MEET JOHN KEATING

John Keating is the founder of Progress Partners and a certified disability and life coach, employment specialist, and career-development professional. With more than 15 years of experience, John helps young adults with disabilities or life challenges build confidence, direction, independence, employment readiness, social growth, and practical life skills. John holds professional credentials including Board Certified Coach (BCC), Certified Employment Support Professional (CESP), Certified Life Coach (CLC), and LPCC. His background also includes ACRE-related employment-services training, college coaching for individuals with Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism, vocational assessment, customized employment, job development, person-centered planning, life transition, and career direction.

 

John’s connection to the disability community began at age 12 through wheelchair basketball. His perspective later deepened as the parent of a child on the autism spectrum. Through these personal and professional experiences, he saw how families can become frustrated by limited services, frequent staff changes, long delays, and systems that do not always respect an individual’s time, strengths, or goals.

 

He created Progress Partners to offer a more flexible, practical, and person-centered approach. John combines one-on-one coaching, small-group learning, career exploration, skill-building, accountability, employer outreach, and real-world experiences such as "Shadowships". His work is designed to help clients move beyond uncertainty and turn their abilities, interests, and goals into clear next steps.​