Marc Lesser

Appreciate Your Life: 3-month Practice Period
2023-01-18 18:00 - 2023-04-05 19:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Zoom
This 3-month Mindfulness and Meditation Practice Period is for anyone looking to begin, renew, or intensify a meditation practice.
All experience levels are welcome, from those beginning to those with a lifetime of meditation experience. Together, we will form a community of listening and support, and will bring attention and commitment to regular meditation practice and to how we “show up” in all parts of our lives.
The theme for this practice period is Appreciating Your Life. Our focus will be on how Zen practice can be integrated into daily life to help us:
– cultivate greater wellbeing
– navigate change and challenges
– discover more meaning and purpose in work and relationship
DATES, SCHEDULE, AND COST
We’ll meet every Wednesday from January 18 – April 5, 2023
Schedule:
6:00 – 6:30: meditation
6:30 – 7:00: teaching
7:00 – 7:30: group discussion w/breakout groups
SESSION BREAKDOWN
January 18: What’s Zen Got To Do With It?
In our opening Practice Period session, we will talk about Zen practice and its application to our modern world. Marc will introduce the book Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind and the teachings of Shunryu Suzuki.
January 25: Beginner’s Mind
A discussion of “beginner’s mind” – the art and practice of seeing and experiencing everything as fresh and new. We will explore the meaning and power of Zen as a non-dualistic practice, and developing a mind that is ready for anything.
February 1: Precise Forms for A Flexible Mind
A discussion of the first talk from Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind on “Posture.”
February 8: Exploring the Breath
A deep dive into the practice of meditation – the practice of fully being ourselves.
February 15: Control
A discussion of the paradox of intention and letting go.
February 22: Thinking Mind
Finding equanimity in the midst of a turbulent world.
March 1: The Power of Attention
The contrasting practices of effort and effortlessness, in meditation and all parts of our lives.
March 8: You Are Not Your Problems
Shifting our relationship with challenges and difficulties.
March 15: Living Beyond Duality
How to not feel limited by ideas of success and failure, effort and effortlessness. We explore what is meant by “no gaining ideas.”
March 22: Humility and Confidence
An exploration of the concept of Big Mind in Zen practice and how it supports greater humility and greater confidence.
March 29: Everyday Mind Is the Way
How to drop into our ordinary, extraordinary minds and hearts.
April 5: The Practice of Focus
The practice of focus as the practice of appreciating our lives.
Scholarships available (no one turned away for lack of funds). Request more info.

Zen of Coaching: For Executive Coaches - 5 Classes Beginning May 8, 2026
2026-05-08 12:00 - 13:30
This program series meets online from 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time for 5 consecutive Fridays: May 8, 15, 22, 29 and June 5. Zoom links will be emailed one week before the course begins.

What You Will Learn In This Program

Program Pillars:

The Power of Not-Knowing: Coaching from Presence, Not Answers

Why the best executive coaches don’t give answers—they create the conditions for insight.

How to hold space for uncertainty in leadership and decision-making.

Using koans (Zen paradoxical stories) to unlock new ways of thinking for clients.

Coaching in Complexity: Paradox & Polarities in Leadership

How Zen principles help leaders embrace contradiction (strength & vulnerability, action & stillness, leading & following).

Working with ambiguous, high-stakes leadership decisions through mindfulness.

Helping executives lead without attachment to outcomes while remaining highly effective.

Cultivating Executive Presence through Embodiment & Stillness

The neuroscience of how a leader’s presence influences company culture.

Zen-based practices for embodying gravitas, calm, and emotional regulation.

Teaching executives micro-meditation techniques for high-stress environments.

Coaching the Inner Game of Leadership

How to coach beyond performance metrics and into values, purpose, and wisdom.

Identifying the ego traps of leadership and helping clients lead with authenticity.

Cultivating a beginner’s mind in leadership—why curiosity outperforms certainty.

Building a Mindful Coaching Practice for Executive Clients

Integrating Zen coaching into a high-level executive coaching practice.

Communicating the value of coaching for presence vs. coaching for performance.

Structuring engagements that balance practical business needs with deep transformation.

Why Zen? Why This Program?

You don’t need to be a Buddhist—or have ever set foot on a meditation cushion—to experience the profound impact of this course.

Zen isn’t about religion. It’s about awareness and attention.

It’s a path to cultivating a clear mind and an open heart, especially in the face of uncertainty, complexity, and high stakes. That’s why Zen is so powerful for coaches and leaders: it trains you to stay present, grounded, and responsive—no matter the circumstances.

Most coaching programs focus on tools and techniques.

This one goes deeper.

It teaches presence—the ability to listen without needing to fix, to stay steady in discomfort, and to meet others with clarity and compassion. That’s the kind of presence that sets exceptional coaches and courageous leaders apart.

Zen strips away the noise so you can access your inner wisdom.

Instead of reacting from habit or pressure, you learn to respond from insight. You become less distracted, more intentional, and more attuned—to yourself, to others, and to what really matters.

In a world obsessed with doing, Zen teaches the transformational power of being. And from that place of being—calm, centered, aware—you unlock the true potential of your leadership and your coaching.

This isn’t abstract philosophy. It’s grounded in lived experience.

Your guide, Marc Lesser, is both a seasoned Zen teacher and a former CEO. He helped integrate mindfulness into Google’s leadership culture and has coached high-performing leaders across industries. He knows how to bridge the inner journey with real-world impact.

Zen won’t hand you all the answers.

But it will help you become the kind of coach who creates the conditions for others to discover their own.

And that’s where real transformation begins.

Why This Program Stands Apart

The Zen Difference in Leadership Coaching

Beyond Basic Mindfulness: This isn’t another “breathe and reduce stress” program. The Zen approach develops the paradoxical thinking capabilities executives need most—being decisively confident while remaining genuinely open, driving results while cultivating relationships, maintaining vision while adapting to reality.

From Marc Lesser’s Unique Journey: Few can blend these worlds authentically. Marc spent a decade as a resident of the San Francisco Zen Center and served as director of Tassajara Zen Mountain Center before bringing these principles to Google’s leadership program—creating a mindful leadership approach now used by thousands of executives worldwide. Marc Lesser didn’t just study Zen—he lived it (10 years at San Francisco Zen Center). Then he proved it works at Google and beyond. This is mindfulness forged in the fires of real leadership.

Transformative Leadership Capabilities: Where other programs offer tactical fixes, this coaching approach develops:

Presence That Commands Without Demanding: Leaders who radiate calm authority even in crisis—a quality teams instinctively trust and follow.

The Power of Not-Knowing: The ability to lead confidently while remaining genuinely curious and open—avoiding the fatal certainty that blinds other executives to emerging realities.

Resilient Ambition: The capacity to pursue audacious goals without attachment to outcomes—creating leaders who inspire through purpose rather than pressure.

The Inside-Out Transformation

This program works differently because it addresses the root cause of leadership challenges:

Conventional Coaching: Works outside-in, applying external frameworks to problems Zen Coaching: Works inside-out, developing internal clarity that naturally produces better external decisions

As one executive put it: “Other programs gave me better maps. This approach taught me to see more clearly so I could draw my own maps.”

The Cascading Impact

When a leader transforms their leadership presence, everything shifts:

Teams feel psychologically safe to innovate and take smart risks

Decision-making improves as habitual reactivity gives way to thoughtful response

Organizational culture evolves from tension to aligned purpose

Results improve while burnout decreases

Why It Matters Now

Today’s executives face unprecedented complexity—volatile markets, technological disruption, talent challenges, and stakeholder pressures that conventional leadership approaches weren’t designed to handle.

The Zen approach doesn’t just help leaders cope with this complexity—it helps them thrive in it, developing the exact capabilities needed to navigate paradox, uncertainty, and rapid change with wisdom rather than reactivity.

This isn’t just a different coaching approach. It’s the approach specifically designed for the leadership challenges of our time.

Who This Is For

For Coaches Done with Surface-Level Solutions

This isn’t just another coaching program. This is for leaders of leaders – those ready to transcend tired frameworks and tap into something far more powerful.

This is for you if:

You’re done with “10-step models” and crave an approach that reaches the soul of leadership – where real transformation happens.

You coach (or aspire to coach) elite performers – CEOs, founders, VPs – who need more than productivity hacks. They need wisdom.

You feel the limits of traditional mindfulness and want tools that don’t just reduce stress, but redefine how leaders operate.

You know presence is your most powerful tool – and you’re ready to master it, embody it, and teach it.

You’re building a practice with depth – one that aligns with your values, attracts premium clients, and changes lives (not just KPIs).

This is not for coaches who:

❌ Believe leadership is just about strategy and execution

❌ Are satisfied with helping clients “manage” rather than *transform*

❌ Think mindfulness begins and ends with “take a deep breath”

This is for those ready to go to the source – where lasting change begins. For Coaches who want to move beyond “take a breath” to transformative frameworks. Mindfulness is the foundation. This is the architecture for leadership

What You Will Walk Away With

Marc brings a rare combination of depth, clarity, and real-world leadership experience to his coaching and teaching. In this training, he sets a high bar—inviting you not just to learn, but to transform the way you lead, coach, and show up in the world.

This program is designed for executive and leadership coaches who want to deepen their impact by integrating mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and embodied presence into their professional practice.

You’ll walk away with insights and tools that elevate your coaching, strengthen your leadership presence, and bring greater clarity and compassion to your most important relationships—both personal and professional.

You will:

Deepen and sustain your mindfulness and meditation practice—not just as tools, but as core competencies in your leadership and coaching

Strengthen your ability to listen with precision and attunement, helping clients access insight and move through complexity

Cultivate warm-hearted curiosity—the key to unlocking potential, fostering trust, and navigating high-stakes conversations

Gain practical techniques to coach with greater authenticity, presence, and impact in executive and organizational contexts

Whether you’re supporting C-suite leaders, high-performing teams, or emerging talent, this training will refine your presence, expand your toolkit, and align your coaching with what matters most.

The Virtuous Cycle of Coaching Excellence

Inner Depth + External Tools = Exceptional Client Outcomes

This program creates a sustainable path to coaching mastery. As your presence deepens, your client results improve, leading to more referrals, a stronger reputation, and a thriving practice built on transformation rather than transaction.

How This Program Stands Apart

Traditional Executive Coaching
The Zen of Coaching

Focuses on performance, productivity, and goal-setting
Focuses on presence, awareness, and wise action

Uses tools, frameworks, and accountability structures
Uses inquiry, paradox, and deep listening

Emphasizes doing: what to say, what to do
Emphasizes being: how you show up, how you relate

Encourages control, clarity, and linear problem-solving
Embraces uncertainty, not-knowing, and complexity

Measures success by external outcomes
Measures success by internal alignment and relational impact

Stays in the head: cognitive strategies, analysis
Integrates head, heart, and body through mindfulness and embodiment

Seeks confidence through mastery
Cultivates confidence through humility and grounded presence

Short-term fixes and performance improvements
Long-term transformation of self and leadership presence

Investment: $950

Register now for $725

FAQs

Is this program for beginners or seasoned coaches?

Yes! Zen of Coaching is designed and applicable for all levels of coaches and prospective coaches. All coaches can benefit professionally and personally from learning to integrate depth practices and wisdom practices into their coaching and all parts of their lives.

Is this program for leaders?

Coaching and mentoring are two of the most important competencies of effective leadership. Leaders will experience significant benefit from learning depth coaching skills and competencies.

What are the dates, times, and structure of the program?

The program meets from 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. for 5 Fridays, May 8, 15, 22, 29 and June 5.

What if I need to miss a session?

All sessions will be recorded and made available.

Will there be additional courses and resources?

ZBA Leadership and Coaching Institute and Marc Lesser will be offering a variety trainings and programs throughout 2026. Marc and colleagues are available for individual coaching sessions.

What is the cost of this program?

Zen of Coaching has a list price of $950 and is currently being offered at a discounted rate of $725.
