Most people come to NLP for themselves.
They want to fix something, understand something, or become someone different. And that’s exactly how it starts.
And that’s where Takeshi Okawa started and NLP then became something else entirely – a way to lead better, decide faster, and actually help the people around him.
The Gap Between Knowing and Doing
Takeshi first discovered NLP over a decade ago in Japan. He did what a lot of people do: bought the books, took some trainings, learned about Time Line Therapy®. He even used it on himself. Successfully clearing a social phobia he’d carried since he was 12.
“From when I was 12 until 24, I was kind of in social phobia. With Time Line Therapy®, I got rid of all of that,” Takeshi said.
So he knew it worked. He’d seen it work in his own life. The anxiety that had shaped his social interactions for over a decade was gone. He could walk into rooms without that familiar dread. He could speak up without the paralysis that used to grip him.
But something was still missing.
“I had learned NLP before, but I had no actual time to practice strategies. They just didn’t teach us that.”
He had the concepts. He understood the theory. He could talk about NLP frameworks and explain the principles. But when it came to actually applying NLP with precision – to use it strategically in real situations with real people – he felt lost.
That gap between knowing about NLP and actually being able to use it with confidence and skill stuck with him for years. He kept studying, kept practicing on himself, kept trying to fill in the blanks on his own.
Until he found the Tad James Company’s NLP Practitioner training.
What Changed
The difference wasn’t about learning new concepts. Takeshi already knew the concepts.
It was about finally understanding how to apply them. How to think like an NLP practitioner instead of just knowing what NLP practitioners do.
“Strategies were something I didn’t know how to practice.”
During the Practitioner training, he learned how to identify and install strategies. Not as theory, but as actual tools he could use immediately.
And not just use, but adapt. Calibrate. Adjust in the moment based on what was actually happening in front of him.
“I could transform myself a lot better using everything I learned,” he said.
For the first time, he wasn’t just using 80% of what NLP could do. He was using all of it. The precision he’d been missing. The ability to know exactly what to do and when.
It was like the difference between knowing the notes on a piano and actually being able to play music.
NLP in Business (Without Being a Coach)
Takeshi runs a consulting business in Osaka that helps corporations access government subsidies. He’s not a coach. He’s not a trainer. He’s a business owner navigating complex regulatory systems and managing a team.
And NLP changed how he leads and can help his employees.
Understanding how people think, how they make decisions, how they motivate themselves has made him a better leader. Not because he was using NLP “on” people in some manipulative way, but because he finally understood how people actually work.
He could communicate more clearly because he understood how his team members processed information differently. Some needed the big picture first. Others needed step-by-step details. Some were motivated by moving toward goals. Others were motivated by solving problems and avoiding mistakes.
Before NLP, he’d communicated the same way with everyone and wondered why some people didn’t get it. Now he can meet people where they were.
He can now support better decisions because he understands the unconscious strategies people run when making choices, and can help them refine those strategies instead of just giving advice that doesn’t stick.
He can create more alignment because he can identify where conflicts are actually coming from (which are often not the surface issue people are arguing about), and gently dig deeper into values and beliefs.
He can lead without forcing anything. Without using authority or pressure. Because when you understand how people naturally work, you don’t have to force change or manipulate, you just facilitate it.
This is what a lot of people don’t realize about NLP training: you don’t have to become a coach for it to matter. NLP works wherever people work. In meetings. In negotiations. In difficult conversations. In everyday leadership.
The Difference in Training Quality
Takeshi had trained elsewhere before. So when he completed the Practitioner certification with the Tad James Company, the difference was obvious.
“The level is like minor league versus major league.”
It wasn’t about language or culture. It was about rigor. Precision. Depth. The level of mastery expected and the standards held throughout the training.
In his previous training, he’d learned what NLP techniques were. In this training, he learned how to actually use them. How to calibrate. How to think on his feet. How to adjust when things didn’t go as planned.
“I should have joined the practitioner training here in the first place.”
Looking back, he wishes he’d started with global-standard training instead of trying to piece it together locally first. It would have saved him years of working at 80% capacity.
His advice for anyone who can understand English?
“If you can speak and listen to English, we all should join the training here.”
Read how other professionals have used NLP in their careers.
What Mastery Actually Looks Like
One of the most valuable things Takeshi gained wasn’t just what he learned, it was what he realized he didn’t know.
“There were some things I wasn’t actually really good at, and that was good to know.”
That’s what real training does. It shows you where you’re strong and where you’re not. It gives you a baseline so you can actually improve instead of just assuming you’ve got it covered because you’ve read the books or taken a short course.
Most people overestimate their competence because they don’t know what true mastery looks like. They’ve never been in an environment where the standards are high enough to reveal the gaps.
True mastery starts with awareness. With seeing clearly where you actually are versus where you thought you were.
And that awareness, uncomfortable as it might be in the moment, is what creates the possibility for real growth.
If This Sounds Familiar
If you’ve dabbled in NLP before, read the books, taken a workshop, tried it on yourself, but you’ve never really been able to use it the way you want to, Takeshi’s story probably resonates.
The NLP FasTrak Practitioner Certification with the Tad James Company is live and online. It’s designed for people who want to close that gap between knowing and doing. Whether you’re a business owner, a leader, a consultant, or just someone who’s tired of working at 80%.
Next training: March 2026
Live online, global cohort
Learn more about the March 2026 Practitioner training and enroll today
What is Time Line Therapy and how does it work?