Brief Summary

Over the last several years, I have done 1-on-1 coaching with around 200 people through the 10% Happier App & through this program.  Some of these have been for a single session, but the majority for many months or even years.  I’ve found that students have overwhelmingly found this to be beneficial in helping them go deeper into meditation and/or dharma practice.

In a nutshell, the mentorship program is a way for you to get personalized guidance on your meditative journey, help you strengthen your habit/commitment to meditation, deepen your formal practice, and bring it more alive in your daily life.  Some folks use this container to explicitly focus on meditation, while others also use it to explore more deeply the Buddhist, ethical, or spiritual components of the meditative path.

My mentoring approach is relational, pragmatic, tailored to the individual, and filled with curiosity, gentleness, embodied presence, and an eye to deep wisdom.  My “north star” for guiding people is the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path.  Here’s an article I wrote that often serves as a guide for some of the directions that mentoring goes.

The mentorship program combines one-on-one and small-group mentoring.

Often, people find the small group component with a group of peers just as impactful as the one-on-one work. This component includes:

• Once-a-month 55-minute classes with myself and others in the mentorship program (no more than 8 people).
• Each class will feature a guided meditation, a short talk, and a community discussion on a theme.  These are the themes from the last cohort:
  • Month 1 – Relax and Allow
  • Month 2 – An Attitude of Love
  • Month 3 – Mindfulness in Daily Life
  • Month 4 – The Heart of Ethical Conduct
  • Month 5 – Letting Go
• The group classes will likely be sometime between 10am and 6pm PT, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday (depending on when the most people are available for it).

As you likely know, I am committed to teaching on the gift economy (aka on donation).  However, my ability to sustain my livelihood and put energy into this sort of offering is dependent on people’s willingness to financially support it.

Of course, I understand that not everyone has bountiful financial means.  A big part of what I love about the gift economy is that it’s accessible to everyone, regardless of the size of their bank account.  No one will be judged or looked down upon for whatever they can offer 🙂

At the same time, my great dream for dharma teaching is that everyone is grounded in their financial reality (whether they have little or an abundance), and, stemming from that, they contribute not from fear but from what their wise heart moves them to give.  This would include people who aren’t even participating, but want to support this type of donation-based offering happening in the world (here’s a donation link!).  Ideally, this would all add up to something that allows me to continue teaching full-time with a modest living wage.

Before applying, I would ask that you read over this article I wrote on the Gift Economy, and reflect deeply on the basic question of, can I think less in terms of “how much can I have?” and more in terms of “how does my wise heart move me to give?”‘

How to Apply

Please fill out the application on [link to be added Summer 2023].  Once registration opens, if you have any questions at that time, you can email me, or I’m also happy to hop on a short call to discuss if it’s the right fit for you!