Meet John Bishoff

I grew up in Moab, Utah. The red rock, the Colorado River, the desert sky at night – that’s home. I worked for river companies as a teenager, guided groups down the Colorado, taught mountain biking at BYU, and spent winters as a ski instructor at Sundance. The outdoors isn’t something I discovered later in life. It’s where I’ve always done my best thinking, my deepest connecting, and my most honest growing.

I served as a BSA Scoutmaster for over a decade, leading boys and young men through wilderness experiences that taught resilience, leadership, and trust. I’m a certified Wilderness First Responder, because when you’re responsible for someone’s child in the backcountry, preparation isn’t optional.

Academically, I hold a Master’s degree in Youth and Family Recreation from BYU’s Marriott School of Management, with doctoral studies at Florida State University focused on organizational behavior and human development. My research has been published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, and the Journal of Business Ethics — all Financial Times Top 40 journals. I bring the same rigor to designing PathForgeXP experiences that I brought to studying what actually drives human growth and connection.

Why I started PathForgeXP

I didn’t start PathForgeXP to build a business. I started it to answer a call, to rediscover purpose, connection, and legacy as a father, husband, and leader.

Like many men navigating the demands of family life, career, and community, I found myself asking questions that echoed in quiet moments:

• How did I get here?
• Is there more to life than what I’ve built?
• In the midst of everything, how do I reconnect with myself?
• As life pulls me in every direction, how do I show up fully—for my kids, my spouse, my community?
• Looking beyond the moment, how do I create a legacy that lasts?

Despite fulfilling roles – provider, partner, contributor – I felt something missing: meaning, ritual, and authentic connection. And when I opened up to other fathers, I realized I wasn’t alone. These questions were universal, urgent, and often unspoken.

I saw a gap:

• Between the fatherhood we aspire to and the support systems available.
• Between the rituals we crave and the routines we settle into.
• Between deep connection and everyday distraction.

So I created PathForgeXP, a transformative platform for fathers and families seeking intentional growth, emotional resilience, and lasting legacy.