Who we are
Patrick and Joanne bring a lifetime of supporting people and leading businesses to C.R.E.S.T.E.D Life Together, they look at the whole person — and the possibilities ahead.
Co-founder People & personal growth
Patrick holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Development and a degree in Physical and Health Education. His career spans teaching, athletic coaching, community leadership, and consulting with corporate and nonprofit leaders.
With Joanne, he founded C.R.E.S.T.E.D Life to bring personal support and business mentorship together — because the person and the professional are always connected.
Co-founder Business & leadership
Joanne began her career in 1978 and went on to become a partner, owner, and President of United Claims Service. She brings decades of experience in investigation, litigation management, operations, and executive leadership.
Her commitment to truth, family, and advocacy shapes her approach: listen carefully, understand the facts, and treat people with empathy and respect.
Nobody crests anything alone.
From the classroom to the playing field, from community leadership to the boardroom, Patrick’s work has centered on helping people discover their strengths and put them into practice.
His experience spans education, athletic coaching, more than 30 years of pastoral leadership, and consulting. He founded Aprecis Group Leadership Services to support personal, executive, team, and organizational growth.
International Seminary
Bachelor of Science · Temple University
What this brings to our work
A background that connects physical wellbeing, personal growth, and the way you lead.
Experience helping people recognize their strengths and put them into everyday practice.
From his work in professional coaching
“Pat has helped me focus on my true priorities and guided me through a planning process”
A personal glimpse
His background in physical education and athletic coaching is part of the perspective he brings to whole-person growth.
From Patrick’s personal photo collection.He has previously held teaching credentials in Florida, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. His teaching background includes Physical Education, Social Science, and Exceptional Student Education, alongside eligibility in Health Education.
In 1997, he received advanced certification in clinical pastoral counseling from the National Christian Counselors Association.
Patrick founded Aprecis Group Leadership Services in 2002, working with leaders in both corporate and nonprofit settings. His assignments included executive coaching for Seidler Chemical Company, organizational coaching with New Life Church in British Columbia, and leadership work with Journey Church of the Highlands.
He served as Senior Pastor of Christian Life Center in West Milford, New Jersey, from 1979 to 2002, followed by leadership at The Journey Church. His experience also includes a Campus Pastor role at Seacoast Church in Irmo, South Carolina, and service at local, regional, state, and national levels within the Assemblies of God.
He helped build a church from 12 people to more than 500 active members and later supported its revitalization from roughly 70 attendees to nearly 300. He trained hundreds of pastors in leadership coaching and mentored more than 30 people who went on to full-time ministry.
He created a national coaching network for the Assemblies of God, trained coaches in New Jersey, and taught coaching and church revitalization through its national BootCamp program. His wider work includes conference and seminar speaking, adjunct Bible-college teaching, strategic development, and support for community mayors.
Community service has included youth sports, food for shelters, support for a shelter serving abused women, construction for people in need, and home repairs for older adults.
Patrick taught Social Studies at Lakeside Christian School and Clearwater High School in Florida, and Exceptional Student Education at Greystone Park State School in New Jersey. His athletic coaching has included baseball, softball, basketball, and American football.
A lifelong athlete in baseball, wrestling, and American football, he began playing pickleball in 2018. After retiring from business consulting in 2020 and moving to Ireland in 2021, he dedicated time to promoting pickleball as a way for people of all ages to enjoy activity and community.
His pickleball work has included helping establish Pickleball Ireland, instructing players, supporting ambassadors, and serving in international governance. He has served on the International Federation of Pickleball’s board and as its Director of Country Membership, and has been involved in the World Pickleball Federation’s leadership.
Patrick authored the four-volume Administration for the Non-Profit Organization, a resource for leaders structuring nonprofit administration. His writing has also covered church planting, intercultural ministry, and leadership, with contributions to The South Carolina Messenger, NJ Advance, Pentecostal Evangel, and Sweden’s Ledarskap.
He hosted the weekly television program BreakThrough, spent a decade hosting a cable talk show on personal and professional development, and also hosted a TBN program. His speaking has taken him to national and international conferences and seminars.
His professional recognition has included listings in Who’s Who in Executives and Professionals, Who’s Who in New Jersey, and Who’s Who in Religion, an honorary appointment to the American Biographical Institute’s Research Board of Advisors, and recognition in Outstanding Scholars of the 20th Century.
Joanne brings the perspective of someone who has worked through complex decisions, led a company, and carried responsibility for the people behind it.
Joanne began her career in 1978, moving from claims examination into litigation management. At United Claims Service, she became a partner, then sole owner, and later President.
Leading the company meant making complex decisions, supporting a team, and taking responsibility for financial and day-to-day operations. Her specialist background includes investigation, claims administration, and litigation management.
Sole owner in 2009 · Appointed President in 2013
Earlier career · 1984A chapter in a career that began at Hertz in 1978.
What this brings to our work
A practiced ability to listen carefully, understand the facts, and work through complex decisions.
Business experience shaped by responsibility, advocacy, and respect for the people behind the work.
Beyond the work
Family, time together, and a life beyond the business.
A look at our lifeClaims Examiner
Claims Examiner
Litigation Supervisor
Litigation Manager
Joined as a supervisor; became a partner in 1993.
Sole ownership in 2009; appointed President in 2013.
Sold a majority stake, with the company later expanding nationally under new ownership.
Her professional background includes independent-adjuster licensing across New York, Connecticut, Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maine, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Washington, Rhode Island, and Texas.
Her experience also includes private-investigator licensing in New York and Connecticut and a Connecticut private-detective license through the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. These form part of her professional history.
Her education includes study at Adelphi University and Nassau Community College, following W. C. Mepham High School in Bellmore, New York.
Joanne’s work has demanded careful listening, objective investigation, and decisions grounded in facts. As an owner, she prioritized support for employees, vendors, and clients alongside the company’s operations.
She has also provided pro bono investigative services to people affected by domestic violence and injustice. Her commitment to advocacy and volunteer work brings empathy and respect for human dignity to her approach at C.R.E.S.T.E.D Life
In her own words
Co-founder
For over three decades, my professional journey has been defined by two core principles: an unwavering commitment to truth and a deep-rooted belief in family values.
I entered the investigative field alongside my late husband, joining a family-owned business established in 1969. By 1993, I stepped into co-ownership, eventually buying out my partners to take the helm as sole owner and executive decision-maker in 2009.
Under my leadership, the business grew into a highly respected regional powerhouse. We built our success on foundational integrity, going above and beyond to support our employees, vendors, and clients. In 2019, I sold majority shares to new owners who expanded our regional footprint into a nationwide corporation by 2025. They specifically sought to retain our family name — a testament to the decades of longevity, trust, and industry weight we had carefully cultivated.
Throughout my career, my profession has required absolute objectivity: eliminating assumptions, resisting premature opinions, and gathering raw facts before drawing conclusions. Today, I continue to bring this rigorous discipline to my volunteer work with this very same passion.
Beyond the corporate metrics, my proudest achievements lie in advocacy. I have always championed the underdog, dedicating a portion of my practice to providing pro bono investigative services to victims of domestic violence and injustice. Whether steering financial and personnel operations or uncovering critical evidence, my mission has always been to deliver truth with empathy, objectivity, and an enduring respect for human dignity.
What we hold to
Every person is different. We listen, we understand, and we meet people where they are.
Physical health, emotional well-being, relationships, purpose and work are all connected.
The goal is never dependence. It is the confidence and the tools to move forward on your own.
We lead with honesty, transparency, respect and accountability.
Growth lasts when someone understands not just what they want, but why it matters.
We keep learning and improving, and we give thoughtful, high-quality guidance.
A challenge can become the opportunity that the development actually came from.
Not a short-term goal met, but change that holds up across a life, a career and a business.
Your next step
Free. About 30 minutes. No obligation.
Prefer to call? (727) 437-2232