It started with a vision...In 1996 at the lowest point in his life John, had "lost it all" in a business deal and had run out of options. He sought refuge with his family at a small ten room motel in Michigan's Upper Peninsula owned by Ojibwa Firekeeper Bruce Hardwick. It was there a vision came to him...that he must walk his way to a new life. In September of 1996 John walked with two friends from Upper Michigan to Chicago and back covering nearly 1,000 miles and shedding his old life....On the last hundred miles of the journey a voice inside him spoke clearly..."...GO ON THE RADIO..." Stunned by what he heard...John pondered the message while he finished the walk...and then vowed to be a voice in the world that stood for possibility...
In August of 1997 after being turned down by numerous stations and with no prior radio experience John went on the air at a CBS affiliate in Michigan and had 5 shows to "get it right." By the time he ended his Power!Talk Radio Show in 2006 he had broadcast over 12,500 shows, was awarded the MAB "Best Talk Host" in 1999-2000-2001 and was called "The New Voice of America" by veteran broadcaster Charles Osgood and "The most influential voice on radio" by best selling author Cheryl Richardson and was heard nationally on Talk One Network. He created the one minute program "Powerthoughts!" in 1999 and to date has aired over 6,000 vignettes that inform,entertain and inspire over 750,000 people every day. He takes a break after five years to donate a kidney to his daughter Amanda Lee. John returns to radio in 2004 taking time to write his best-selling "Living An Uncommon Life" which was released in 2006.
In June of 2006 St. Augustine put his microphone on hold to help launch the “Oprah & Friends” XM Satellite Radio network was the Senior Producer of “The Dr. Oz Show” and created "The Jean Chatzky Show" that won a coveted Grace Award in 2007. His own show ran on the channel in 2009 and he also mentored the radio careers of Bob Greene, Marianne Williamson, Nate Berkus and Rev. Ed Bacon on Oprah Winfrey's "Soul Series"
In 2007 The Visionary Project (UK) compiles an international list of 200 people that have been deemed “visionaries” in the arts, sciences, politics and other areas of human achievement. The list includes names suchas President Jimmy Carter, Jane Goodall, Nelson Mandela, and….John St.Augustine for using his voice on radio for positive change.. While St.Augustine is proud of his many media awards and accolades, he cites his 2002 kidney donation to his daughter Amanda has his greatest achievement. “Its not often you have the opportunity to give your child life twice.” John's second book "Every Moment Matters" is released in 2010 and hits best seller status....
In 2011 John found a new home on "The Voice of Chicago" WGN Radio coming full circle back to his Windy City Roots.
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