The Courageous Wholeness Podcast

Meet Adam Yukelson, an expert on how to create large-scale transformational experiences in the virtual space.  He helped Otto Scharmer and the team at the Presencing Institute build an online version of their Theory U training, and then went on to help the team at Thich Naht Hahn's community of Plum Village take their "Zen and the art of Saving the Planet" course online.  He’s been involved in some of the most impactful and cutting edge efforts to bring transformational experiences online, and he’s here to share his wisdom on today’s pod.  Adam's website: www.adamyukelson.comAdam on LinkedInAdam on the Presencing Institute website

Thomas Legrand is an expert on sustainability, a spiritual seeker, and the author of a powerful book called The Politics of Being: Wisdom and Science for a New Developmental Paradigm.  Thomas has a PhD in economics and  he currently serves as the Lead Technical Advisor for the Conscious Food Systems Alliance convened by the United Nations Development Program. He spends his days working to make our global food systems more sustainable by shifting the consciousness of the stakeholders in that system. Thomas believes that the current crises we see unfolding all around us are manifestations of greed, hatred, fear, ignorance, selfishness and other dark emotions. To move beyond these crises, we must create systems and cultures that are focused on cultivating more evolved ways of being. His book, The Politics of Being, is a remarkably substantive and ambitious exploration of what it could look like bring this shift to every facet of our civic lives. Thomas is both a visionary soul and an experienced practitioner working on the front lines of a complex public challenge. I'm excited to lift up his wisdom on this podcast!Learn more here:The Politics of Being: Wisdom and Science for a New Developmental ParadigmThe Politics of Being websiteThomas Legrand on LinkedIn

Peter Cobabe is a visionary entrepreneur and technologist working at the edge of the effort to elevate human potential through the responsible use of artificial intelligence.A longtime student of contemplative practice and the science of consciousness, Peter seeks to weave together conscious evolution, spiritual development and technology.In this conversation, we explore the implications of being in relationship with a superintelligent technology that is actually evolving us as we seek to evolve it.Learn more about Peter here:LinkedIn Adaptr AI

Amy Elizabeth Fox is the visionary founder of Mobius Executive Leadership, a global transformational leadership firm bringing deep spiritual transformation to some of the biggest companies in the world. Over the course of 20 years, Amy has cultivated a community of some of the most important thought leaders working in the space of human potential and transformation, and has found ways to bring deep and profound change work into the business world. In this episode, Amy discusses her journey from therapist to traditional corporate consultant to working at the edge of spiritual transformation on a global scale. She discusses her involvement in healing collective trauma in collaboration with Thomas Hubl, and explores what she has learned from decades of inviting senior leaders into experiences of deep transformation.Amy is a global thought leader working at the edge of our collective evolution, and I am honored to lift up her voice and wisdom on this episode of the podcast.Learn more about Amy here:Amy's personal websiteMobius LeadershipPre-order Amy's forthcoming book here (co-written with Nicholas Janni): Leading in Chaos: A Clarion Call to a New Future from Two Pioneers in Leadership and Transformational Change

Meet Tim Van Ness,, a leadership coach and consultant who uses his passion and skills as an actor to help individuals and organizations grow and evolve. Tim has over 25 years of experience as a coach, consultant, and master facilitator. In this conversation, Tim describes his work using a process called Playback Theater to help organizations see their own shadows and blindspots, allowing them to address key challenges and find productive ways forward. Tim's work stands at the intersection of art and leadership development, and he is an expert at harnessing his ability to be present and to connect deeply with clients to drive transformation. Learn more about Tim here:LinkedInVan Ness & Co Consulting website

Meet Vlada Lisinenko, a coach, facilitator and artists based in Sweden. She designs transformative, research-informed programs that enhance resilience, connection, and emotional well-being, helping individuals and organizations harness joy as a powerful tool for healing and human flourishing.Vlada has been following her calling for years, and today has found ways to share her many gifts with the world in creative ways.  She’s the Founder of an organization called Bildreflektion, which is a Swedish term that means "Image-Reflection".  Bildreflektion uses visual overviews, graphic facilitation and guided visualisation to help teams connect with the deeper, often unseen layers of each other and the projects on which they are working. She also the Founder of Laughter Academy, an organization focused on guiding groups through integrative workshops in breath-work and laughter to enhance wellbeing, connection and creative intelligence.  ⁠⁠Bildreflektion⁠⁠https://laughter.academy

Janet Echelman is one of the most influential and impactful public artists working in the world today. She is best known for the giant, hanging net sculptures that spans hundred of feet, and that sway and ripple in the wind high above public spaces.  She has created hundreds of installations across five continents in locations like Singapore, Sydney, Shanghai, Santiago, Beijing, Boston, New York and London. She has been commissioned to create sculptures by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  In this podcast, we explore Janet's journey to developing her unique works, how she uses herself as an instrument in her creative process, and why it's important to trust your inner voice. Learn more about her here:https://www.echelman.com/Book: Radical Softness: The Responsive Art of Janet Echelman

Meet Cami Travis Groves, a transformational coach who works with creatives and creative entrepreneurs.  She is an artist and a painting instructor who seeks believes that creativity is an essential act of self-care.  Cami’s expertise is in helping clients shift their relationship with that voices in their head that say that they are not artistic, that they aren’t creative, and that what they bring into the world isn’t good and doesn’t have value.  By helping clients to work skillfully with those voices of negativity, she helps them tap into the natural, joyful creative force that we all possess.In this episode, we discuss Cami's remarkable journey of healing from a traumatic childhood, her insights into the power and value of creativity, and how she helps individuals reconnect with their own inner artists.Learn more about Cami at her website:https://www.cami.coach/

Meet Sabina Nawaz, an executive leadership coach, consultant, and speaker, and the author of the recently published book You’re the Boss:  Become the Manager You Want to Be (And Other’s Need).  She has over 25 years of experience advising C-level executives and high-performing teams at Fortune 500 firms, government agencies, nonprofits, and academic institutions across more than 30 countries.  Prior to working as a coach, she spent 14 years at Microsoft, where she eventually found herself overseeing the organization's leadership development work for 11,000 managers.In this conversation, we talk about the difference between pressure and power, and how both play a role in managing others. Sabina also talks about her experiences as a woman of color working at the highest levels in corporate America, and what wholeness means to her.Sabina is one of the smartest and wisest people I know, and I'm excited to lift up her voice in this episode. Learn more about Sabina here:https://sabinanawaz.com/

I'm excited to share this special episode of the podcast that features a conversation with Cristin Talentino and Sydney Bloom, two skilled leadership development practitioners based in Canada who are doing deep and transformational work.This episode came about when Cristin tagged the Center for Courageous Wholeness in a post on LinkedIn. She noted that when she first heard about our work, she was inclined to view us as a competitor who she needed to out-hustle. But she decided to lean into her belief in trust and abundance, and lift us up as allies rather than fear us as competitors. She also lifted up the great work of Sydney Blum in the same spirit of collaboration.I found the post--and the sentiment behind it--to be powerful and moving. We ended up deciding to connect to learn more about each other, and record the conversation as a podcast episode. So this is the first time the three of us have ever spoken together. It's a powerful conversation about leadership, intuition, the power of the natural world, trust, abundance and collaboration. Here's more info on our guests:Cristin TalentinoBirch and Bloom (Cristin's Organization)LinkedInSydney BlumLinkedInThe Intuitively Aligned Podcast (on Spotify)

Meet Duygu Ozen, the Founder of We7 AI, a marketing firm focused on changing the way marketing works.  She’s also a board member of the New York chapter of the Conscious Capitalism movement, and is very involved in the effort to bring a higher consciousness to the realms of business and marketing. Duygu is at the leading edge of a movement to make marketing healthy for our souls and for our planet. In this episode, she talks about her journey to this work, what regenerative marketing is all about, and how it represents a profound shift from traditional marketing that is so effective at manipulating our fears, doubts, and insecurities. Learn more about here here:https://www.we7.ai/Duygu Ozen on LinkedIn

Stephanie Simpson is an executive coach, speaker, and leadership consultant based in Connecticut. Her path into this work is a bit unusual: She began her career as a professional dancer and choreographer, so she brings a grounding in the embodied arts to her work as a coach and consultant. She has an MFA in Dance as well as a Masters in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on spirituality, mind and body from Columbia University.In this conversation, we explore what it means to approach the work of leadership development with this holistic focus on body, mind and spirit.Learn more about Stephanie and her work here:https://www.stephanie-simpson.com/

Meet Michal Klau-Stevens: A clinical social worker based in West Hartford, CT doing fascinating work healing trauma. She is an expert in the modalities of Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), and psychedelic-assisted therapy. Her work raises profound questions about how to relate to trauma, how healing happens, and the nature of wholeness. She's also my sister, and one of my favorite thought partners on themes of leadership, personal growth, social change, and spiritual development!She's a gifted healer, and I'm excited to share her perspective and expertise with you all on this episode!Learn more about Michal's practice here:Azure Psychotherapy

On this episode, I’m sharing an interview with Dr. Angel Acosta, Founder of the Acosta Institute.  Angel is a friend, a colleague, and an invaluable mentor to me as I seek to launch and grow the Center for Courageous Wholeness.  In this conversation, Angel interviews me about the ideas at the heart of the courageous wholeness model, why I'm launching the Center, and what my hopes are for this work. The video version of this conversation is available on YouTube, and I'm sharing the audio here for folks who prefer podcasts over video.Dr. Acosta is a global thought leader, educator, and founder who has transformed his doctoral research into a thriving interdisciplinary consulting firm—The Acosta Institute.Learn more about him at the following sites:www.drangelacosta.comThe Acosta Institute

There is no better way to launch this new podcast than by lifting up the voice and wisdom of my dear friend, Shmuly Yanklowitz. Shmuly is currently launching a new initiative called Thrive By Character that seeks to inspire deeper reflection on the most noble virtues that help us, individually and collectively, to thrive in life. Shmuly's achievements are remarkable. He has twice been named one of America's Top Rabbis by Newsweek. In 2016, The Forward named Rabbi Shmuly one of The Most Inspiring Rabbis in America. In 2016, the Forward named Rav Shmuly one of the 50 most influential Jews. He is the author of 28 books on jewish spirituality, social justice and ethics, and his writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, and more.  He has a Masters in Education from Harvard, a Doctorate in Moral Development and Epistemology from Columbia, and Rabbinic Ordination from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School. He's also the founder of four different nonprofits in the Jewish world (see links in show notes below).Shmuly is an amazing soul with a profound intellect, an enormous heart, and a fierce commitment to working for justice in the world. After years of focusing his work on creating change in Jewish contexts, his newest initiative on character education is intended to reach the general public. In this conversation, we go deep into the work of inner development, the strategic significance of focusing on character as an approach to civic renewal, the wisdom of working with shadow, and what Shmuly hopes his new initiative, Thrive by Character, will make happen in the world. Rebbi Dr. Shmuly YanklowitzThrive By CharacterInstagram: thrivebycharacterFacebook: Thrive by CharacterTwitter/X: ThrivecharacterTikTok: ThrivebycharacterOrganizations Founded By Reb Shmuly:Uri L'tzedek: Social Justice in the Orthodox WorldShamayim: Jewish Animal AdvocacyYatom: The Jewish Foster and Apoption NetworkValley Beit Midrash: Global Center for Jewish LearningMore Info about the Center for Courageous Wholeness:Center for Courageous Wholeness websiteCenter for Courageous Wholeness on LinkedIn www.maxklau.com

Welcome to the Courageous Wholeness Podcast, where inner transformation meets social change. The show is hosted by Dr. Max Klau—a Harvard-trained developmental psychologist, author, speaker, Integral Master Coach, and thought leader in the field of servant leadership.  Max is also the Founder of the Center for Courageous Wholeness, an educational institution dedicated to guiding purpose-driven individuals to achieve greater wholeness by integrating shadow, serving others, and scaling up their impact. The Courageous Wholeness Podcast offers powerful conversations at the intersection of inner development, service, shadow, and scale. Each episode lifts up the voice and experience of a remarkable soul who embodies the practice of living and leading with courageous wholeness.  We’ll talk to thought leaders, activists, entrepreneurs, healer, seekers and social creatives who are modeling what it means to lead with authenticity, embrace their shadow, and catalyze real change from the inside out. The Courageous Wholeness Podcast offers deep insights, practical tools, and the kind of soulful dialogue our world needs now. Join us as we explore the path to living with courageous wholeness!www.centerforcouragoueswholeness.orgCenter for Courageous Wholeness on LinkedInwww.maxklau.com

Meet Vlada Lisinenko, a coach, facilitator and artists based in Sweden. She designs transformative, research-informed programs that enhance resilience, connection, and emotional well-being, helping individuals and organizations harness joy as a powerful tool for healing and human flourishing.Vlada has been following her calling for years, and today has found ways to share her many gifts with the world in creative ways.  She’s the Founder of an organization called Bildreflektion, which is a Swedish term that means "Image-Reflection".  Bildreflektion uses visual overviews, graphic facilitation and guided visualisation to help teams connect with the deeper, often unseen layers of each other and the projects on which they are working. She also the Founder of Laughter Academy, an organization focused on guiding groups through integrative workshops in breath-work and laughter to enhance wellbeing, connection and creative intelligence.   ⁠Bildreflektion⁠