Testimonials

“I had the privilege to work with Marlon Fuentes during my tenure as the head of HR at Financial Freedom (FF). As Chief Administrative Officer, Lon’s portfolio included corporate-wide Learning & Growth initiatives, and the Office of Strategy Management (responsible for the implementation of the Balanced Scorecard methodology). He developed a sales productivity training & coaching process for loan officers and managers using the Gallup Strengths-based Assessment tools. (BTW, Lon was one of the few Certified Strengths coaches at that time, which was prior to Gallup’s national certification roll-out.) 

I think that Lon's deep expertise in Organizational Development (OD), Learning Systems, and Strengths-based Executive Coaching, translated to a very effective sales coaching method for loan officers and managers. He worked very closely with Bart Johnson (President), and the late Monte Rose (VP, Sales), the industry pioneers who transformed the Jim Mahoney (Founder/CEO) vision for helping Seniors, into reality. As a long-time HR professional, I personally witnessed how strengths-based coaching and leadership (as a strategic framework) was instrumental in FF’s legendary success in the Reverse Mortgage space.

Fast forward to today… As a business owner and HR consultant, I have used Lon as my go-to executive coach for all my large corporate and SMB clients. He has a big-picture lens as a long-time strategic planning and OD expert, but his unique skill as a business coach lies in his ability to help focus the individual’s “talent blueprint” for sustainable productivity. I’ve seen this especially with sales professionals, executives, and entrepreneurs, because Lon's coaching process emphasizes the careful merging of self-awareness, strategic insight, and personal productivity methods. 

He uses his craft with depth and laser-like precision, blended with compassion and a commitment to serve - - qualities that are quite rare in this field of ego-driven, high-profile, marketing-savvy 'productivity' gurus."

- Guia Antonio - Principal, TheGuiaGroup

"As an ex-Googler turned YouTuber, coach, consultant, and community leader, I've come across many talented individuals. It takes a lot to impress me. However, Lon's deep mastery of his craft blew me away.

I was captivated during my Strengths coaching session with him, and I knew right away that I had to introduce his framework to others. Within a single session, he intricately dissected my top 10 strengths, illustrating how each one contributes to my success, and how they can work together like a team to maximize my potential. 

Moreover, he pinpointed where these strengths could potentially turn into weaknesses, hindering my progress in certain situations. This insight is invaluable for self-awareness, performance, and relationships. Lon also illuminated how my BDS (bottom drawer strengths) can become bottlenecks for both performance and growth if left unchecked. He introduced the concept of forming "shock teams" using the top strengths to compensate, or "jig", for these weaknesses. 

The only word I can describe my session with Lon is: profound.

Lon's expertise is unparalleled, but what genuinely sets him apart is his uncanny intuition. He's a savant in what he does after years of practice and coaching hundreds of individuals - to the extent that he can intuitively discern someone's top strengths with a mere interaction.

Beyond our session, what struck me most about Lon was his genuine care and concern for his clients. It's evident that he is deeply passionate about leveraging his unique gift to transform and enrich the lives of those he coaches. This also means he doesn't pull any punches and will always tell it to you straight. Guess what? He's probably right - because the Strengths don't lie. This is what I respect most about Lon as a coach.

If you're serious about maximizing personal growth or if you're a manager of high-performance teams, get Lon on your side ASAP."

- Sheng Huang - Entrepreneur: YouTuber. Coach. Consultant. Community Leader

 
on Fuentes has positively impacted everything I have done. 

As a brilliant strategy consultant and executive coach, he profoundly assisted me in my efforts to redefine the structure of, and bring transformative tools to, a major business entity that I was President of. His contributions were absolutely elemental in creating a hugely profitable and valuable business.

But, as a creative coach, he has even more significantly influenced my direction and work products as a writer and poet. He designed my series of blog posts in developing my personal brand, and fundamentally reframed the approach and structure of each project I have undertaken.

In business, he was a ‘walking’ Harvard Business Review. In all forms of creative art he is the consultant extraordinaire. I have never met anyone else with whom a 1-hour conversation is so life-changing.

- Bart Johnson - CEO & Founder, HomeInTrust

I had the opportunity to personally experience Lon Fuentes' coaching, and he provided me with my own strengths map (what he calls my “wiring diagram”). It was a very comprehensive analysis of how my personal effectiveness as manager and leader in a very competitive niche can be improved by a deep understanding of my unique strengths profile. Insight is one thing, but translating that into action, is another issue. What I appreciated about Lon’s approach was the formulation of a well-thought out process for enhancing my productivity game.

Having personally experienced the transformational capacity of Lon’s strengths-based coaching approach, I have decided to roll out Lon’s services to my financial, HR and IT staff. 

If you want to implement strategy and want to effectively manage the change process (and the employee engagement) required for continuous improvement, it’s my experience that a “strengths-lens” is critical. 

Lon’s experience and expertise as a strategy coach is a given. What distinguishes his approach is his ability to communicate a working framework on how to manage one’s own actions so that personal/professional goals are in sync with the team and organizational performance objectives.

- Andy Quan - CFO & CIO, Innovation Line

Self-reflection is good, but guided reflection is amazing! I have spent 30 years of my life reflecting about myself, how I act, what my strengths are, and how I can improve. Yet, in two hours Lon drew a cognitive map explaining things that took me years to realise. How dare he? 😆

Not only that, but he brought me clarity on the types of questions I should be asking to bring my solopreneur business and my life to the next level. To leverage not the “overcoming of my weaknesses”, but “the potential of my strengths”. I will definitely be working again with Lon in the future.

- Bianca Pereira - Entrepreneur, Researcher, Software Developer, and Educator

In today's competitive environment, gaining an advantage is an imperative that cannot be ignored. We often tend to think of strength coaching in terms of physical application, where the advantages are obvious, visible, and impactful, leading to more consistent wins. However, off the playing field lies a different landscape, the business battlefront. This is where fortunes are won and lost, futures are decided and legacies are built. Lon Fuentes is one such strength coach, focusing on your team's personal strengths, supercharging productivity and creativity to maximize your potential.

I have personally worked with Lon on and off for over 5 years and have found his insight, understanding, and evaluations to be accurate and highly beneficial. In a corporate environment, his initiatives bring clarity and focus by identifying individuals' core strengths, aligning competencies to achieve harmonious work flow and boost team performance with an end goal of success.

I highly recommend Lon's strengths coaching support to anyone serious about harnessing their untapped creativity, productivity, and success.

- David Foote - Owner/Operator, TotallyOptimized.com

Lon's guidance and advice has been invaluable for me as a creative professional.  He has brilliantly helped me to open up ideas and clarify effective ways to add a new discipline to my current practice. His decades of experience as a strategic consultant and a working artist give him a unique, insightful perspective for understanding a person's strengths and weaknesses.  He was able to create an individual framework and practical strategy for me to follow, using language that speaks to me as a creative.  He asked me the right questions, helped me analyze my goals, lay out my stepping stones, then light the path for me to better see my own what, why, and how!

Lon's skill for helping people understand, navigate, and optimize their creative/productive ecosystem is purely revolutionary!

- L. Gueldner - Entrepreneur. Designer.

When Lon Fuentes first told me that he was about to give me the "blueprint to myself," I could not believe that upon reviewing my results he actually knew more about me than I originally expected. If your goal in life is to achieve at your highest ability on the correct path, self awareness is the key and Lon not only meets expectations but greatly surpasses them.

He is incredibly clear and concise while mapping out an individual’s strengths right in front of them. If there was a way to show my appreciation for the time Lon puts in and the thoroughness of his interpretation of my assessment, it would still fall short of the knowledge he provided me with about who I am.

I truly believe this assessment should be completed by anyone who yearns for success and strives to be more self-aware. I have no doubt that everything Lon told me will greatly benefit me for the rest of my life. 

- Bryce Dobisch -Manager

Lon Fuentes is the real deal!! His coaching is not only a business improvement course but a life improvement course as well.  You learn all about and how the skills you have as an individual can be applied to your personal life. 

Whether you are faced with issues in the workplace or just need some focus, Lon's coaching can help give you a structure to accomplish your goals. He has an excellent way of relating the lessons to actual day to day work activities. 

Lon is very supportive of your situation and genuinely cares about helping you improve your business and grow as a person.  I highly recommend his coaching to anyone who is looking to improve on their business or personal life.

- Aaron Cons - Manager

Working with Lon Fuentes has been a transformative experience for my  personal and professional life. He has guided me and instilled in me the essential values of planning, taking action, and the significance of lifelong learning. His coaching has been instrumental in reshaping my approach to my career. 

Lon’s emphasis on meticulous planning has helped me set clear goals and create a roadmap to achieve them. He has shown me that taking action is the key to turning dreams into reality, and his unwavering support has empowered me to step out of my comfort zone and make things happen. 

One of the most valuable lessons I've learned from Lon is the idea that “how you do one thing is how you do everything.” This mantra has become my guiding principle, pushing me to strive for excellence in every aspect of my professional life. Lon's coaching has encouraged me to maintain a high standard of work, consistency, and dedication. 

Moreover, Lon introduced me to the concept of 'Amor fati,' the acceptance and love of one’s fate.  This philosophy has taught me to embrace challenges and setbacks as opportunities for growth, ultimately strengthening my resilience and adaptability. 

In conclusion, Lon Fuentes has not only been a strategy and career coach, but a mentor who has profoundly influenced my life and professional journey. I am immensely grateful for his guidance, wisdom, and unwavering belief in my potential. Thanks to Lon, I am now equipped with the mindset and skills to navigate my career path with confidence and purpose. 

- A. Kenneth - Manager

Throughout my 30+ years of work experience, employers have provided various self-assessments and training under the guise of professional development, team building, and leadership training. Off the top of my head, training has included DISC profile,  crucial conversations, 7 Habits, conflict resolution, 360-degree feedback, MBTI (Myers-Briggs), and VIA. I also have sought other personal development training, including servant leadership and improv.

After I left the U.S. EPA (for the second time) in April 2014, I re-established my environmental and energy consulting practice. I sought opportunities to continue my personal and professional development.

In September 2020, I engaged the services of seasoned Executive Coach Lon Fuentes, who not only provided his signature Personal Talent Management (PTM) services but also helped frame my 34 CliftonStrengths and VIA Character Strengths into the context of my lived experiences.

Lon’s perspective is that while there is value in understanding one’s strengths, there is added value in understanding one’s composition, sequencing, and breadth of strengths, especially as part of engaging in situational awareness. This piqued my interest. Lon’s focus and intensity during his PTM assessment are nicely complemented by his succinct and colorful metaphors. His keen ability to assess and communicate the interplay of my strengths has increased my confidence, focus, and excitement for pursuing various business development endeavors. I have more clarity of my currency and unique value proposition.

You can see my full blog post about my coaching with Lon Fuentes here.

- Shirley F. Rivera - Consultant, Resource Catalysts



- Frank Anaya - Productivity Consultant / Notion Expert / Senior Mentor - BuildingASecondBrain.com