The Spiritual Leader: Achieving High Performance and Navigating Life Transitions with Mindfulness (314R26) - On Land

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.

A Benefit for Spirit Rock

Invitation for YPO Members

Teachers: Jack Kornfield, Phillip Moffitt, Tuere Sala, and Will Kabat-Zinn
Special guests: Erik Ragatz, John Donahoe, Toni Ko

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.

The Spiritual Leader 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

Tentative Schedule (subject to change):
Friday, April 17

• 2:30–4:30 PM: Arrival & Check-in
• 5:00–6:00 PM: Welcome & Orientation
• 6:00–7:00 PM: Dinner
• 7:15–8:30 PM: Opening Dharma Talk: Mindfulness in Leadership & Life: Jack Kornfield & Will Kabat-Zinn
• 8:30–9:00 PM: Walking Meditation
• 9:00–9:30 PM: Guided Meditation

Saturday, April 18

• 6:30–7:15 AM: Morning Meditation (Silent)
• 7:15–8:00 AM: Breakfast (Silent)
• 8:00–9:30 AM: Guided Practice & Teaching
• 9:30–11:00 AM: Mindfulness in Action
• 11:00–11:30 AM: Walking Meditation (Silent)
• 11:30 AM–12:30 PM: Leadership & Dharma Dialogue
• 12:30–1:30 PM: Lunch (Silent until 2:00 PM)
• 2:00–4:00 PM: Navigating Changes & Transitions with Equanimity: Phillip Moffitt & Tuere Sala
• 4:15–5:30 PM: Small Group YPO-Style Discussions/Guided Conversations
• 6:00–7:00 PM: Dinner
• 7:15–8:30 PM: Conversation – John Donahoe & Erik Ragatz on Mindful Leadership
• 8:30–9:00 PM: Walking Meditation
• 9:00 PM: Meditation or sleep

Sunday, April 19

Financial Details

Fees are for 2 nights/3 days including food and lodging. This retreat is a benefit for Spirit Rock. The pricing options will generously support Spirit Rock and all that we do here, plus offer attendees a significant tax deduction. We greatly appreciate your generosity. Scholarships are not available for this benefit program.

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-sized beds, while single rooms come with one twin-sized bed (fits only ONE person).

Cancellation Policy:*

• • $1000: On or before January 1, 2026
  • $2500: Jan 2 – Feb 28, 2026
  • No refunds: March 1, 2026 and beyond

*Fees reduced for serious illness or death in family