Presented by Marc Lesser, and

Welcome to The Mindful Changemakers Summit!

The Summit takes place right here on March 12 and 13, 2021

Make sure to bookmark this page where you’ll be able to watch and listen to all of our expert interviews, as they go live. They will also be available to watch indefinitely following the event so you can revisit the content here as often as you wish!

SCHEDULE

SPEAKERS

ABOUT THE SUMMIT

DAY 1: March 12, 2021

* Interviews will go live each day at 11 am Pacific (click here to convert to your local time zone)

James Baraz

Meditation Teacher, Climate Activist, and author of Awakening Joy: 10 Steps to Happiness

Topic: Compassion, Joy, & Healing Divides

Sharon Salzberg

Meditation Teacher, and author of Real Change: Mindfulness to Heal Ourselves and the World

Topic: Social Change and Effective Action

Rick Hanson

Psychologist & author of Neurodharma: New Science, Ancient Wisdom and Seven Practices of the Highest Happiness

Topic: Well-being and Political Action

Rhonda V. Magee

Professor Of Law, University of California, and author of The Inner Work Of Racial Justice

Topic: Inner Work and Racial Healing

DAY 2: March 13, 2021

* Interviews will go live each day at 11 am Pacific (click here to convert to your local time zone)

Bryan Welch

CEO, Mindful Communications

Topic: Loss, Compassion, and Love as a Path to Social Change

Deb Nelson

Vice President, Client and Community
Engagement RSF Social Finance

Topic: Mindful Money and Effective Engagement

Joan Halifax

Activist, anthropologist, author, caregiver, ecologist, and Zen Buddhism priest

Topic: Engaged Mindfulness, Compassion and Social Change

Kristin Neff

Researcher and associate professor at the University of Texas, and author of Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive

Topic: Mindful Self-compassion

Dan Siegel

Professor and Director of Mindful Awareness Research Center, UCLA, and author of The Developing Mind: How Relationships and the Brain Interact to Shape Who We Are

Topic: Awake Leadership

MARC LESSER - YOUR SUMMIT HOST

Marc Lesser is a speaker, facilitator, workshop leader, and executive coach. He is known for his engaging, experiential presentations that integrate mindfulness and emotional intelligence practices and training. Marc is the author of 4 books, including Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader: Lessons from Google and a Zen Monastery Kitchen, and CEO of ZBA Associates, an executive development and leadership consulting company. www.marclesser.net.

James Baraz

James Baraz is a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center where he started the Spirit Rock Family Program with his wife, Jane. He is the co-author of Awakening Joy: Ten Steps to Happiness with Shoshana Alexander, and Awakening Joy for Kids with Michele Lilyanna. He leads the popular Awakening Joy online course. James is a guiding teacher of Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley (IMCB) where he leads a weekly sitting group, and One Earth Sangha, an organization devoted to Buddhist responses to Climate Change. James lives in Berkeley with his wife, and has two sons and three grandchildren.

Joan Halifax

Roshi Joan Halifax, Ph.D., is a Buddhist teacher, Zen priest, anthropologist, and pioneer in the field of end-of-life care. She is Founder, Abbot, and Head Teacher of Upaya Institute and Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She received her Ph.D. in medical anthropology in 1973 and has lectured on the subject of death and dying at many academic institutions and medical centers around the world. She received a National Science Foundation Fellowship in Visual Anthropology, was an Honorary Research Fellow in Medical Ethnobotany at Harvard University, and was a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Library of Congress.

Rick Hanson

Rick Hanson, PhD is a psychologist, Senior Fellow of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center and New York Times best-selling author. His books have been published in 29 languages and include Neurodharma, Resilient, Hardwiring Happiness, Buddha’s Brain, Just One Thing, and Mother Nurture – with 900,000 copies in English alone. His free newsletters have 200,000 subscribers and his online programs have scholarships available for those with financial need. He’s lectured at NASA, Google, Oxford, and Harvard, and taught in meditation centers worldwide. An expert on positive neuroplasticity, his work has been featured on the BBC, CBS, NPR, and other major media. He began meditating in 1974 and is the founder of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom. He and his wife live in northern California and have two adult children. He loves wilderness and taking a break from emails.

Rick Hanson

Rick Hanson, PhD is a psychologist, Senior Fellow of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, & New York Times best-selling author. His books have been published in 29 languages & include Neurodharma, Resilient, Hardwiring Happiness, Buddha’s Brain, Just One Thing, and Mother Nurture – with 900,000 copies in English alone. His free newsletters have 200,000 subscribers and his online programs have scholarships available for those with financial need. He’s lectured at NASA, Google, Oxford, & Harvard, & taught in meditation centers worldwide. An expert on positive neuroplasticity, his work has been featured on the BBC, CBS, NPR, and other major media. He began meditating in 1974 & is the founder of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience & Contemplative Wisdom. He & his wife live in northern California & have two adult children. He loves wilderness and taking a break from emails.

Rhonda V. Magee

Rhonda V. Magee (M.A. Sociology, J.D.) is a Professor of Law at the University of San Francisco and an internationally-recognized thought and practice leader focused on integrating mindfulness into higher education, law and social change work. A prolific author, she draws on law and legal history to weave storytelling, poetry, analysis and practices into inspiration for changing how we think, act and live better together in a rapidly changing world.

Kristin Neff

Kristin Neff is currently an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research, conducting the first empirical studies on self-compassion over fifteen years ago. In addition to writing numerous academic articles and book chapters on the topic, she is author of the book Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself. In conjunction with her colleague Dr. Chris Germer, she has developed an empirically supported training program called Mindful Self-Compassion, which is taught by thousands of teachers worldwide. They co-authored the Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook and Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program: A Guide for Professionals. Her newest work focuses on how to balance self-acceptance with the courage to make needed change. In June 2021, she will publish Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive. For more information on self-compassion, including a self-compassion test, research articles, practices, and Dr. Neff’s teaching schedule, go to www.self-compassion.org.

Kristin Neff

Kristin Neff is currently an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research, conducting the first empirical studies on self-compassion over fifteen years ago. In addition to writing numerous academic articles and book chapters on the topic, she is author of the book Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself. In conjunction with her colleague Dr. Chris Germer, she has developed an empirically supported training program called Mindful Self-Compassion, which is taught by thousands of teachers worldwide. They co-authored the Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook and Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program: A Guide for Professionals. Her newest work focuses on how to balance self-acceptance with the courage to make needed change. In June 2021, she will publish Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive. For more information on self-compassion, including a self-compassion test, research articles, practices, and Dr. Neff’s teaching schedule, go to www.self-compassion.org.

Deb Nelson

Deb Nelson is vice president of client and community engagement at RSF Social Finance. She leads their field building programs, including the Integrated Capital Institute and Women’s Capital Collaborative. Deb landed at RSF after career paths in community development and social enterprise networks. She is passionate about economic justice, women’s rights, and courageous leadership. Deb was executive director of Social Venture Network, a community of impact investors and social entrepreneur,s for 15 years. She was also marketing director at Working Assets (now Credo Mobile), and a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon. She has a BA in English from Northwestern University and an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management. When she’s not at RSF, she enjoys exploring the Bay Area with her sons.

Sharon Salzberg

Sharon Salzberg is a meditation pioneer and industry leader, a world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author. As one of the first to bring meditation and mindfulness into mainstream American culture over 45 years ago, her relatable, demystifying approach has inspired generations of meditation teachers and wellness influencers. Sharon is co-founder of The Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, and the author of eleven books, including the New York Times bestseller, Real Happiness, now in its second edition, her seminal work, Loving kindness, and her newest book, Real Change: Mindfulness To Heal Ourselves and the Worldwww.sharonsalzberg.com

Sharon Salzberg

Sharon Salzberg is a meditation pioneer and industry leader, a world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author. As one of the first to bring meditation and mindfulness into mainstream American culture over 45 years ago, her relatable, demystifying approach has inspired generations of meditation teachers and wellness influencers. Sharon is co-founder of The Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, and the author of eleven books, including the New York Times bestseller, Real Happiness, now in its second edition, her seminal work, Loving kindness, and her newest book, Real Change: Mindfulness To Heal Ourselves and the World, released in September of 2020 from Flatiron Books. Sharon’s secular, modern approach to Buddhist teachings is sought after at schools, conferences, and retreat centers worldwide. Her podcast, The Metta Hour, has amassed over 3 million downloads and features interviews with the top leaders and thinkers of the mindfulness movement and beyond. Sharon’s writing can be found on Medium, On Being, the Maria Shriver blog, and Huffington Post. Learn more at www.sharonsalzberg.com

Dan Siegel

Dr. Siegel is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and the founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA. He is also the Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute which focuses on the development of mindsight, teaches insight, empathy, and integration in individuals, families and communities.
Dr. Siegel has published extensively for both the professional and lay audiences. His five New York Times bestsellers are: Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence, Mind: A Journey to the Heart of Being Human, Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain, and two books with Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D: The Whole-Brain Child, and No-Drama Discipline. His other books include: The Developing Mind, The Pocket Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology, Mindsight, The Mindful Brain, and The Mindful Therapist. He has also written The Yes Brain and The Power of Showing Up with Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D. Dr. Siegel also serves as the Founding Editor for the Norton Professional Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology which currently contains over seventy textbooks. For more information about his educational programs and resources, please visit: www.DrDanSiegel.com and www.mindsightinstitute.com

Dan Siegel

Dr. Siegel is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and the founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA. He is also the Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute which focuses on the development of mindsight, teaches insight, empathy, and integration in individuals, families and communities.
Dr. Siegel has published extensively for both the professional and lay audiences. His five New York Times bestsellers are: Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence, Mind: A Journey to the Heart of Being Human, Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain, and two books with Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D: The Whole-Brain Child, and No-Drama Discipline. His other books include: The Developing Mind, The Pocket Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology, Mindsight, The Mindful Brain, and The Mindful Therapist. He has also written The Yes Brain and The Power of Showing Up with Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D. Dr. Siegel also serves as the Founding Editor for the Norton Professional Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology which currently contains over seventy textbooks. For more information about his educational programs and resources, please visit: www.DrDanSiegel.com and www.mindsightinstitute.com

Bryan Welch

Bryan Welch is the Chief Executive Officer of the training, media and publishing company Mindful Communications. He is a veteran media executive, writer, rancher and entrepreneur with unique expertise in businesses that improve the world. Bryan’s award-winning book, Beautiful & Abundant: Building the World We Want, appeared in 2011.
He and his wife, Carolyn, raise organic, grass-fed cattle, sheep and goats on their farm near Lawrence, Kansas.

ABOUT THE SUMMIT

The Mindful Changemakers Summit explores the intersection of the “inner work” of mindfulness and the “outer work” of social and environmental transformation.

The world needs changemakers and courageous influencers who are steeped in practices of self-awareness, wisdom, and compassion. The Mindful Changemakers Summit features conversations with leading voices in the areas of climate change, race, social entrepreneurship and finance, technology, well-being, and other crucial topics with the goal of cultivating greater understanding and healing, while inspiring compassionate action in the areas that matter most.

* The Summit takes place on March 12 and 13, 2021. Your registration ensures that you have lifetime access to the materials on or after the event.