My story
Jay "The Ermite"
Coach · Consultant · Entrepreneur · Martial Artist · Gamer · Father
Jay Goncalves is a holistic coach and neurodivergent-friendly consultant, specializing in support for gifted, highly sensitive, and multipotentialite individuals. Based in Andalusia (Spain), he works with clients across four continents with 21 years of entrepreneurship and 12 years of coaching.
Dancer, graphic designer, martial artist, gamer, father of four — I've often been told I do "too many things." But it's the sum of all these experiences that makes my approach unique. Every detour, every failure, every passion became a tool for those who, like me, refuse to fit into the mold.
“Being authentic isn't about becoming someone else. It's having the courage to become fully yourself.”
Journey
My Path
Each step built a tool. Each detour forged a skill. Here's the thread.
1990s
The Awakening of Passions
Togo, Benin, France — between two cultures. Discovery of dance, drawing, music. First playground for multipotentiality.
2001 — 2002
Professional Dancer & Graphic Designer
Dance became a career. In parallel, I entered the world of event management and professional graphic design. Two disciplines that taught me rigor, aesthetics, and the art of creating experiences.
2003
America
A year in the United States. A journey that broadened my perspective, confronted me with other cultures, and confirmed one certainty: I wasn't made for just one box.
2005
Entrepreneur
Founded multiple businesses in communication and design. Learning by doing: management, sales, client relations. Outcome: the ability to see systems before details.
2011 — 2016
Belgium: Martial Arts & Awakening
5 years of Wing Tsun and martial arts practice. Discovery of Bushido. Outcome: body discipline and presence — two Shinkofa pillars.
2016
Fatherhood — and Questioning Everything
Birth of my son, my first child. Followed by a separation that shook my life, my decisions, and called many things into question. A brutal but necessary turning point.
2016 — 2017
Introspection & Refocusing
Time in the Netherlands, training in travel. Returned to my countries of origin for intensive introspection, then back to France. A period of inner rebuilding.
2018 — 2019
International Consulting
Clients across Europe, Africa, Americas. Strategy, business development, executive coaching. Outcome: the systemic vision that connects worlds.
2020 — 2021
Spain: Starting from Scratch
Moved to Spain. Rebuilt my life from zero. A conscious choice to reconstruct everything on stronger, more authentic foundations.
2022 — 2023
Comeback & Burnout
Resumed international consulting and coaching. But the pace became unsustainable. Three years of burnout and deep depression quietly settled in.
2024
The Turning Point
Rediscovery of AI through ChatGPT, then Claude. Building tools for himself. Outcome: the conviction that tech must be invisible and serve humans.
2025
Birth of Shinkofa
Birth of the Shinkofa methodology: Sankofa wisdom + Bushido philosophy + neuroscience + AI. 69 scientific studies integrated. Outcome: a validated holistic approach.
November 2025
First line of code
Never coded in my life. But I had a vision and a tool: artificial intelligence. Within weeks, I started building. What should have taken years began taking shape in weeks.
Dec. 2025 — Feb. 2026
17+ Platforms in Production
17+ platforms built in 12 weeks with Claude Code. From zero lines of code to a complete ecosystem. Outcome: proof that determination beats diplomas.
Transparency: the role of AI in Shinkofa
Yes, I've been a coach and consultant for over 12 years. I've crossed countries, careers, a burnout, a rebuild. But let's be honest: what made creating Shinkofa possible is the emergence of artificial intelligence.
I built my own AI assistants to stay focused on my strengths — coaching, vision, human understanding — and use AI to handle what drained too much energy or time: logistics, organization, research, technical structuring. AI doesn't replace me. It frees me to do what I do best.
Initially, I created this system to help myself get through burnout. To structure my thoughts, organize my projects, make sense of everything I had accumulated. If it works for me, it can work for you.
Expertise
Tri-Dimensional Approach
My approach blends ancestral wisdom with modern neuroscience. Three dimensions of coaching to support the whole person.
Ontological Coaching
Existential questions, values alignment, authenticity, life purpose. Who are you really, beyond the labels?
Transcognitive Coaching
Executive functions, attention, memory, emotional intelligence, neuroplasticity (Siegel, 2010). How does your unique brain work?
Somatic Coaching
Interoceptive awareness, nervous system regulation — polyvagal theory (Porges, 2011), trauma release (Levine, 1997). Your body has its own intelligence.
Bushido Philosophy
7 virtues of the benevolent warrior: Rectitude, Courage, Compassion, Respect, Sincerity, Honor, Loyalty.
Sankofa Wisdom
Look back to move forward. Extract treasures from the past to illuminate the path ahead.
Neuroplasticity
Micro-habits for macro-change. Executive function optimization, specialized in ADHD and gifted/high-potential profiles.
Gaming
Gaming as a Path to Growth
For me, gaming isn't just a hobby. It's a lab for mental performance — fast decision-making, stress management, teamwork, resilience. Neuroscience confirms it: action games improve visual attention and cognitive flexibility (Bavelier & Green, 2003).
Coach and trainer of Team SLF eSport, I combine performance coaching and strategic gaming to develop skills that transfer to every area of life.
Mental performanceStrategyTeam SLF
SLF eSport
A gaming academy where performance meets personal development. Discipline, strategy, and team spirit.
Wing Tsun & Bushido
Martial arts as a mirror of self. Know yourself, master yourself, surpass yourself — with compassion.
Martial Arts
The Way of the Benevolent Warrior
11 years of intensive training (2011-2022): Wing Tsun, Self-Defense, Tai Chi, Chi Gong. Martial arts aren't just combat techniques — they're paths to self-knowledge, discipline, and inner mastery.
The 7 virtues of Bushido — Rectitude, Courage, Compassion, Respect, Sincerity, Honor, and Loyalty — guide my practice and my approach to coaching. Tai Chi, practiced regularly, reduces cortisol and improves autonomic nervous system regulation (Wang et al., 2014).
Wing TsunTai ChiChi GongBushido
My partner
Angélique "Ange" Mejias
Angélique isn't "behind" me. She's beside me, with her own strengths and her own path. We are two co-creators whose designs naturally complement each other — what one can't do, the other does.
Pure Generator 5/1
Human Design
Angélique is neurodivergent (ADHD, gifted/high-potential, highly sensitive, multipotentialite) — and it's an immense strength in our duo.
She brings her vision in marketing & communication, her sensitivity in art direction, and her creative energy to the project's overall strategy.
Together, we're complementary: I design the architecture, she breathes life and color into it.
Philosophy
Words of The Ermite
“I was told I do too many things. Today, it's the sum of everything I've done that allows me to create something unique.”
— On multipotentiality
“As a coach, I learned to stay factual and look at reality, not my own truth. My truth sees imperfection. Reality says: it works, and it's better than anything I've used before.”
— On clarity
“The true warrior doesn't fight others. He fights his own limitations with the compassion of a sage.”
— On martial arts
“I asked myself: do I want to show my children the example of someone who destroys himself out of responsibility — or someone who endures a few tough months, stays true to himself, and manages to create something they can be proud of?”
— On choosing authenticity
“Shinkofa didn't come from a book. It came from 20 years of living, scars, and rebirth.”
— On Shinkofa
Jay "The Ermite"
Holistic Coach & Consultant — Creator of Shinkofa
Coach and consultant specializing in neurodivergent support (gifted/high-potential, highly sensitive, multipotentialites). 21 years of entrepreneurship, 12 years of coaching. Based in Spain.
Learn more →Updated: March 2026