Justin Michael Williams is an author, transformational speaker, and top-20 recording artist and a pioneering voice for diversity and inclusion in wellness. From growing up with gunshot holes outside of his bedroom window, to sharing the stage with Marianne Williamson and Deepak Chopra, Justin knows well the pain of adversity and the power of healing to overcome. He has been featured by The Wall Street Journal, Grammy.com, Billboard.com, The Root, The Advocate, Yoga Journal, and SXSW®. 

He is a recurring keynote corporate and higher education speaker at places like Google, VMware, Bloomberg, and universities around the world, and is a voting member of the GRAMMY Awards Recording Academy. With his groundbreaking book Stay Woke, and over a decade of teaching experience, Justin’s message of hope and empowerment has spread to more than 40 countries around the globe, particularly through his national Stay Woke, Give Back tour bringing mindfulness to youth in underserved communities. Justin is dedicated to using his voice to serve; to being a beacon of hope for those who are lost; and to making sure all people, of all backgrounds, have access to the information they need to change their lives. 

Justin Michael Williams has been a regular at Esalen for over a decade. He first came to Esalen through his connection to his yoga and meditation teachers, Sianna Sherman and Lorin Roche. After writing his first book on campus in 2018, Justin was Esalen’s first artist in residence in 2020, where he finalized development on his weekly Sunday service The Kingdom.