NOW OPEN FOR ENROLLMENT ! EARLY ACCEPTANCE ENDS June 1, 2020
The Inner MBA
A nine-month immersion certificate program for leaders, entrepreneurs, managers, and employees seeking to powerfully grow themselves and their companies.
What is the Inner MBA program?
The Inner MBA program is a nine-month immersion certificate program for a new generation of leaders, entrepreneurs, managers, and rising-star employees seeking to powerfully grow themselves and, in the process, powerfully grow their companies.
Featuring two in-person events and a nine-month virtual curriculum, the Inner MBA program is taught by leading socially conscious CEOs, educators, neuroscientists, business trainers, and world-renowned wisdom teachers.
At the conclusion of the training, participants receive a certificate of completion from New York University’s MindfulNYU.
The prestigious faculty of the Inner MBA program have joined together for the first time with a powerful shared purpose: to help business people grow in consciousness so our organizations can grow in consciousness and become unstoppable forces of positive change.
The Inner MBA virtual program will begin on September 8, 2020, and will conclude on May 23, 2021.
Why do we need an Inner MBA
program now?
There is now wide recognition that your level of inner development, your capacity to be present and mindful, to listen deeply and take other people’s perspective, to manage your emotions and stay composed under pressure—is a huge factor when it comes to success at work and in business.
Additionally, the public today wants more from the companies they buy from and work for. People want to support companies that are aligned with their values, that care about the planet and our collective future. As a reflection of this in the marketplace, we’ve seen the rapid rise of sizable movements like conscious business, servant leadership, and B Corps.
The Inner MBA program brings together the top transformational teachers of these skills, with leading socially conscious CEOs, executives, and business leaders for you to learn from, all in one place. When you join the Inner MBA program you will have the world’s foremost leaders in values-driven business, neuroscience, psychology, mindfulness, compassion, and social innovation giving you a well-rounded education in just nine months.
How is the Inner MBA program different from a traditional MBA?
Unlike traditional MBA programs, which focus primarily on outer skills, the Inner MBA program is a complementary certificate that gives you skills and practices such as resilience, presence, creativity, collaboration and time management that have been traditionally underemphasized.
Leaders of the future will be able to go inside with mindfulness to leverage their strengths and minimize weaknesses.
Leaders of the future will create and maintain values driven cultures. And leaders of the future will be able to attract and retain the best talent while increasing innovation and productivity.
As the speed of business change increases, the inner skills of managers and employees will become the differentiating factor between those organizations that stagnate and those that thrive.
The Inner MBA is a solution for those ready to build their inner skills, learn new practices, and align with higher business principles to be of greater service for those they work with and in the world.
“We’re living in a time when it’s so important for business to drive this new economy, this new view, this aspirational future of business as a force for good. ”
Rose Marcario, Former CEO of Patagonia
Inner MBA Faculty & Trainers
Most people don’t know the “story behind the story” of the world’s most accomplished, socially and spiritually conscious CEOs.
In these participatory CEO interview trainings, Tami Simon, founder and CEO of Sounds True, and Soren Gordhamer, founder of Wisdom 2.0, will highlight and explore the internal processes that give CEOs the capacity to run multimillion and billion-dollar operations in a values-driven way.
You’ll get unique access to the stories of how they overcame struggle and difficulty to lead with clarity—and a chance to ask them your questions in these special training sessions.
Rose Marcario
Former CEO of Patagonia
Scott Shute
Head of Mindfulness and Compassion Programs at LinkedIn
Karen May, PhD
Vice President of People Development at Google
Eileen Fisher
Founder of Eileen Fisher, Inc.
Lisa Lahey, EdD
Lecturer at Harvard University and Cofounder and Codirector of Minds at Work
Jack Kornfield, PhD
Bestselling Author and World-Renowned Mindfulness Meditation Teacher
Tara Brach, PhD
Author and World-Renowned Mindfulness Meditation Teacher
Otto Scharmer, PhD
Senior Lecturer in the MIT Sloan School of Management and Cofounder of the Presencing Institute
Padmasree Warrior
Board of Directors for Microsoft and Spotify
Chip Conley
Airbnb Strategic Advisor, Founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, and Modern Elder Academy Founder
Steve Macadam
Former CEO of EnPro Industries
Sharon Salzberg
New York Times Bestselling Author and Teacher of Buddhist Meditation
Justin Kan
Cofounder of Twitch and Cofounder and CEO of Atrium
Richard Strozzi-Heckler, PhD
Founder of the Strozzi Institute
Chinedu Echeruo
Cofounder of Love & Magic Company
Oshoke Pamela Abalu
Cofounder of Love & Magic Company
Yael Shy, J.D.
Founder and Director of MindfulNYU
Melissa Carter
Associate Director for Global Spiritual Life at NYU
Rhonda Magee, JD
Professor of Law at the University of San Francisco and Chair of the Board of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society
Chris Germer, PhD
Author of The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion
Jeremy Hunter, PhD
Founding Director of the Executive Mind Leadership Institute
Amishi Jha, PhD
Neuroscientist and Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Miami
“The ability to learn is the most important quality a leader can have.”
Padmasree Warrior, board of directors, Microsoft and Spotify
Here’s What You’ll Receive in the Inner MBA Program:
1. OPENING EVENT: FOUR-Day, In-Person Training Immersion
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, Carlsbad, CA September 17-20, 2020
We’ll gather together at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California, an ideal venue for inner reflection and learning. This is your opportunity to learn from top faculty and form lifelong bonds with other Inner MBA students.
While there will be a big focus on deeper immersion into Inner MBA skills, time for socializing and networking will be incorporated into the schedule. You will have a chance to meet the top innovators across multiple industries and many of the transformational teachers, CEOs, and executives that are a part of the Inner MBA faculty.
2. MONTHLY ONLINE LIVE TRAINING WITH FACULTY
Join Faculty and Presenters Live
Monthly online video and audio training modules that you can join live or engage with at your own pace to work around your busy schedule.
Learn from leading CEOs, business trainers, neuroscientists, and wisdom teachers who will share the stories and best practices that keep them aligned, resilient, and on purpose. Access a powerful archive of leading edge ideas, practices and teachings.
Personal stories and best practices taught directly by featured CEOs and business leaders with a chance to ask them questions
3. SMALL GROUP SESSIONS
Designated learning pods: learn and grow by participating in a small group that gives you honest feedback and a chance to connect deeply with other people and form lifelong friendships.
Group work to practice and integrate these skills before bringing them to your company, business, or job.
4. PRIVATE MEMBERSHIP NETWORKING GROUP
Join an ever-growing community of conscious leaders in a private social media group focused on creating mindful impacts in the world.
5. CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION
New York University’s MindfulNYU
When you complete all coursework and the nine-month Inner MBA program ends, you will receive a certificate of completion from MindfulNYU.
MindfulNYU is the largest campus-based mindfulness initiative in the country. This award-winning meditation and contemplative life program cultivates inner wisdom, compassion, and well-being with a commitment to offering inclusive and transformative experiences based in love, community, and healing.
More and more companies are looking to hire people with a certain level of mastery of the inner skills you’ll begin to develop with the Inner MBA program. Having an Inner MBA certificate from MindfulNYU will help you level up in your career or find a job that is more suited to your true passions, gifts, and vision.
6. COMMENCEMENT EVENT: FOUR-Day, In-Person TrAInING Immersion
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, Carlsbad, CA May 20-23, 2021
Immersion Event #2 is all about grounding your newfound inner wisdom into your current reality, and the changes you feel inspired to make in your work and life. We will explore what it means for you to graduate as a transformational leader—someone who brings out the best in others and your organization.
Your Guiding Hosts
Tami Simon
Founder & CEO of Sounds True
At age 22, Tami Simon started Sounds True, now a multimedia publisher, with a dream and a tape recorder. Though she had no business experience and only a vague idea of what she wanted the company to be, Tami had her guiding principle strongly in place: to disseminate spiritual wisdom. Over its 35-year history, Sounds True has produced over 3,000 titles, been nominated twice for the Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing companies, and is North America’s leading publisher of spoken-word spiritual teachings.
Soren Gordhamer
Founder of Wisdom 2.0
Soren Gordhamer is the founder and host of Wisdom 2.0, the premier conference exploring living mindfully and wisely in the digital age. Past speakers at Wisdom 2.0 include the founders and CEOs of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and eBay. Soren is the author of Wisdom 2.0, one of the first books to explore living with mindfulness and wisdom within the context of our modern world. He works with members of the business and technology communities on living with greater mindfulness and purpose in our technology-rich age.
Inner MBA Events and Curriculum
Join Us for an Experience of a Lifetime
OPENING EVENT
Four-Day, In-Person Training Immersion
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, Carlsbad, CA September 17-20, 2020
In a supportive, community environment, we’ll help you clarify why you do what you do, what your values are, the lifelong impact you’d like your work to have, and what multiple-bottom-line success looks like for you. The mindfulness and embodiment practices we’ll do will support you to become a stronger leader who can sustain your vision long term.
Jeremy Hunter, PhD
Jack Kornfield, PhD
ONLINE MODULE 1
The Skills of Self-Management
We spend a lot of time in business learning how to manage other people. But what about managing ourselves? Self-management skills can be learned by anyone who puts in the time. They help you stay composed, centered, and on purpose, while reducing conflict and misdirected energy. We’ll explore this topic from a mindfulness perspective, as well as the latest findings in neuroscience and how the brain reacts to stress.
What we will be exploring:
- BUSINESS TRACK with Jeremy Hunter: Active Listening and Identifying Conflict Triggers in Workplace Cultures
- INNER WORK TRACK with Jack Kornfield: Mindfulness in Business and How We Become the Witness to Our Experience
- CEO/LUMINARY TRACK: To be determined
- RESEARCH TRACK with TBD: Developing Daily Habits for Self-Actualization
Veda Ball
Tara Brach, PhD
Amishi Jha, PhD
ONLINE MODULE 2
Listening Deeply and Communicating Authentically
In business and at work we all come into situations with assumptions, projections, and sometimes a fixed mindset. Most of us do not walk into a room, a meeting, or a project fully open in our hearts and minds. We will learn how to move out of fixed positions so we can listen to others with true receptivity. We will also learn how to connect with our embodied experience and lead with vulnerability so our communication is authentic and trustworthy.
What we will be exploring:
- BUSINESS TRACK with Veda Ball: Understanding Projections and Assumptions - How to Listen and Communicate Effectively
- INNER WORK TRACK with Tara Brach: Using the RAIN Practice to Embrace the Present Without Toxic Internal Distractions
- CEO/LUMINARY TRACK: To be determined
- RESEARCH TRACK with Amishi Jha: Science of Mindfulness in the Workplace (Part 1)
Chris Germer, PhD
Scott Shute
ONLINE MODULE 3
Skillfully Navigating Difficult Conversations
In order to stay current and authentically connected with people at work, we need to develop the skill of engaging in difficult conversations. While uncomfortable, having difficult conversations in a skillful way can release pent-up energy in teams and create clarity, ease, flow, and genuine connection at work. Learning how to prepare for and deliver difficult information with skill and grace is one of the hallmarks of a conscious leader.
What we will be exploring:
- BUSINESS TRACK with Veda Ball: Tools for Breaking the Paradigm of Poor Communication and Mastering Difficult Conversations
- INNER WORK TRACK with Chris Germer: Developing a Sense of Self-Compassion
- CEO/LUMINARY TRACK: To be determined
- RESEARCH TRACK with Scott Shute: Compassion in the Workplace
Yael Shy, J.D.
Melissa Carter
Sharon Salzberg
ONLINE MODULE 4
Embracing Differences
As leaders in a new way of doing business, we must learn to take other people’s perspectives, practice inclusion, and understand how to work with different work styles, thought patterns, strengths, and limitations. You’ll learn from top trainers currently working to increase awareness on these important topics.
What we will be exploring:
- BUSINESS TRACK with Yael Shy & Melissa Carter: Collaborative Intelligence and Teamwork
- INNER WORK TRACK with Sharon Salzberg: Lovingkindness Practice
- CEO/LUMINARY TRACK: To be determined
- RESEARCH TRACK with TBD:
Lisa Lahey, EdD
Caroline Myss
Amishi Jha, PhD
ONLINE MODULE 5
Discovering Your Blind Spots
Participants will learn the most advanced findings in ego formation so they can understand what’s driving their leadership and communication style, and improve upon both.
What we will be exploring:
- BUSINESS TRACK with Lisa Lahey: Blind Spots and Immunity to Change
- INNER WORK TRACK with Caroline Myss: Self-Esteem in the Workplace
- CEO/LUMINARY TRACK: To be determined
- RESEARCH TRACK with Amishi Jha: Science and Mindfulness in the Workplace (Part 2)
Steve Macadam
Rhonda Magee, JD
ONLINE MODULE 6
Building an Authentic Workplace Community
For individuals, groups, and organizations to operate at peak performance in the face of today’s complexity and speed, leaders must learn how to create environments of true authenticity and flow. Authentic community allows creativity, inclusivity, and innovation to thrive.
What we will be exploring:
- BUSINESS TRACK with Steve Macadam: Building Authentic Community Where All Individuals Feel Valued and Safe
- INNER WORK TRACK with Rhonda Magee: Healing Ourselves & Transforming Our Community by Examining Implicit Bias
- CEO/LUMINARY TRACK: To be determined
- RESEARCH TRACK with TBD
Otto Scharmer, PhD
ONLINE MODULE 7
Liberating Creativity and Accelerating an Organization’s Creative Intelligence
For many years creativity has been stifled in the workplace, with “the way we’ve always done it” taking precedence. But in recent years, businesses and movements that embrace and encourage innovation and creativity are taking the lead. Groundbreaking theories in business indicate the presence of an evolutionary intelligence working through groups. If we embrace this intelligence, our work itself serves a greater evolutionary impulse.
What we will be exploring:
- BUSINESS TRACK with Otto Scharmer: Building Authentic Community Where All Individuals Feel Valued and Safe
- INNER WORK TRACK: How to Cultivate Deeper Presence at Work
- CEO/LUMINARY TRACK: To be determined
- RESEARCH TRACK with TBD
CLOSING COMMENCEMENT EVENT
Four-Day, In-Person Training Immersion
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, Carlsbad, CA
May 20 - 23, 2021
Immersion Event #2 is all about grounding your newfound inner wisdom into your current reality, and the changes you feel inspired to make in your work and life. We will explore what it means for you to graduate as a transformational leader—someone who brings out the best in others and your organization.
“In order to inspire people, that’s going to
have to come from a place deep inside you.”
Jeff Weiner, CEO at LinkedIn
Who should apply for the Inner MBA program?
If you’ve ever felt a deep calling to use the work you do as a powerful force for good in the world, and you are also strongly interested in personal development and inner growth, then the Inner MBA program is especially for you.
Here’s a sample of who will be participating in the upcoming nine-month certificate program:
Corporate Executives & Managers
Learn to model the practices of top-performing conscious businesses while developing new leadership and inner skills to take your career to the next level.
Entrepreneurs & Small Business Leaders
Those developing new ventures or who run small businesses will find new approaches to innovation, team building, and growing multiple bottom lines.
Consultants, Coaches & Trainers
Experience new practices, inner skills, and conscious growth frameworks that can help individuals and organizations increase performance and results.
Professionals & EXPERTS
Open to new ways of managing high-performing teams that are outward-client-facing, and new ways of consciously serving your clients.
Nonprofit & Social Leaders
Learn leading-edge approaches to building capacity and leadership teams who are at the forefront of social change.
High Performers, Visionaries & Creators
Develop the inner skills to create in any field from a powerful place of presence to fulfill your mission in the world.
“ If your compassion does not include yourself,
it is incomplete.”
Jack Kornfield, PhD
Here's Everything You'll Receive in the Program:
-
1) OPENING EVENT: FOUR-DAY, IN-PERSON TRAINING IMMERSION:
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, Carlsbad, CA September 17-20, 2020 -
2) 9 MONTHS OF ONLINE LIVE TRAINING WITH FACULTY:
Personal stories and best practices taught directly by featured CEOs and business leaders with a chance to ask them questions. -
3) SMALL GROUP SESSIONS:
Group work to connect you with your peers and try these skills in a safe space before bringing them to your company, business, or job. -
4) PRIVATE MEMBERSHIP NETWORKING GROUP:
Join an ever-growing community of conscious leaders in a private social media group focused on creating mindful impacts in the world. -
5) CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION FROM MINDFUL NYU:
When you complete all coursework and the nine-month Inner MBA program ends, you will receive a certificate of completion. -
6) COMMENCEMENT EVENT: FOUR-DAY, IN-PERSON TRAINING IMMERSION:
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, Carlsbad, CA May 20-23, 2021
A unique collaboration between:
Tuition & How to Apply
There are two options to join the Inner MBA program either by attending our two live immersion events plus virtual program (limited spaces) OR choose the virtual only program option:
OPTION #1:
In-Person Immersion Events & Online Training Program
Includes admittance to the two live immersion events in Southern California, access to nine months of online training, small group sessions, and a private membership networking group. Lodging and meal costs are not included in tuition and must be paid separately to the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa.
Early Admissions Tuition
until June 1, 2020
$10,700 USD
save $3,000
$7,700 USD
Payment plans:
3 monthly payments of $2,567 USD ($7,700 Total)
OR
12 monthly payments of $665 USD ($7,980 Total)
OPTION #2:
Virtual Only
Program
Includes virtual access to the program. Students will experience the live events via livestream and will have access to the nine months of online training, small group sessions and a private membership networking group. While we strongly encourage participants to attend events, we understand everyone can't attend.
Early Admissions Tuition
until June 1, 2020
$6,700 USD
save $2,000
$4,700 USD
Payment plans:
3 monthly payments of $1,567 USD ($4,700 Total)
OR
9 monthly payments of $550 USD ($4950 Total)
Three Easy Steps to Apply:
Step 1: Create an Account
Step 2: Pay Your $50 Refundable Deposit
Step 3: Complete Your Application
Step 2: Pay Your $50 Refundable Deposit
Step 3: Complete Your Application
If you are accepted, your credit card will be charged for the
first payment of the payment plan you select on your application.
Important Note: Early Admissions applications must be
submitted by midnight on June 1, 2020, to receive the discount.
*Partial scholarships are available! Please complete an application and check the scholarship box where indicated if you are in genuine need of financial aid, work for a nonprofit organization, have lost your income due to the coronavirus pandemic, or you’re currently working for a hospital or another essential organization (i.e. food service, delivery, etc.) helping respond to the pandemic.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who is the Inner MBA program for? Am I qualified to participate?
The Inner MBA program is for any professional or business person who values growth and wants to learn directly from some of the greatest business and spiritual luminaries of our time. This can include entrepreneurs, executives, marketing professionals, managers, creatives, writers, artists, therapists, gig-preneurs, and more. We welcome any professional willing to invest in their future and the future of our world by learning the most important neuroscience-backed inner skills that the next level of leadership requires.
- What are the important dates and deadlines?
Applications Due
+ Early Admissions applications due on June 1, 2020- EXTENDED
+ Regular Admissions applications due on June 6, 2020
+ Late Admissions applications due on August 31, 2020
Program Start Date
+ September 8, 2020
Event Dates
+ September 17-20, 2020
+ May 20-23, 2021
- How do I apply to the Inner MBA program?
1. Create your account.
2. Pay your $50 refundable deposit.
3. Complete your application.
*You’ll receive notice of your acceptance status within two weeks of submitting your application.
- How do I apply for a scholarship to the Inner MBA program?
*Partial scholarships are available! Please complete an application and check the scholarship box where indicated if you are in genuine need of financial aid, work for a nonprofit organization, have lost your income due to the coronavirus pandemic, or you’re currently working for a hospital or another essential organization (i.e. food service, delivery, etc.) helping respond to the pandemic.
- What is the coursework schedule like?
You’ll spend one to two hours per week watching video teachings, participating in live Q&As, engaging in exercises and practices, and reading course materials. You’ll meet with a small group of peers online once per month.
- Can I participate on my own schedule at times that I choose?
For most of the program, yes! All of the online teachings will be available to watch on demand 24–48 hours after they are broadcast. That said, we strongly encourage you to watch the live sessions at the time they occur, if possible, so you can participate in group exercises and Q&A sessions. There will be one monthly group session with a small number of your peers, held at a time your group mutually agrees upon, that you will need to commit to attending live.
- How many hours per week will I need to spend on coursework?
We estimate that the program will require one to two hours per week of your time. And if you want to go deeper, there will be optional reading material and exercises offered for those seeking further resources and deeper learning.
- What if I have a busy schedule and can’t attend live online sessions?
No problem. All of the online sessions will be available to watch on demand 24–48 hours after they are broadcast.
- What are the components of the curriculum?
Please read all about the curriculum in our curriculum section.
- What is required to receive a certificate of completion from NYU?
> Attendance at two four-day immersion events, either in person or via the livestream OR watching the event sessions
> Completion of each monthly module
> Participation in your monthly small group
- Can I participate from anywhere in the world?
Yes! The majority of the Inner MBA curriculum occurs online and is accessible anywhere in the world. If you can’t attend the two live events in person, you can opt to participate virtually by watching the events via livestream for a reduced tuition rate. Learn more here.
