About Dr. John Schinnerer
Who Is Dr. John Schinnerer?
Dr. John Schinnerer provides you with scientifically supported executive coaching and organizational consulting to make the most of your personal and professional potential. A U.C. Berkeley-trained coach with a Ph.D. in educational psychology, Dr. John Schinnerer, has distilled the very best of research-based tools and methods to help clients overcome anxiety, and anger and move towards a happy, contented and purposeful life.
Dr. John Schinnerer is a psychologist, speaker, and media host focused on emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and how men actually change with over 30 years experience. His work explores the psychological patterns that shape performance, relationships, and reactivity—especially under stress.
Dr. John earned his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of California, Berkeley and has spent his career translating psychological science into language people can actually use. He served as an expert consultant on Pixar’s Inside Out, helping shape how emotions are understood and portrayed for a global audience.
His work has been recognized across healthcare, technology, and education. He has spoken at organizations including Stanford Medical School, UC Berkeley, Kaiser Permanente, Sutter Health, and UPS, and has coached leaders and executives at companies such as Meta, Twilio, Okta, Airbnb, Stanford University, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo.
Dr. John’s expertise spans emotional intelligence for men, anger management, stress and performance, masculinity and culture, positive psychology, and building healthy, sustainable relationships. His approach emphasizes clarity over hype and awareness over willpower.
He is the host of The Evolved Caveman Podcast, a top-ranked self-help podcast that explores masculinity, emotion, and self-awareness without bravado, blame, or bullshit. More than 25,000 people have completed his online Anger Leadership course, and his micro-courses on anger and forgiveness—created for Simple Habit—have been listened to nearly 200,000 times.
Dr. John has been featured in national media including U.S. News & World Report, Reader’s Digest, Fatherly, and SELF Magazine. He was recognized with the Leadership in Healthcare Award, Best Counselor in Danville and named Best Executive Coach in Danville.
What Is Guide to Self?
Guide to Self was founded in 2004 by John Schinnerer, Ph.D. — UC Berkeley-trained psychologist, executive coach, and one of the SF Bay Area’s most recognized experts in men’s emotional intelligence and leadership.
The original mission was simple: give people access to the best science had to offer — not watered-down self-help, but real, evidence-based tools drawn from positive psychology, affective neuroscience, and behavioral research.
Twenty years later, that mission has sharpened into something more specific.
Guide to Self is built for high-performing men who have mastered the external game — career, income, status — and are now facing the harder work: mastering themselves.
This isn’t about fixing what’s broken. It’s about upgrading what’s already working.
The men who get the most out of this work share a few things in common. They hold themselves to high standards. They lead with values, not just results. They’re willing to look inward — not because it’s comfortable, but because they understand that sustained excellence at work and at home requires more than willpower and hustle.
They’re ready to evolve.
Guide to Self draws on the work of world-class psychologists, neuroscientists, and researchers — and translates it into practical frameworks men can actually use: in a hard conversation, under pressure at work, or in the quiet moments when they’re not sure who they are without the armor.
This is where that work happens.
The materials and information offered in our Guide to Self web site are intended for educational purposes only. They are intended to help you utilize your inner resources to maximize your health, behavior and performance, and are not intended as a substitute for needed medical, psychological or psychiatric treatment or counseling. If you are undergoing therapy, or have any question regarding the appropriateness of their use with your treatment, consult with your health professional before using these materials.