About the Author
Joe Stumpf
Coach | Author | Founder, By Referral Only
Joe Stumpf is a lifelong coach, guide, teacher, entrepreneur, and author whose work has centered on one question for over four decades: what does it actually take for a human being to live from their deepest truth?
As the founder of By Referral Only, he built one of the most recognized referral-based coaching organizations in the real estate and mortgage industry. As the creator of Hero Circle, he built a coaching community for professionals who want to grow their business without growing their ego.
In The Deeper Thinker, Joe brings that depth to the defining challenge of this era: how do we use increasingly powerful tools without abandoning the inner authority, embodied truth, and authentic voice that make us genuinely trustworthy?
His answer is not theoretical. It is lived. At sixty-eight, he trains daily with kettlebells, walks trails at dawn, practices somatic work, and operates from Compassion Ranch in Forestville, California, where he hosts intimate workshops and retreats for those willing to do real work.
He was among the first voices in the coaching space to take artificial intelligence seriously, beginning in December 2022, and has been teaching AI discernment, authority building, and authentic power ever since.