I’ve spent much of my professional life building businesses, leading teams, managing organizations, and helping others do the same. I’ve worked in small businesses, large corporations, nonprofits, and educational settings, and I’ve learned that running a successful organization requires attention to many things at once.
There are the practical demands of strategy, finance, operations, marketing, and growth. And there are the people, relationships, values, and communities that make the work possible.
I don’t see these as separate concerns. A financially sound organization is better positioned to fulfill its purpose. A healthy organizational culture helps people do their best work. Clear strategy and good systems create room for creativity, collaboration, and growth.
My approach brings these elements together, drawing on decades of hands-on business experience and a lifelong foundation in contemplative practice.
I’ve worked across nearly every aspect of running a business, from developing an idea and building a team to managing budgets, creating operational systems, establishing a brand, and navigating periods of uncertainty.
My experience includes:
I understand the competing demands leaders face because I’ve been responsible for managing them myself. There are rarely perfect solutions, and decisions often need to be made with incomplete information, limited resources, and many people depending on the outcome.
Effective leadership requires both a clear understanding of the business and the ability to work thoughtfully with the people involved.
Contemplative practice has been part of my life since childhood. My Buddhist training, studies in psychology, and work in human development have shaped how I approach the responsibilities of leadership.
For me, contemplative leadership isn’t about bringing meditation into every meeting or expecting people to adopt a particular philosophy. It’s about developing the awareness to recognize our own patterns, the discipline to examine our assumptions, and the ability to respond thoughtfully when circumstances are difficult.
It also means recognizing that the decisions we make have consequences beyond the immediate needs of a business.
Financial performance matters. So do the well-being of employees, the health of our communities, and our relationship with the natural world.
I believe leaders can take all of these responsibilities seriously without losing sight of the practical demands of running a successful organization.
One of the things I appreciate about both business and contemplative practice is that neither offers a point at which we have everything figured out.
Organizations change. People change. The circumstances we face change.
We make decisions, learn from the results, and adjust. We discover assumptions we hadn’t recognized, encounter perspectives we hadn’t considered, and sometimes have to reconsider approaches that once worked well.
My experience as an entrepreneur, executive, coach, educator, and contemplative practitioner continues to inform how I understand this process.
I’m particularly interested in how we develop organizations that are financially sustainable, operationally effective, and genuinely good places for people to work and contribute.
That takes sound business practices, thoughtful leadership, and a willingness to keep learning.
Although my primary focus today is leading Karmê Chöling and continuing my studies, I remain interested in opportunities to work with individuals and organizations around business leadership, organizational development, and meaningful change.
I welcome conversations about executive coaching, strategic consulting, teaching, speaking, and collaborative projects.