Before she largely retired when she turned 50, Ms Bella St John spent several decades working with some of the world’s top companies, helping organisations to increase shareholder value by focusing on and leveraging their strengths, possibilities, and successes – and specializing in developing and delivering innovative think tanks, summits, and both online/in-person leadership development programs. She is also a sought-after branding expert, focusing on buyer psychology. Bella has a passion for virtual leadership, coaching, and mentoring programs that are innovative, collaborative, practical, and that demonstrate a tangible link between ‘respect’ and ‘profitability’. She now manages her several brands under both her own name, and under her parent company, Bella St John International.
Artificial Intelligence
Although largely retired, Bella stays on the cutting edge of technology – and more specifically its impact on people, organizations, and society as a whole – and is a leading voice in the impact of AI, AGI, and CHAT-GPT, having recently published her latest book, “AI/AGI Revolution – Will It Change What It Means To Be HUMAN?“. She is the go-to expert for a number of well-known companies when it comes to advising on the potential business, psychological, and societal impact of AI on their business – and more importantly, what to do about it.
Executive, Elite, and Presentation Skills Coaching
Bella has been a consultant for many years in the area of business growth, marketing (and specifically the importance of branding), personal/professional development, and working with a variety of successful executives and entrepreneurs, high-net-worth, and high-profile individuals. Her successes across a variety of disciplines and industries, both online and bricks-and-mortar businesses, combined with having lived in several different countries, as well as her lifelong study into ‘what makes people tick‘ ~ collectively these aspects and more give her an unparalleled insight into spotting hidden opportunities, identifying and preparing for possibly unforeseen challenges, and finding new and innovative ways to be successful.
Bella’s media and presentation background includes a career in radio, hosting movies premieres at Warner Bros, to black-tie charity events, through to week-long corporate professional development retreats… She has spent just as much time in front of the camera and microphone as behind it.
She has worked with corporate executives, successful entrepreneurs, coached international trade delegations on behalf of the government, and more. Her writing credits are too numerous to list individually and include authoring both non-fiction and fiction books, being an expert columnist with one of the leading small business magazines, photojournalist with a major metropolitan newspaper, editor of her own publication, and author of literally hundreds of published articles.
In addition to authoring and publishing several books, she also coached a number of business people and executives through the process of writing and publishing their books, and then turning them into best-sellers on various platforms.
With a personal track record of significant achievements in a diverse range of businesses and industries, igniting profound and sustainable change, and achieving results on multiple bottom-lines, Ms Bella St John’s coaching is confidential, personalized, tailored to the unique needs of both the client and their situation, and delivers profound insights and results.
Current Situation
While she still works with the occasional client, and has other ventures such as various professional partnerships, and WhiteLabel-Courses.com that keep her busy, thanks to that and the residual income streams Bella has created from licensing her professional development programs, she is now semi-retired, based in Serbia for the time being of all places.
Bibliophile, Anachronist, Philosophus, Socratist, Solivagant… These are all words that have at different times in her life been applied. Bella now travels the world 24/7 as a Luxurious Nomad, despite having mobility issues that on occasion require her to use a wheelchair to navigate the world, thanks in part to being hit by a car in Italy – but regardless, Bella has completely redefined success – living a life most only dream of living – and doing it in a manner befitting the elegance and style of a now almost forgotten era.
Bella currently lives ‘elegantis vitae’ daily, even travelling with crystal glasses (a set comprising wine, scotch, tumbler, and cognac balloon, of course), gold-plated cutlery, vintage Edwardian cup, saucer, and plate (some mornings nothing beats a cup of Twinnings Earl Grey, with honey and lemon…), a gold fountain pen (well, actually two since she thought she had lost the first some time ago so bought another – only to find the first exactly where she left it – funny that!), her personal wax seal, personal letterhead and envelopes for sending handwritten notes, an assortment of books from her collection that is currently in storage, including several published in the early to mid 1800s, and ranging from classical literature, to mythology, to history, and beyond…
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“a life without books for me is unimaginable! – and the older, the better… the older the books are, that is, not the older I am!” 🙂
What makes people ‘tick’…
Born and raised in Australia, Bella had a very dangerous and challenging early life – but she decided to see that as a blessing that lead to a choice – either allow her past to define her present, or learn from it and move forward by focusing on discovering blessings in every situation, and achieving levels of business and personal success far beyond the norm. She chose the latter – along the way exploring all facets of what it means to live with a positive mindset, and how an abundance mentality can fuel success in every area of life. In the process, Bella developed an almost constant ‘Pollyanna’ outlook, and a driving passion to discover, “what makes people ‘tick’?”
This life-long quest into studying human psychology – including studying the psychology of ‘happiness’ at Yale – has given Bella a unique perspective when it comes to coaching people to achieve; and also with regard to success in learning and development, marketing and branding.
“My fascination is in understanding what drives a person… How do they view the world and their place in it? What do they want? …and ultimately the key to unlocking it all, being how do they want to feel when they achieve what they think they want?”
It is also interesting given her contrasting early years, that Ms Bella St John is known for her sophisticated and elegant approach to life and work.
She has coached politicians, executives, and even high-school students to be comfortable with the art of etiquette; and even accompanied international government trade delegations, coaching them on the finer points of etiquette and cultural sensitivities. Bella’s unique blend of traditional and modern practices ensures that you receive relevant, actionable advice tailored to today’s dynamic environments.
Bella has etiquette in her blood. She is directly related to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, HRH King Charles III of England, and can trace her direct ancestral lineage all the way back to Charlemagne (Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian Empire from 800).
Add to those the fact that Bella basically lives and breathes what she calls, ‘relaxed elegance’ – she writes with a gold fountain pen, seals her hand-written letters with her own personalized wax seal, and is experienced with the world of private flights and black tie events (even hosting several).
“My intention is to make sure everyone feels comfortable in any situation, from a beer garden to a royal garden party, and everything in between.”
~ Ms Bella St John
A writer at heart…
During her early life, Bella’s refuge was books – both reading them and writing them, although it was not until 1990 that she actually published her first book, “Non-Profit Profitability”.
Since then, Bella has published a number of books (the majority of those as a ghost-writer), including three Amazon best-sellers. Until the end of 2016, all Bella’s published works were in the areas of business, personal and professional development. In 2017, she published her first work of fiction, “Quantum Lace” – combining her loves of writing, history, quantum physics, serialised novels, and otherwise forgotten and/or little-known historical facts. Since then, Bella has published three books in the Quantum Lace historical fiction series, and is currently working on a related novel.
“Heaven to me looks like floor to ceiling books that are safely nestled in dark-coloured wooden shelves lovingly built by craftsmen at least a century or two ago… Add an overstuffed sofa, a roaring fire, a glass of good red wine, and someone delightful with whom to share it…”
Achievements…
Bella has already achieved more than most will achieve in a lifetime…
With her unique background in professional development, both commercial & non-profit management, web design and social media, marketing, entertainment and media, a Client List that reads like a who’s who, & her passion for making a positive difference in people’s lives, Bella brings with her an exciting blend of experience & understanding that generated positive results!
Despite not having finished high school due to finding herself homeless while still a teenager, Bella invested in her own education as an adult and subsequently taught for many years with Mt Eliza Centre for Executive Education (listed by Forbes Magazine as one of the world’s top 25 business schools, and by the Financial Times (2013) as the No. 1 executive educator based in Asia Pacific).
Bella is a member of Mensa, and with a passion for learning (that some might call obsessive – she simply calls it ‘love of learning’, or being a philomath), she has studied or is currently studying classes in: Technology Entrepreneurship and Digital Humanities, Harvard University; Business Intelligence and IoT, Rolls Royce Digital Academy; Innovation, University of Texas Health Science Center; Artificial Intelligence at Stanford, Babson College, and IBM; Agile Mindset at Rolls Royce Digital Academy; Viral Marketing, University of Pennsylvania; Journalism, Australian College of Journalism; ICT Innovation, UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UNESCO; Contract Law, Harvard University; Psychology of Happiness, Yale University; Inspiring Culture and Technology, The Smithsonian Institution; Foundations for Excellence in Teaching Online, Arizona State University; Customer-Centric Marketing, Babson College; Marketing Innovation, University of Maryland; eMBA in Non-Profit Management; User Innovation and Entrepreneurship, MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology); Marketing, Deakin University; Psychology, Monash University; Adult Education Certification, Monash Mt Eliza Business College.
…and she studied Artificial Intelligence at Stanford University for a semester – for fun!
Bella is a self-confessed “geek” who loves technology – both modern digital technology, and the technological advances made during the Victorian and Edwardian eras.
“I love steam-power! There is something very elegantly feminine yet powerfully masculine about a steam engine that simply transfixes me. So, when I learned there was a whole genre where steam power meets Victorian fashion, I was fascinated…”
…this photo was taken when Bella joined friends at a Steampunk fair (‘Steampunk’ according to Wikipedia: a subgenre of science fiction or science fantasy that incorporates technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery)).
Bella is an artist and award-winning photographer and member of the British Royal Photographic Society, who has had several exhibitions and whose work has been featured in a variety of formats, including several of her photographs being shortlisted as finalists in the International Historic Photographer of the Year Awards.
“…although I barely know an f-stop from a bus-stop! My love of photography is in composition. When one can look through the lens, make minor adjustments to where one is standing, or the angle of the camera, and then wait for that moment when it just ‘feels’ that the photo is ‘right’… That’s magic!”
Books authored by Ms (Leigh) Bella St John include:
Fiction:
- “Quantum Lace” – Books One, Two and Three (Book One achieved Amazon #1 Best-Seller ranking at its release)
Non-Fiction:
- “AI/AGI Revolution – Will This Change What It Means To Be HUMAN?“
- “Sell More Books! 173 Book Marketing Ideas, Tips & Lists“
- “Hashtag 101“(achieved Amazon #1 Best-Seller ranking in 2 categories)
- “365 Days of Inspiration“
- “What Do I Want To Be?” – aimed a supporting youth
- “Achievement Alchemist” (achieved Amazon #6 Best-Seller ranking)
- “Escaping the Small Business Syndrome” out of print
- “Non-Profit Profitability” out of print
- …and ghostwriter of over twenty books
A life well lived:
…although this photo I took in South Carolina looks like they are clouds, that is actually the ocean with the whitecaps reflecting the full moon…
Bella’s adventures and the things she has done in her life make one think she must be at least 179 years of age, “Hmmm, there’s that ‘age’ thing again…” – and all this with physical and mobility challenges…
Among other things, she rode in a husky sled in the Scottish Highlands; spent time down in a Romanian salt mine; raced speedway stock cars; spoke on stage at the United Nations in NYC; chartered private planes to fly from one country to the next; travelled overnight by rail from Vienna to Rome; attended a Royal Russian Summer Ball; explored Vienna in a horse-drawn carriage; attended the Winter Olympics in Whistler; cruised the River Danube; stayed overnight by herself in a ghost town in the middle of the Nevada Desert; bought a Victorian horse-drawn carriage (as one does!); was a guest soloist with the Sydney Conservatorium Choir; road-tripped across, around, and through America multiple, multiple times in a classic Jaguar convertible; took a vintage five-star fine-dining rail journey from Wales to Scotland and return; cruised the Mississippi river on a paddle steamer; travelled by Jeep through underground caverns in the Ozarks; spent a week camping by herself beside a stunning lake in Georgia, complete with nightly skinny-dipping under the stars; visited the Altaussee salt mine in the mountains of Austria where WWII art treasures stolen by the Nazis were found by the ‘Monuments Men’… [read more]…
“Every day I realise there is simply never going to be enough time in the world to visit and explore everything I want to explore, to learn all I want to learn… and I am ever so appreciative to others – living and departed – from whom I also learn, and through whose shared knowledge and wisdom I vicariously experience my continually unfolding reality…”
Various Projects, Appointments, Memberships (Past and Present) also include:
- Founder, Bella St John International, including the WhiteLabel-Courses brand
- Program Developer, Peer-Mentoring.com world-class professional development programs with guaranteed, sustainable, and measurable results
- Executive Director, Masters Media Group
- Web Producer, “Trafficked No More” documentary (nominated for an Emmy®)
- Founding Board Member, Crowdfunding Professional Association
- Host – “Going Green TV“
- Web Producer, “Seasons of Peace” (nationwide collaboration between law enforcement, faith-based organisations, and community to achieve zero homicides)
- Founding Member ‘Vogue® Insiders Club‘
- Board Member, “Courtroom Cuddlies” (Non-Profit Organization providing ‘fluffy friends’ to children in courtroom situations)
- Host – “Quiet Achievers and Unsung Heroes” radio talk show
- Executive Director, Senior Industry Network Group
- Relationship Manager – Conference Online Las Vegas
- Associate Director – Corps of Compassion/Caring 4 Kids Foundation (501c3 Non-Profit Organization feeding homeless and at-risk elementary school children)
- Consulting Lecturer and Facilitator for Mt Eliza Centre for Executive Education (listed by Forbes Magazine as one of the world’s top 25 business schools)
- Member of AFI (American Film Institute)
- Ambassador for the Social Register of Las Vegas
- Member of Mensa
- Founder of the Australian Mentoring Institute Inc (Non-Profit Organization)
- Board Member and Community Outreach Chair, NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners)
- Founding Member of WITIA (Women in Tourism International Alliance)
- Member of the Panel of Professional Advisers for the Victorian Government
- Australian Ambassador to the International Virtual Women’s Chamber of Commerce
- Mensa National Special Interest Coordinator
- Speaker Chair, Las Vegas Shared Vision Network
- Finalist in the Australian Women in Business Awards
- Finalist in the Telstra Business Woman of the Year Awards
- Expert Columnist, “Dynamic Small Business Magazine“, Australia’s leading small business magazine
- Daily Columnist/Photo-Journalist – “The Morning Bulletin – Life With Leigh” (full page every weekday covering ‘positive’ news stories in major metropolitan newspaper)
- Drive-Time Co-Host, major commercial radio station (RG Captial Radio)
- Sponsor and Mentor for Australian Business Week (business simulation program for high school students)
- Mentor for the Commonwealth New Enterprise Incentive Scheme Advisory Committee – NEISAC – (government-sponsored small business start-up project)
- Judge – Australian Film Institute Awards
- Judge – SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) National Awards
- Judge – APICTA (Asia Pacific Information Communications and Telecommunications Awards)
✨ Freedom ✨
✨ Keeping History Alive ✨
✨ Bringing Elegance Back To Life ✨
These are Bella’s guiding ideals. She has built for herself a life of relaxed luxury – and has done so primarily by being true to herself, finding the “wonderful” in every situation, and by helping others do the same along the way.
“I look forward to hearing from you…”
~ Bella