John Trayser is a very successful, semi-retired 57 year old businessman who has changed lanes and is dedicating the rest of his life to helping families raise more children that are comfortable in their own skin. By writing his second book titled “The Greatful Dad,” he is outlining the way in which parents can make their children feel very safe and help guide them to find their own true self. That is where happiness comes from John believes.

John is married and has three sons in their twenties now and has seen the effect of the love that his parent’s shared so unconditionally have a lasting and grounded result within his lifetime. He felt compelled to share that story since he has met way too many unhappy adult children over the years that are yearning for the connection that was found missing in their formative years. All of this was amplified to a new level when his only daughter died at the age of two weeks. Life can be that tenuous and that is why he treats every day as if it were a gift.

John’s business background is in the financial services arena. He started as a broker with Merrill Lynch in 1974, sold Trust Services for Continental Bank, was Sales Manager with Kemper Financial Services Institutional Division and at age thirty five was the founding employee of Franklin Funds Institutional Group. After ten years with Franklin he started his own firm to expand his business relationships, Institutional Funds & Services, Inc. This also allowed him the freedom to begin his speaking career where his real inspirational strength lies.

He is not a professionally trained psychologist. His goal is to reduce the number of services that are necessary for the youth of today by inspiring more parents to take a more active role in making their children feel safe every day. The ability to treat everyone like a close family member inspired a client to ask him to join the board of the Friends of Child Advocacy, a not-for-profit organization that works to protect abused children and families who are struggling with surviving while in the court system.

He has known for some time that this is where his real life’s passion would be put to work. He wrote his first book as a result of a teacher asking what they had done to make their 3rd grade son have the ability to watch over their whole class with a spirit that said, “Shouldn’t we all be watching over each other?” He is Uncle John to a number of families where no blood link exists. Many friends over the years pointed out how different it was to talk with his children and asked if he could raise them for them and return them when they were more grown up. What greater honor is there?

His passions beyond speaking and writing are many. He is an accomplished musician and songwriter and plays guitar, keyboards and bass. He has a 16 track digital recording studio in his home which has allowed him to complete two albums of original music with words relating to family life and love. His proudest achievement is that all three sons have been taught to enjoy and play music as well. Two play guitar and one plays bass and are known to jam on the deck when they are all at their Montana home.

The other over-riding passion is that of fly fishing. John built a salt water fishing camp, known as Bonefish Beach Club a few years ago on the island of Andros in the Bahamas to pursue the wily bonefish, a favorite target of passionate fisherman around the world. Fishing allows John the connection with Nature in its purest form and is as close to meditation that his frenetic brain will know. It has put him in some of the most beautiful places on the earth. His wife Colleen is also a passionate fisherperson and has appeared in magazines around the world as well as working in the industry for Simms Fishing Products.

The simple and direct manner in which John outlines in his book “The Greatful Dad” will inspire you to make a concerted effort to work to be closer to those people in your life where a gap in heart exists. He no longer sells financial services....he now sells HOPE!