
The 7 Miracles of Mindfulness
This practice episode centers on 'The Seven Miracles of Mindfulness' by Vietnamese Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. The episode begins with a brief guided meditation focusing on mindfulness of the breath and body. Marc shares personal anecdotes from his time with Thich...

Navigating Leadership Through Presence
In our latest episode, Marc hosts a thought-provoking conversation with Abbott Jiryu Byler, exploring the profound intersection of open-heartedness and effective action in the face of uncertainty. This discussion delves deep into the zen teachings of Suzuki Roshi and...

The Practice of Catching Sparks
In this milestone 50th episode of Mindful Leadership with Marc Lesser, we explore the art of catching sparks—those subtle, powerful moments of connection, inspiration, and presence that can transform how we live and lead. Marc draws from his experiences as a CEO, Zen...

Four Thousand Weeks, One Precious Moment
Marc speaks with Oliver Burkeman, author of Four Thousand Weeks, about how leaders can enhance effectiveness through mindfulness, time management, and Zen philosophy. This episode challenges conventional leadership models and offers practical insights to spark...

The Practice of Effort and Effortlessness
Welcome to another insightful edition of Mindful Leadership with Mark Lesser. This week, we delve into the complementary practices of effort and effortlessness, exploring how they intersect to enhance our capacity as leaders, teachers, and individuals, especially in...

The World Was Made To Be Free In with David Whyte
Poet David Whyte joins Marc to explore how not-knowing, presence, and poetry open the heart of authentic leadership.

Money As a Force For Positive Change with Kristin Hull
In our conversation we talk about the importance of understanding money, finance, and investing and the life-changing force that money has. We speak about creating healthy cultures and how Kristin is on the front lines of gender lens investing, both through leading a women-owned company and supporting women-owned companies.

The Power of Priming
Today’s podcast features The Power of Priming. We begin with a short meditation. Then Marc talsk about how the world tends to prime us for anxiety and speed. As an antidote and practice, we can prime ourselves to be present, open, curious, and creative. Meditation practice is a form of priming. We can utilize priming in all parts of our days, from waking up to starting meetings.

The Power of Grace with Henry Shukman
In this episode, Henry Shukman and I talk about grace: the grace of acknowledging and living from the perspective that everything is gift. We address the tension of practicing with money, success and failure and working skillfully with our many motivations – all in the context of grace.

What Is My Offering?
What is my offering is today’s episode. We begin with a short guided meditation on warmhearted curiosity. Then Marc talks about the difference between helping, fixing, and serving – with an emphasis on practices for discovering your own offering.
Today’s Zen puzzler is using this phrase, What is my offering, as a Zen koan, or a support for going deeper into this realm of discovery.

The 7 Miracles of Mindfulness
This practice episode centers on 'The Seven Miracles of Mindfulness' by Vietnamese Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. The episode begins with a brief guided meditation focusing on mindfulness of the breath and body. Marc shares personal anecdotes from his time with Thich...

Mindfulness Practice May Destroy Your Common Sense
In A Good Way In this issue: Mindfulness and Common Sense Zen of Coaching: An Online Course For Executive Coaches What I’m Reading - Why Buddhism Is True Mindful Leadership Podcast What I’m Watching - NPR Tiny Desk A famous scientist (often said to be Bertrand Russell...

Navigating Leadership Through Presence
In our latest episode, Marc hosts a thought-provoking conversation with Abbott Jiryu Byler, exploring the profound intersection of open-heartedness and effective action in the face of uncertainty. This discussion delves deep into the zen teachings of Suzuki Roshi and...

Aiming For Aimlessness
"Your purpose is to be yourself." “The Third Door of Liberation is aimlessness. There is nothing to do, nothing to realize, no program, no agenda…Your purpose is to be yourself.” - Thich Nhat Hanh In this issue: Aiming For Aimlessness Podcast: Mindful Leadership with...

Where Is There A Place Where There Is No Heat And No Cold?
Resistance and Letting Go of Resistance A student asks the teacher, “How do you avoid the discomfort of hot and cold?” The teacher said, “Go to that place where there is no hot and cold.” The student asked, “Where is that place?” The teacher responds, “When you are...

The Practice of Catching Sparks
In this milestone 50th episode of Mindful Leadership with Marc Lesser, we explore the art of catching sparks—those subtle, powerful moments of connection, inspiration, and presence that can transform how we live and lead. Marc draws from his experiences as a CEO, Zen...

What The Hell Is Time?
An Approach To Living More Wholeheartedly With Impermanence “The fundamental problem is that this attitude towards time sets up a rigged game in which it’s impossible ever to feel as though you’re doing well enough. Instead of simply living our lives as they unfold in...

Four Thousand Weeks, One Precious Moment
Marc speaks with Oliver Burkeman, author of Four Thousand Weeks, about how leaders can enhance effectiveness through mindfulness, time management, and Zen philosophy. This episode challenges conventional leadership models and offers practical insights to spark...

The Practice of Effort and Effortlessness
Welcome to another insightful edition of Mindful Leadership with Mark Lesser. This week, we delve into the complementary practices of effort and effortlessness, exploring how they intersect to enhance our capacity as leaders, teachers, and individuals, especially in...

Catching Sparks
“Anything or anyone that does not bring you alive is too small for you.” -David Whyte Insights Into Practices — Catching Sparks A Favorite Quote, Thich Nhat Hanh on Right View What I’m Reading Podcast I love the opening scene to the recent film, A Complete Unknown, a...