Registration now open, and closes at 11:59pm (Pacific Time) on April 16, 2026. A waiting list will be created if the retreat fills early.
Invitation for YPO Members
Teachers: Jack Kornfield, Phillip Moffitt, Tuere Sala, and Will Kabat-Zinn
Special guests: Erik Ragatz, John Donahoe
Description
Transitions—selling a business, changing careers, starting a family—ask a lot of us. They stretch our identities, shift our priorities, and call us to lead from a place deeper than strategy.
Navigating Life Transitions is a 3-day, 2-night private residential retreat designed for young professionals. Held April 17-19, 2026 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center—just 45 minutes north of San Francisco—this gathering offers practical tools and perspectives for meeting change with insight and clarity. Whether you’re navigating a shift in your professional or personal life, the retreat will leave you with a fresh outlook and skills to sustain mindfulness in the midst of daily life.
This retreat will be co-led by Jack Kornfield, PhD, Spirit Rock’s founder and a leading voice in Western mindfulness. Author of 14 books, including the forthcoming All in This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our World, Jack also privately coaches business leaders and brings a deep understanding of the inner dimensions of power and responsibility. He is joined by Will Kabat-Zinn, a meditation teacher and executive coach who develops mindfulness programs for world-leading technology companies.
Phillip Moffitt, former Spirit Rock Co-Guiding Teacher, Founder and President of the Life Balance Institute, and author of Dancing with Life and From Emotional Chaos to Clarity, will lead an experiential session with Tuere Sala, former prosecuting attorney and Spirit Rock’s current Co-Guiding Teacher. Phillip brings a unique perspective, having served as CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Esquire before dedicating his life to Dharma teaching. Together, he and Tuere will offer practical tools for navigating transitions and decision-making amidst turbulence.
The retreat will feature intimate conversations with John Donahoe—former CEO of Nike and eBay, and now Athletic Director at Stanford University—and Erik Ragatz, Senior Advisor at Hellman & Friedman, a leading global private equity firm with $115 billion in assets under management, and Lecturer in Management at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Together, they will offer candid reflections on integrating mindfulness and spiritual practice with the challenges of high-level leadership and life transitions.
This retreat is held in partial silence. While mornings will be held in noble silence, afternoons and evenings will include guided teachings, mindful dialogue, and group discussion, offering space to explore insights in community.
What You’ll Gain:
- Practical tools for navigating change and transforming emotional chaos into steadiness, clarity, and wise action
- Candid insights on applying mindfulness in complex business and life decisions
- Meaningful dialogue with peers facing similar transitions
- Support to establish or deepen a daily meditation practice for grounding and resilience
- Insightful Dharma talks and experiential sessions with world-class teachers
Financial Details
Fees are for 2 nights/3 days including food and lodging.
Registration fees DO NOT include teacher dana. At the end of the retreat, there will be an invitation to offer dana to the teachers and to Spirit Rock.
Pricing (per room, not per person; includes meals; tax-deductible portion noted)
- Single Room: $4,000 (tax-deductible portion of this contribution is $3,500)
- Double Room: $5,000* (tax-deductible portion of this contribution is $4,500)
*Either bring a friend or have a more spacious room. Double rooms have two twin beds, while single rooms come with one twin bed.
Cancellation Policy:*
