Being What is Needed: A Message From Kate

Being What is Needed: A Message From Kate

The EMT who walks into the ER like a Zen master, alleviating fear through their mere presence.

The mother who calms her child by breathing with her until the crying stops.

The daughter who holds her mother’s hand and listens with her to the scary medical news.

The friend who celebrates a milestone with joy and presence.

The business leader who guides their staff through a challenging year with flexibility and grace.

Being what is needed is not always flashy, speech-filled inspiration, although sometimes it certainly can be. Being what is needed is feeling into a situation, listening with the body as well as the mind, serving the moment. It can be confusing, frustrating, daunting. But it can also be joyous, playful, and relaxed.

The Institute for Zen Leadership is cultivating leaders in all walks of life by teaching “being what is needed.” The medicine of IZL brings healing, clarity, joy, humor, and balance to the art of leadership by focusing on being authentic, expansive, connected, and bringing our unique and imperfect selves to each moment. By doing this, we grow, we learn, we experience, and this opens us up to the wisdom of Zen, of recognizing and embracing our varied leadership styles, and of connecting with each other through energy, words, stillness, and movement.

Ours is a community of diverse and varied leaders. It is a community committed to justice, to resilience, to healing the planet and ourselves.

From all of us at IZL, deep thanks to those of you who have already contributed to our year-end campaign.  If you have not yet had the opportunity to donate, I invite you to join me in supporting IZL in our year-end campaign, which celebrates “Being What is Needed” as we elevate these energies into 2023. Happy New Year!

Kate Watters
Board Chair 
ZL Instructor 

Kate Watters is a ZL Instructor and President of the IZL Board of Directors.