Mark Nepo is a New York Times bestselling author, poet, and teacher, exploring the human experience through themes of presence, resilience, and wholeness. His work, including Inside the Miracle: Enduring Suffering, Approaching Wholeness, reflects a lifetime of inquiry into what it means to live with awareness and depth.

This conversation sits at the intersection of inner life and leadership. The capacity to stay present with complexity, to remain grounded through difficulty, and to act from a place of integrity is not separate from leadership—it is foundational to it. The fragmentation between who we are privately and professionally ultimately does not hold under real conditions.

We explore Mark’s perspective on living and leading with presence, his reflections on suffering and wholeness, and the influences that have shaped his thinking over time. The conversation took place in New York at the New York Open Center during his book launch.

This conversation is part of an earlier body of work exploring leadership, human development, and the role of business within broader systems.

The Passion Institute works with leaders, boards, and organisations navigating complex transitions, aligning strategy, governance, and decision-making with real-world economic, social, and ecological dynamics.