testimonial

My name is Joshua Wagler and I am a co-owner of Edible Landscapes Design Ltd. This spring, we were going into our third season of business and ready for a level up. We had had some great successes, but systems and consistency had been an ongoing challenge. As a team of very strong-willed and independent individuals, we had plenty of opinions about how to best move forward, but we needed a common language, and even more so, qualified guidance from people who knew about our field, and really understood our challenges.

When I saw that Javan and Rob were leading this Regenerative Business Mentorship program, I knew that there was a lot we could learn from them. Both have been great leaders in a very similar industry to our own, and despite their success, I had a feeling they were still very “in-touch” with what it is like to be in the 3^rd year of business. They weren’t TOO far ahead of us to forget what it’s like to be in our position.

Upon enrolling, we were not disappointed. In fact, I would consider the money that we invested to be one of the most important investments I have ever made. More than just creating a common language between everyone within the business, we got a behind the scenes look at what really makes a business successful. Rob and Javan genuinely cared about each and every person’s success, and at times I was actually amazed at how deeply they considered our questions, and how openly they answered them. Before we enrolled, we wondered if perhaps Javan and Rob shared TOO MUCH similarity with our own business, and even wondered if they would be holding back because of how similar our businesses are. Instead, they encouraged us to look deeply at ourselves and discover how unique we are, and to differentiate ourselves by being “more of ourselves”. They also armed us with an abundance of tools, resources, principles, and shared their direct personal experience in a way that has likely shaved many years off of our learning curve.

It was great to meet on a weekly basis, and to have this consistent timeslot carved out for working “on our business”, rather than always working “in our business”.  Having audio recordings of podcasts and Q&A has been great… Everyone within our business listened to the podcasts many times before the Q&A. Once again, I can’t express enough how valuable the Q&A sessions were. It’s rare to be able to ask such detailed questions and have them considered and answered by people who really know what they are talking about.

 One major takeaway was the rule of thirds, and how we had been investing almost 100% of our time “grinding it out”, rather than also building our reputation and sales process. Most strikingly, was realizing that our sales process and reputation has real value, must be invested in, and that money needs to come from somewhere. Our sales process has had a complete makeover, and beyond being SO much smoother and clear for our customers, it now requires a fraction of the mental/emotional energy that we were inputting before. The course has also encouraged us to put our money where our mouth is, and guarantee our work. Using systems developed during this course, we feel ready to offer a money-back guarantee for the first time. We’ve also learned to fire clients that don’t work for us, and be highly discerning about who we work for.

Since taking the course, we now have a smooth sales process that can be seamlessly implemented, even while answering an unknown number half-asleep in bed. In this particular instance, I was able to close a sale on a design job while charging 5x our previous design rate. The client is happy to pay this amount, and we are confident offering our money back guarantee because we are adequately charging for our diagnosis process. By valuing our time and skills, the quality of work we can offer has increased dramatically. We have turned away jobs in the $7k-$10k range because we could sense that the clients weren’t a great fit. Never before have we been in a position to do this, but now we understand that good fit is far more important than the financial rewards of a given job. We’ve also come up with systems will keep us going during the slow months, and ease the pressure during the busy times. The list of tiny shifts and resources are far too numerous to list, but they are all leading towards major long-term changes.

There is still lots of work to go, but we have a clarity, purpose, and foundation that feels great. What Javan and Rob are doing is absolutely excellent, and I am looking forward to part 2 of this Regenerative Mentorship Program. Once again, excellent program, run by two excellent people. I’m very grateful to have these individuals in my life, and even better, have them working together as a team. Bravo Gents. Thank you!

P.S. There were lots of great laughs during this course as well. I looked forward to the good vibes every week.  Highly recommended.

Your insights are a gift to the world.

I have taken two separate 6 Day Holistic Management courses facilitated by 3 HMI Certified instructors. And while I have gained tremendous value from the considerable time and financial capital I invested for those trainings, it is now paled in comparison to the clarity and value I have gained from working through Javan’s Holistic Life Context process.

During his 6 week program I only had to book 6 hours of time for phone conversations and the reminder of the work modules was completed as my busy schedule allowed. I knew that my time spent working with Javan would help my to advance my understanding of Holistic Management, but still my expectations were blown away. His incredible ability to distil the complex and abstract concepts of HM into clear and potent insights, that you can actually apply to your life on a daily basis, is remarkable. I now have the mental clarity to survey my life and quickly and thoughtful discern a path forward that is not only leading to my Holistic Goal, it actually is my Holistic Goal. I now feel like I am experiencing life in slow motion.

Faced with an opportunity to purchase a portion of the family farm back I was overwhelmed with emotions and biases. I couldn’t see straight. After reviewing my Holistic Life Context, speaking with Javan and a lot of the toughest work on the farm there is – thinking, it was clear that this opportunity, just not for me. I side stepped $500,000 in debt, saving time, frustration and financial pain. My current farm businesses and quality of life have never been better.

Thanks a million, or should I say, half a million!

I have been actively engaged in my personal growth for most of my adult life and though there have been so many things that have facilitated that growth for me throughout the years, I don’t know if I can say anything has been as effective so quickly as working with Javan on Holistic Life Design.

Many authors, speakers and ‘gurus’ offer broad concepts, and many offer very specific structures.

The Holistic Life Design Process is so effective because it takes a very broad view of something, namely yourself, and applies a framework. It isn’t a rigid thing that says do this or that different practice, in fact it works on an order of magnitude higher than that because it helps you make certain that this or that practice, or decision is a sound one.

After going through this process I am now equipped with a tool-kit that I can apply to any decision I make, and all of life is really a sequence of decisions. As novice to the process I can see how my continued use of this tool increases its potency as it is constantly refined and sharpened. What’s more, just as in life, this work does not seem to be just about the destination.

I am excited for to have the Holistic Life Design framework to apply to my decision making, but I was excited each week when I opened up the next module and got a chance to do some seriously deep looking inward, in some cases to places I had been very much avoiding even if subconsciously.

The process was set at a pace and in a sequence that kept me engaged and inspired to do more. At the end of the hard work, and it isn’t easy by any means, there is the reward of a tool you can carry with you for the rest of your life, and through the use of this tool you can enrich your life and the lives of those around you by showing up in your power and authenticity.

Don’t take up this work if you’re just looking for some easy means of making problems go away, that isn’t really realistic. However if you are ready to commit to yourself, and go through a process of discovery, transformation and integration of a powerful new way of making decisions, then get in touch with Javan Bernakavitch and prepare to do some homework.

We accomplished in hours what I’ve spent years unable to heal or change with cognitive therapy – it was an invaluable process! Javan’s a stellar teacher and insightful guide who is committed to seeing you succeed. He provided me with a number of excellent tools to help create key changes in my life.

Javan’s contribution to our Permaculture Design Courses in Cuba has been critical for our Cuban and Canadian participants alike. His offering of a ‘Life Design’ workshop as part of the course provides students the unique and very valuable opportunity to consider how they might systemically integrate all they are learning more fully into their lives and their livelihoods – a wonderful innovation and addition to the usual PDC.”

Javan’s impact on my professional life has been critical to my success. He has a unique ability to perceive opportunities and to provide sound feedback. It’s a pleasure working with such a down-to-earth mentor and friend.

When I need someone to make sense out of chaos and despair and give me purpose and a roadmap for how to move forward, Javan is the guy. We all know what being in a funk does to productivity levels and as a small business owner, those hours, days, and even weeks spent spinning my wheels means a lot of money, which for me translates to missed leisure time and freedom. When I look at my books and see what a good day of work can bring financially, I am thankful I have a mentor like Javan to make those difficult times short, manageable, and most importantly understandable, so I can get back to doing what I love!”

Javan’s innate ability to help others cut through the mystery and confusion of their life’s purpose is incredible. His process helps others generate a business plan that integrates their individual passions and skills, then directs that focused energy towards problems in the world that they were literally born to solve. For me, Javan has been a much needed voice of reason in my life. His insights around marketing, in particular, have given me the clarity I needed to create a marketing strategy that has me spending less time herding people, and more time herding cows.

Javan helped prevent me from potentially making a $50,000 business mistake in a mere 15 minute phone conversation – not from sharing his own opinion on the situation but from asking the right questions, that illuminated my own needs and weak links, making the decision obvious. I am so very thankful to have access to his guiding influence when needed.

Javan, thank you very much for your input and sharing your journey and experience with us. This has been much more than a design course for me. It has opened my eyes and, for that, I am very grateful to everybody involved in putting this course together.