Neuro Linguistic Programming Training with Larry Wells (Practical, Ethical, Human)
Some teachers can make a hard subject feel simple, not by watering it down, but by understanding how people learn. Larry Wells has always worked that way. As a kid in rural Kansas, he liked math, yet he liked helping others like it even more.
Years later, that same teaching instinct shaped his work in ministry, counseling, and Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) training. People didn’t come to him with tidy problems. They came with grief, fear, stress, habits they couldn’t shake, and relationships that felt stuck. He needed skills that were practical, respectful, and usable on Monday morning.
Larry’s response and promise has stayed the same throughout: practical, ethical, human-centered NLP training that helps people learn real change skills, step by step.
About Larry Wells, teacher at heart and lifelong learner
Larry’s style is clear and structured, with a steady tone that helps people relax and think. That didn’t start in a training room, it started in classrooms, hallways, and small-town conversations where patience mattered.
Kansas roots and a love for making learning fun
Larry grew up in rural Kansas and found early joy in math. Numbers made sense, but the bigger joy came from watching someone else “get it.” That theme stuck. Make learning safe. Make it clear. Keep it friendly. When people feel respected, they try again.
Education and early teaching career in math and science
Larry earned a BS in Secondary Education (Math and Science) from Pittsburg State University in 1968. That same year, he began teaching junior high math in Wichita.
From 1969 to 1974, he taught mathematics at Linn Technical College in Linn, Missouri. Those early years helped shape his training approach today: explain the idea, show the steps, practice it, and support the learner until it feels natural.
A call to ministry, and a growing need for real helping skills
Teaching math is one kind of service. Pastoral work is another. In ministry, people don’t just want information, they want care, steadiness, and a path forward when life feels heavy.
Larry’s years in the church also exposed a practical gap: when counseling wasn’t available, people still needed help. They needed someone who could listen well and respond with real skill.
Pastoral service and formal training in theology
From 1975 to 1993, Larry served as Pastor in the Missouri East Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. In 1981, he earned a Master of Divinity from Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis.
Theology gave language for meaning and hope. Pastoral life gave daily practice in empathy, boundaries, and wise decision-making.
Learning to support people through difficult circumstances
Larry kept building hands-on helping skills:
- In 1988, he completed “Calling and Caring” leadership training and taught it in district churches.
- From 1989 to 1993, he co-facilitated a community support group for cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.
- From 1990 to 1993, he served on the District Board of Ordained Ministry.
- In 1992, he served on the Clergy Board of Governors for Capital Regional Medical Center and on the Ethics Committee.
These roles sharpened his focus on care and ethics. They also reinforced a core belief: helping should be practical. It should also protect dignity, choice, and trust.
How Neuro Linguistic Programming training
became a core tool in his work
NLP gets talked about in a lot of ways online, so it helps to keep it simple. NLP is a set of methods for noticing how people think, speak, and act, then helping them change patterns that don’t serve them. Think of it like learning a new route home, after years of taking the same wrong turn.
Larry’s approach has never been “quick tricks.” His path reflects deep study with respected trainers, practice across decades, and real use in helping settings where results had to be grounded and responsible.
Major NLP training milestones, certifications
Larry trained with key figures in the NLP field and earned these credentials:
- 1990: Master Practitioner of NLP from L.E.A.D. Consultants (E. Gene Rooney)
- 1991: Master Practitioner of NLP from Dynamic Learning Center (Robert Dilts and Todd Epstein)
- 2011: NLP Trainer and Consultancy Training Certification (NLPU, Robert Dilts and Judith DeLozier)
In plain terms, Master Practitioner training means deeper skill, more supervised practice, and a stronger ability to work with complex patterns. Trainer certification enables teaching NLP with structure, feedback, and ethical care.
Research, writing, and early professional contributions
In 1994, Larry founded Future Life Now (originally Future Pace Now) in Cincinnati. That same year, the Anchor Point journal published two of Larry’s professional papers: one on infertility support and one on reducing the rejection rate for a transplant patient.
Publishing matters because it forces clarity. You test your ideas, describe your methods, and share what you’re learning in a way others can review and use. It’s one sign of professional standards, not just personal opinion.
Future Life Now, partnership with Cynthia Allen,
and a wider helping toolkit
Over time, Future Life Now grew from private practice into broader counseling, leadership and training. Larry’s work also became more whole-person centered, supported by the partnership he built with his spouse and business partner, Cynthia Allen.
Cynthia’s Feldenkrais practice added an important influence: the body is not just along for the ride. The way you breathe, move, and sense stress can support change, or block it. When training includes body awareness, many people learn faster and feel safer while they practice.
From substance abuse counseling to leadership and supervision
This part of his story matters for NLP training because it shows range. Real people. Real stakes. Real responsibility.
Larry’s counseling and leadership track includes:
- 1998: Substance abuse counselor at Transitions in Northern Kentucky
- 2001: MSW from the University of Kentucky
- 2001: Clinical supervision training and promotion to Counselor Supervisor
- 2003: Promotion to Corporation Development Director (created and taught development classes)
- 2005: CADC certification
- 2004 to 2011: Board service with Kentucky Association of Addiction Professionals (Treasurer 2005 to 2011)
- 2008 to 2011: Supervised University of Louisville social work practicum students
- 2009 to 2011: Adjunct faculty at Northern Kentucky University, teaching a Substance Abuse course
Expanding growth and healing approaches beyond NLP
Larry also trained in other systems that support change work, stress support, sleep habits, and personal growth (without making medical promises):
- 2000 to 2001: Inca Medicine Wheel training and Mesa Carrier title
- 2003: Spiral Dynamics training and certification with Dr. Don Beck
- 2015: Authorized Teacher in the Sounder Sleep System
- 2023: Certified as Clinical Hypnotherapist (Transform Destiny and International Board of Coaches and Practitioners)
- 2024: Certified in Ericksonian and Solution-Oriented Hypnosis (PsychMaven)
A simple way to think about this mix: NLP offers clear change methods, and these added tools widen the ways Larry can teach self-regulation, better rest routines, and healthier responses to stress.
Training, teaching, and speaking today,
plus a timeline of key milestones
If you’re looking for an NLP trainer, you want more than credentials. You want a teaching style that fits you. Larry’s current work stays close to the classroom feel: clear steps, practice, feedback, and a steady respect for the person doing the learning.
NLP certification trainings, graduate-level teaching, retreats, and summits
Larry conducted Future Life Now’s first NLP Certification training in 2012, and it’s now offered annually. From 2013 to 2016, he served as adjunct faculty at Northern Kentucky University, teaching Deepening Clinical Practice (including key NLP concepts).
From 2015 to 2018, he participated in and presented to a local Vistage group. From 2016 to 2019, he led mind-body-spirit retreats in Mexico, Greece, and Costa Rico. In 2023 to 2024, he conducted Future Life Now’s first NLP Master Practitioner training, now also a repeating event.
Summits and recent presentations on health, healing, sleep, stress, and change
In 2021, Larry joined the world of summits and became a regular presenter on topics such as “The Psycho Dynamics of Health and Healing,” “Closing the Cartesian Gap,” “Taking the Chronic Out of Pain,” “Body of Imagination in Sleep and Stress,” and “Psycho Neurology of Getting the Life You Want.”
He presented at the International NLP Summit 2021, the International NLP Summit in Las Vegas in 2022, the Healing Touch Worldwide Foundation group in 2023, and the Move Better, Feel Better Summits from 2021-2024.
In 2024, Larry published a short, simply written book, that takes the reader on a journey through the universal life experiences women undergo.
In the process, the reader may tap into personal memories while also being blanketed by the comforting truth of a woman’s inherent goodness. This is self-care at its best.
Written in the style of NLP, it connects you to your true essence, your original nature and the Spirit of love and light.
The book uses NLP language patterns, and the reader is encouraged to read it out loud to herself as she is ready to do so. The act of hearing the words aloud in her own voice can increase its transformative power.
To view or order it, either for yourself or as a gift, use the link below:
Key milestones at a glance (by era)
- 1968 to 1974: Education degree, early math teaching roles in Kansas and Missouri
- 1975 to 1993: Pastoral service, MDiv, ethics and support roles in medical and community settings
- 1990 to 2011: NLP Master Practitioner training, founding Future Life Now, published papers, NLP Trainer certification
- 1998 to 2016: Substance abuse counseling, MSW, supervision, leadership, university teaching
- 2012 to 2024: Annual NLP Certification trainings, retreats, summits, and NLP Master Practitioner trainings
Conclusion
Larry Wells’ throughline is simple: teacher, pastor, counselor, and NLP trainer, with a steady focus on practical skills and caring relationships. He teaches change as a learnable process, not a personality trait you either have or don’t have.
If you’re curious about NLP training that stays grounded and respectful, explore Future Life Now’s certification trainings, attend a class, or reach out to see if the approach fits your goals. Change tends to start the same way, with one clear step, practiced with support.
Start your Learning Journey with Larry
Choose the support that fits you right now.