Leadership
is physiological
& philosophical
Leadership
is physiological
& philosophical
Life is vitality
Learning is expansive
Leadership is movement
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
Leading with Aliveness
In this book, I offer a physiological and philosophical reframing of leadership amid continuous crisis and burnout—a way to reclaim steadiness and humanity in the face of unrelenting change. (See video for my summary of the book, 2:40 min)
This transformation unfolds through five elemental forces: the powers of the pause, perspective, practice, the pride (as in lion pride), and play. When leading with aliveness, we open to the life force—our deepest source of vitality—then shape our perspective and point the way. We awaken the team's capacity for optimal performance and serious play.
Leading with Aliveness is like six conversation we have with ourselves over a couple of weeks. Each reflection is just long enough for you to savor your morning coffee, or something cool at the end of the day. Enjoy.
"When leading with aliveness, we open to all that life offers—the bitter, the beautiful, the brave."
My background
Don’t just do something, stand there.
That’s good advice for emergency room physicians—and for leaders today. First pause. Get your bearings. Then lead.
Calming oneself is central to my work with leaders, in both my own practice and as senior advisor with Pioneering Collective. The power of the pause is also at the heart of my latest book—Leading with Aliveness.
For decades, I have been a student of leadership. As the founder of Strategic Leadership & Learning, I have worked with hundreds of leaders as they dealt with the aftermaths of 9/11, the financial crisis, hurricanes, and the pandemic. In a world that is coming apart, I have stayed close to what holds us together—to what makes us more human, more potent, more whole.
To that end, my work is based on enduring principles and embodied practice.
The capacity to calm ourselves is deeper than emotional intelligence—it is physiological. I learned this in my twenties as a physical therapist.
The skill to lead in the smallest of moments is beautifully efficient, and the topic of the New York Times bestseller TouchPoints, which I coauthored with Doug Conant, the former CEO of Campbell’s.
The power of principles is a source of wisdom for the workplace—the theme of Stephen Covey’s Principle-Centered Leadership Week in the lower Rocky Mountains—which drew leaders from the private and public sectors, the military, and all parts of the world. They left with a set of timeless principles they could turn to when riding high on success and when things came crashing down.
Based on thousands of conversations with seasoned leaders plus a PhD in human and organizational systems, here’s what I know. The way to be in the eye of the storm is to calm ourselves first, and settle others. To draw strength from the natural world and the moral beauty of others. And to meet the moment as it is, not as we wish it
would be.
Walk with me
After thirty years on the road, I am simplifying my offerings, focusing on what I love the most—rich conversations with leaders—either one-to-one or with one’s peers at a retreat.
One-day, one-to-ones in New York City. Here’s the flow: Arrive midafternoon, explore the city, see your issue from different perspectives, and then share a meal. Sleep on it. The next morning, we meet for breakfast and frame the issue. We then shape the intention, listen for inner coherence, and clarify next steps. You then integrate the insights, experiment with new practices, do couple of check-ins, and adjust. Some leaders come once, others repeat.
If you have a significant challenge that deserves a day of your time and attention, let’s schedule a call.
Rocky Mountain Retreats. I am reimagining the principle-centered retreats I once led at Sundance. In three days we will explore the physiology and philosophy of leading in turbulent times. Each participating leader will discern a few guiding principles and design a handful of tiny practices and be on their way—the way to Leading with Aliveness. To be launched in 2026 in the Canadian Rockies.
