Each of us is changing a world, moment by moment. We differ in how intentionally we do it, how skillfully—and in service of what. Sometimes the world you're changing is an organization. Sometimes it's a community. Sometimes it's one person's life. And sometimes, it's your own.
WorldChangers is for people working to create something better—a more flourishing future—and asking what more might be possible.
What do you want to change next?
April 28–29, 2027
Spring Green, Wisconsin
20 participants
Small enough to be known.
Diverse enough to be challenged.
Intimate enough for real conversation.
There is no back row.
Why WorldChangers?
Old ways of thinking aren’t the best way to see what’s possible amidst challenges and change. Better to change your perspective, shake up your habits, and drop into a deeper wisdom. WorldChangers isn’t a seminar. It’s a call to adventure: two days offline in the woods with other change makers hell bent on bending the future.
Be Here. See Ahead. Shape What’s Next.
Be Here: presence, embodiment, resilience, purpose.
See Ahead: foresight, possibility, imagination, choice.
Shape What's Next: bring inner capacity and future possibility together in how you lead.
“When a complex system is far from equilibrium, small islands of coherence in a sea of chaos have the capacity to shift the entire system to a higher order.”
- Ilya Prigogine, 1977 Nobel Prize winner
Come with a question or project worth wrestling with.
It may be an organizational challenge, a project you’re working on with some teammates, a transition, an opportunity you're considering, or a question about your own leadership.
What will you come away with?
practices for building coherence in yourself and in the groups you lead
a deeper way of listening that surfaces the future already trying to happen through you
physical access to patterns for agility and balance you can reach for anytime
a method for holding paradox and resolving competing demands
immersive insights from nature for addressing challenges you're working on
restorative connectedness with self/team, nature and other WorldChangers
three books — Ginny Whitelaw's The Zen Leader and Resonate, and Rebecca Ryan's Regeneration
Experience a Special Place
The dojo sits on 30 acres in Wisconsin’s Driftless area — where Frank Lloyd Wright built Taliesin, his home and studio, a few miles down the road.
The Spring Green Dojo is the rural training center of Chosei Zen, an American Rinzai Zen non-profit. Fifteen years ago, it inspired the founding of the Institute for Zen Leadership. Since then: new models for community health and spiritual care, resilience for social-justice advocates, a savanna restoration project, and musical and artistic greatness. What might it inspire in you?
Meet Your Guides
Ginny Whitelaw, Ph.D.
Zen Master, Founder,
Institute for Zen Leadership
Thirty years developing whole leaders. Former physicist, neuroscientist, and Deputy Manager for integrating NASA's Space Station Program. Author of The Zen Leader and Resonate; monthly contributor to Forbes.com on leadership strategy.
Rebecca Ryan, Zen Master,
Founder, Next-Gen Consulting
Economist and top-50 professional futurist. Her community building work has reached one in five Americans. Author of Live First, Work Second and Regeneration. Board Chair of
Chosei Zen.
Logistics & Lodging
The program runs April 28-29, 8:30 am - 5:30 pm CT each day, including lunch and breaks.
All program materials will be provided. We’ll be in touch with you ahead of the program to help you get fully ready.
Lunches and snacks are provided both days, as well as a celebratory dinner 6:00 - 7:00 pm on the first night prepared by a Zen master chef.
Travel and lodging are on your own. The 70-minute drive from the Madison, WI airport (MSN) to the Spring Green Dojo will be coordinated if needed, carpooling preferred.
To assist with lodging, a block of rooms has been set aside at the beautiful Silverstar Inn, where breakfast is provided for overnight guests. Please contact them directly to reserve your room(s); let them know you’re attending a program at the Spring Green Dojo.
The program fee is on a donation basis, with all donations tax deductible and going to support the future Spring Green Dojo. We ask for a nominal donation up front to reserve your place(s) and, after experiencing the program, you'll have a chance to pay it forward.
Reserve Your Seat(s)
Thank you for being a WorldChanger. Let’s get your registration information and, once you submit, you'll have a chance to make a nominal donation to hold your spot.
To reserve seats for team members or colleagues, please send them the link to this registration form so they can also register.
Wish to support the program and the future Spring Green Dojo - even if you can’t attend? Donate.
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No, you’re welcome to come on your own. We find that coming with a friend, colleague or small team helps with further integration of the learnings after the program.
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You can bring up to 4 teammates, which allows for divers organizations to participate within our limit of 20 seats.
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If you’re committed to making a positive difference in your personal or professional life, you fit our definition of leader, and you are welcome to attend.
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No, our training is compatible with any religion or none at all. We introduce physical Zen training, including meditation, to help you break through barriers and free the mind. We don't ask you to believe anything; our training is more like a foundation for enriching your life.
FAQs
Other Questions?
We’re here to help!
Contact thezenleader@gmail.com for general questions or help with registering.
If you wish to speak with one of the instructors, contact ginnywhitelaw@gmail.com.