What a Championship Coach Learns After 32 Years on the Sideline
The Story
John Perry will tell you he didn’t figure out he needed to grow until his mid-30s. But that admission, delivered with a laugh and zero self-pity, is exactly what makes his personal growth book worth reading.
John is the head football coach at Nixa High School, where he’s built one of the most impressive programs in the state. In his career as a coach, he has compiled a 64-11 record in six seasons at Nixa, four conference championships, and back-to-back Class 6 State Runner-Up finishes. Off the field, John serves as a certified Mental Performance Coach, a sought-after speaker, and the host of the Never Stop Getting Better podcast, which has surpassed 250 episodes.
And his book, Never Stop Getting Better, is about all the lessons he learned along the way.
“If I had to pick one word to describe Never Stop Getting Better, I would say growing. If I had to pick a phrase, it would be about becoming the best version of yourself.”
The Curiosity
For most of his career, football was John’s platform. It was the work he knew best, and for a long time, it was enough. But somewhere along the way, he started getting invited to speak to business groups and organizations that went beyond football.
Every time he walked on a stage, he reframed the fear by asking himself one question: Can I add value to someone in this room?
“I believe God put us on this earth to add value, serve other people, and try to exemplify him. Writing a book, starting a podcast — none of that has anything to do with finances. It has nothing to do with anything other than I just wanna try to add something positive to somebody else.”
He realized his reach didn’t have to stop at the school building. The idea of writing a book had been sitting in the back of his mind, but it took becoming a grandfather to make it real. He wanted his grandkids to one day pick up a book and read their Big Papa’s story in his own words.
The Effort
One of the most defining concepts in John’s life is E + R = O: you cannot always control the event, but you can absolutely control your response, and that response determines the outcome. It is a framework he first encountered through Tim Kite, the man who originated it. Kite was diagnosed with terminal stage four cancer, and John had the opportunity to interview him before he passed.
After that conversation with Kite, the framework never left him. John has lived it, coached it, and now written about it. But when it came time to actually put his story on paper, even he struggled with doubt.
“Why would anybody read a book that I wrote? Like, I don’t think there’s anything special about my life. I’ve just tried to get up and try to learn how to be better.”
What pulled him through was purpose. John believes that if one person picks up the book and finds one thing that adds value — one idea, one reframe, one story that makes them feel less alone — it was worth writing.
The Solution
The connection to ShareYourStory.com started a few years back when John had Alex Demczak, CEO of ShareYourStory.com, as a guest on the Never Stop Getting Better podcast. He came away from that conversation impressed — not by a pitch, but by the person.
“I thought he was really good. I thought he was sincere. I thought he was authentic.”
Alex didn’t push the idea of a book, but he stayed in touch, checked in periodically, and kept the door open for whenever John was ready. When the time felt right, John sat down with his wife, Stephanie, to decide together. Finally, John made the call, and Alex and the team at Streamline Books, ShareYourStory’s publishing division, were ready to get started.
The Journey
The book John wrote features the stories that put him where he is today: getting fired from his alma mater and having to drive home to tell his family everything had changed, watching his daughter battle illness, and the moments John now uses as textbook examples of a response gone wrong.
The versions of himself he’s least proud of sit right alongside the lessons those moments produced.
Vulnerability, John says, is the leadership concept he was most resistant to for the longest time, but it is the one that has multiplied his influence more than anything else he’s learned.
“Not often do we reach out and say, ‘Thank you. I needed that.’ But every once in a while, you get somebody that reaches out and says, ‘That made my day today.’ Well, that fuels the fire. How many matches does it take to start a wildfire? One.”
Listen to the full episode here.
The ROI
Never Stop Getting Better hit number one in multiple Amazon categories shortly after launch, a result that genuinely surprised John. He had braced himself for the quiet outcome a lot of first-time authors experience.
But what stuck wasn’t the ranking. It was the messages.
A reader sent him a quote from the book — his own words, reflected back to him — and said that was what they needed to hear that day. Someone else called after reading the chapter about getting fired and told John they had a similar story they’d never shared with anyone because they were too embarrassed. That phone call, John said, was exactly why the book exists.
The framework holds regardless of the field. It’s found its way to coaches from other programs, business leaders, and people who have no connection to football whatsoever.
What People Are Saying About Never Stop Getting Better
- “This is the kind of book you don’t just read once. You keep it nearby, revisit chapters, underline passages, and use it as a reset when you need perspective and fuel. If you want to grow as a leader, professional, teammate, or person, this book belongs on your desk.”
- From cover to cover, this book spoke to my core. I’m a better me after applying the principles to my life. Add this to your library! Determine to never stop getting better!”
- “It’s one of the most practical leadership books I’ve read in a long time. If you’re serious about improving yourself and helping others around you improve too, this book is absolutely worth the read.”
What’s Next for John Perry
John is still on the sideline at Nixa, where the program he’s built has become one of the best in Missouri. He continues to host his podcast, speak at events, and lead mental performance work for athletes and business teams throughout the Springfield area. Recently, he earned the 2025 Kathy Whitworth Service to Education Award.
Even so, he is, by his own definition, nowhere close to done.
John’s book gives readers the frameworks, the honest failures, and the hard-won perspective to start growing today. It belongs to coaches, leaders, parents, and anyone just trying to be better than they were yesterday.
