outreach strategies that combined inbound and outbound methods, significantly increasing lead volume and quality
- Translated complex product features into compelling, value-driven narratives tailored to each client's specific operational needs
- Mentored newer team members on consultative sales approaches rooted in empathy, education, and long-term relationship building
- Consistently exceeded quarterly sales targets through strategic planning, bold outreach, and deep market insight
Lexus of Madison · Madison, WI
- Top producer — sold more than 375 cars in 24 months
- Edited and produced "The Ash Flash," a printed newsletter sent to 500 customers 4–6 times per year to cultivate relationships and drive repeat business
Smart Motors · Madison, WI
- Sold more than 100 cars in 9 months
The Fitness Nomad · Madison, WI
- Provided 1-on-1 fitness coaching to more than 1,000 clients — in-person and for corporations — with integrated nutrition, lifestyle, and online training
- Solely responsible for more than $1M in sales over 10 years, including a proprietary online coaching platform
2001–2012
Founder/President, ExerciseCareers.com · Madison, WI — Online job board for health & fitness professionals, 30K+ unique visitors/month at peak; $250K+ gross sales over 11 years.
2001–2004
Clinical Exercise Physiologist, University of Wisconsin Hospital · Madison, WI — Revolving case management of 30–40 patients diagnosed with cardiovascular disease.
1999–2001
Clinical Exercise Physiologist / Database Manager, Dr. Dean Ornish's Preventive Medicine Research Institute · Sausalito, CA
1997–1999
Clinical Exercise Physiologist, UCSF · San Francisco, CA
1993–2001
Founder/Owner, Lifestyle Fitness · San Francisco, CA — Personal training and health coaching practice.
Education
Master of Arts
San Jose State University
Movement Science · Specialization: Exercise Physiology
Bachelor of Arts
St. Mary's College, Moraga, CA
Health, Physical Education & Recreation
Publications & content
The Ash Flash — Print and digital newsletter/blog designed to cultivate sales and customer relationships.
theashflash.com
Book (2011) — Weight Loss: The Job No One is Training YOU for. John Ashworth. Insight Publishing.
Book Chapter (2003) — Traditional Risk Factors for CAD. Lead author in the first edition of the AACVPR Resource Manual.
200+ TV Segments — "Fitness Friday" series produced and hosted for NBC15, Madison, WI.
Abstract (1998) — Six-minute walk test predicting treadmill performance in COPD patients. American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.
Abstract (1996) — Effects of caffeine ingestion on power output during high-intensity leg ergometry. ACSM Southwest Chapter Annual Meeting.
All-American Soccer — Broke the California state goal-scoring record, 1989.