It was my absolute pleasure, delight and honor to participate with twenty-two people at the Esalen Institute for three days of conversations regarding Conscious Capitalism from March 24^th-27^th, 2013.

I sat in a circle on the edge of the Pacific Ocean in the Murphy house, listening to some of the most powerful and enlightened CEOs in the world today talk about how to deepen the consciousness of capitalism.

As a philanthropist, fundraiser, and activist I have never engaged deeply in the distinctions of capitalism. In fact my impressions, and almost unconscious response to capitalism has been that it seemed to be a system that had gone out of control, that was exemplifying greed, accumulation, obscene salaries, and a complete disregard for social justice and the natural resources of the earth. Sitting in circle with these men and women had me see it in a whole new light. I saw it with fresh eyes how capitalism, when it is conscious, nourishes all of us. I saw with fresh eyes how people who have embraced the capitalist free-market system can, and do, succeed as a result of doing business from ethics, integrity, and a commitment to provide services for the good of all. I saw with new eyes the unconscious resistance that many people working in social justice initiatives or environmental initiatives have made assumptions about capitalism that may be inaccurate or unfair.

What I experienced was a group of people of conscience, integrity, and vision, whose intention and commitment is to serve and provide services that empower us all and do not exploit or manipulate people or environmental resources in a way that does harm, but rather cares for, uplifts and affirms people and resources. I experienced the creativity, the generosity, and the deep taproot of love that drives many entrepreneurs to succeed and be of genuine service to the world.

Among the remarkable men and women who attended it were the CEOs of extraordinary companies such as;

• John Mackey, the CEO and founder of Whole Foods
• Doug Rauch, the former CEO of Trader Joe’s
• Blake Mycoskie, the founder and CEO of Tom’s shoes and One-for-One Program
• Eileen Fisher, the founder and CEO of Eileen Clothing
• Ping Fu, computer scientist and founder and CEO of Geo Magic
• Chip Conley, the founder and CEO of Joie de Vivre Hotels and Spas
• Kevin Cleary, the president and chief operation office of Cliff Bar
• Kip Tindell, the CEO and founder of The Container Store
• And many other enlightened and extraordinary men and women who are providing delivering and producing good business and business for the good.

The conscious capitalism movement that has been initiated by John Mackey, of Whole Foods and Raj Sisodia, a professor at Bentley University.

These people have founded something truly remarkable. What I saw and felt was a kind of energy that is humanity at its finest. I could feel the dedication each one of the CEOs had to all of their stakeholders, their employees, their customers, their vendors, their board, their stockholders and the communities that they serve. I could feel their respect and reverence that they have for one another and how powerfully they are cooperating as well as competing to have business be evermore excellent and responsible in its remarkable role that the institution of business is playing at this time in history.

It was a gift and honor to be a part of this meeting and I recommend John and Raj’s book, titled “Conscious Capitalism”, to learn more about how the system of Conscious Capitalism can be one of the most powerful engines for turning the tide at this pivotal time in human history.