Matt Samuelson is the founder of High Vitality Foods and lead instructor for Living Light Culinary Institute. Matt has 20 years experience creating plant-based menus and products, working for numerous Hollywood celebrities and traveling internationally as a chef, consultant, and instructor.

Maurizio Benazzo co-founded Science and Nonduality, a community that honors and nurtures the exploration and experience of nonduality as a pathway to greater wisdom and well-being in the context of the unique challenges of the 21st century.

Max Gaenslen shares his passion for human potential as an integral practitioner and trainer of Integral Transformative Practice (ITP), as a certified Hoffman Process teacher and coach, and in his role as coordinator for Esalen’s Center of Theory and Research. 

Max Vallot is a movement teacher and co-founder of performance brand District Vision. Max has spent more than a decade researching the intersection of movement and mindfulness, studying with teachers including Rodney Yee in yoga, Joseph Goldstein in meditation, and Ohad Naharin in dance.

Maya Jaguar is an Interfaith Reverend, ritualist, and executive with 18+ years in leadership development guiding transformative experiences that blend spiritual wisdom, emotional intelligence, and healing across sacred, corporate, and creative spaces.

Dr. Mayya Shveygert is a meditation coach, an entrepreneur, a Mom of two, and Executive Director at The Radiance Sutras School of Meditation. She formerly worked as a project manager in a global biotech company, and discovered that meditation allowed her to thrive in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment while staying centered, balanced, and joyful. 

‍

MC YOGI is a recording artist, award winning author, and yoga teacher. He's taught yoga and performed across the globe including headlining at Wanderlust festivals in over 30 US cities as well as Canada, Mexico, Japan, China and Korea. His unique style of music and teaching is joy filled and spiritually up lifting. His first three records were all #1 on the iTunes world music charts and his fifth album, Ritual Mystical, reached #1 on apple electronic music. In 2017 HarperOne published his memoir, Spiritual Graffiti which tells the story of his early years as a juvenile delinquent, living at a group home for at risk boys, to discovering yoga and launching his career as MC YOGI which would eventually lead to sharing yoga and music on the world stage including the Forbidden City in China and at the White House. When he is not on tour, MC YOGI teaches at his home studio Point Reyes Yoga, which he founded with his wife Amanda in 2001. For more information please visit mcyogi.com

Mehrad Nazari, PhD, E-RYT 500, co-founded Raja Yoga Institute. He received initiation from Yogi Raj Walt Baptiste, Swami Veda Bharati of India, the Zen Master Kyozan Joshu Roshi of Japan, and H.H. the Dalai Lama. Dr. Nazari also is the founder of Enlightened Negotiation, where he promotes the application of yoga principles in our daily life.

Melanie DeMore is a three-time Grammy-nominated singer/composer, choral conductor, music director, and vocal activist who believes in the power of voices raised together. In her presentations, DeMore beautifully brings participants together through her music and commentary.

Melinda Naye is an instructor with the Upledger Institute who teaches CranioSacral Therapy (CST) worldwide. She is passionate about the CST paradigm that asserts the body can heal itself. She lives and practices in Auburn, California.

Melissa Krikorian is a physical therapist with over 25 years of experience and a Cortical Field Re-Education® (CFR)Trainer. She uses the most current neuroscience research to inform how she works with groups and private clients to restore physical function and emotional ease.

Melissa Petro is a freelance writer and the author of Shame on You: How to Be a Woman in the Age of Mortification. She has helped hundreds of people push through fear to write, share, and even publish their most vulnerable stories, and guided others to re-envision their lives by making meaning of their past and transcending traumatic experiences.

Melody Moore, PhD, RYT, is the founder of Embody Love Movement, a clinical psychologist, international yoga teacher, author, social entrepreneur, and faculty member for Off the Mat, Into the World. She is also an expert in eating disorder prevention and recovery.

Menas Kafatos is professor of Computational Physics and Director of Excellence at Chapman University in Orange, California. He has worked at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, and authored numerous books, including The Conscious Universe: Parts and Wholes in Physical Reality.

Meredith Haberfeld is acclaimed for her work with individuals, couples, and families. She participated in the creation of the life coaching program at MIT, and her advice has been included in Forbes, Woman’s Day, and Yoga Journal.

Mestre Beiçola is a native of Brazil and 30-year master of capoeira, an African-Brazilian martial art and dance form. Now based in East Palo Alto, California, Mestre has taught capoeira, Brazilian dance, percussion, and stringed instruments at Stanford, UC Berkeley, and elsewhere.

Mia Segal was Moshé Feldenkrais’ first assistant, collaborator, and associate. She has been acclaimed worldwide as the standard bearer for the applications and philosophy of Dr. Feldenkrais' Mind Body Studies. Mia has devoted her life to training practitioners worldwide.

Michaela Boehm teaches and counsels internationally as an expert in intimacy and relationships. She combines her training in psychology and extensive clinical counseling experience with her training in the yogic arts. She is the author of The Wild Woman’s Way and founder of The Non-Linear Movement Method®.

Michael Craig Clemmens, PhD, is a psychologist and trainer in Pittsburgh. He is a faculty member of the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland and teaches at the Metanoia Institute in London and at Esalen. He is the author of Getting Beyond Sobriety (1997), Embodied Relational Gestalt: Theory and Applications (2019,) and numerous articles on Gestalt therapy, body process, and addiction.

Michael Cornwall, PhD, MFT, has done therapy with people in extreme states since 1980 in medication-free sanctuaries and community settings. He completed doctoral research on the Jungian sanctuary, Diabasis House, and leads Esalen workshops and conferences on extreme states. He blogs at madinamerica.com.

Michael Hopkins, aka Flash, is a legendary Burning Man figure. He is an artist, actor, instigator and storyteller. He has worked with Dana Albany on many projects. A unique character with his own creative flair, he both inspires and entertains in an unforgettable way.

Michael J. Gelb works with visionary leaders around the world to support them in nurturing more innovative and human-centered cultures. He inspires and equips these leaders with the creative thinking tools and conscious communication strategies that help translate ideals into reality. Michael has numerous corporate clients and has authored 16 books, which have been translated into 25 languages and have sold more than one million copies.

Michael Gelbart, LCSW, is an integrative psychotherapist offering mindfulness-based, somatic, pragmatic, and depth work, and relational coaching in Berkeley and San Leandro, California. He facilitates intimacy work by deepening capacities to regulate physiology and communicate with compassion and integrity.

Michael Guy Thompson, PhD, is a psychoanalyst who worked with R.D. Laing for many years in London. He continues to work with extreme states, and has been training therapists for more than 30 years. He has lectured all over the world and his books include The Death of Desire: An Existential Study in Sanity and Madness (2nd, revised edition) (Routledge).

Michael Lifshitz, PhD, works at the intersection of contemplative practice, neuroscience, and anthropology. He studies practices that aim to transform subjective experience — from meditation and hypnosis to placebos, prayer, and psychedelics. His research explores how experience, neurobiology, and cultural context interact to shape the process and outcomes of spiritual practice.

Michael Molin-Skelton holds many things sacred, including the love of his life, Anneli, the miracle they named Jaylan, friends that cherish and challenge him, dancing alone, and dancing with you. Michael is a senior faculty member of the Soul Motion™ school.

Michael Murphy is co-founder and chairman emeritus of the Board of Esalen Institute. He is the author of four novels including Golf in the Kingdom and The Kingdom of Shivas Irons. His nonfiction works include The Life We Are Given (with George Leonard) and The Future of the Body. During his involvement in the human potential movement, Murphy and his work have been profiled in the New Yorker and featured in magazines and journals worldwide.

Michael Pollan is a writer, teacher, and activist. His most recent book is How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression and Transcendence. All seven of his previous books were New York Times bestsellers.

Michael Sapiro is a clinical psychologist, writer, meditation researcher, and former Buddhist monk. He teaches the art and science of transformation and expanded human capabilities. He is a fellow at the Institute of Noetic Sciences and hosts a syndicated radio program called Radio Awakened: Exploring the Furthest Reaches of Human Potential on KRBX.

Michael Schiesser has designed and facilitated transformational programs throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe for more than 35 years. He is a co-founder of the Inner Journey Institute, which has helped thousands of people integrate the light and the dark within themselves. Michael has a MS in social work with a specialization in pastoral counseling. He recently published his first book Divorced with Love.

Dr. Michael Shermer is the Publisher of Skeptic magazine, host of The Michael Shermer Show, and author of numerous bestselling books. Dr. Shermer received his B.A. in psychology from Pepperdine University, M.A. in experimental psychology from California State University, Fullerton, and his Ph.D. in the history of science from Claremont Graduate University.

Michael Ventura is a leader, practitioner, and educator centered in the practice of empathy. He works with individuals seeking acceptance and transformation through the Indigenous traditions of the Nahua peoples. He’s facilitated retreats and seminars, sharing his teachings as a means to deeper self-knowledge and well-being.

Micha grew up in a family of healers and earth-based celebration. For the past seven years she's lived off-grid in Big Sur, in a magical mountainside yurt-cabin, living with the land, tending her hillside herb garden, stoking her woodstove, attending births, and offering embodied herbal practices at Esalen.

Michele Cassou, painter and teacher, developed the Point Zero Painting Method, using painting for self-discovery, self-expression, and exploring the spiritual dimensions of the creative process. She is the founder of the Cassou Institute for Creative Freedom and teaches around the world.

Michele Hébert, E RYT-500, co-founder of the Raja Yoga Institute, has been teaching yoga and meditation since 1977 in private practice, yoga teacher trainings, and group retreats. She is the author of The Tenth Door: An Adventure through the Jungles of Enlightenment.

Michele Lilyanna has taught in the Canadian public education system for over thirty years, focusing on social and emotional learning. She has trained extensively in Nonviolent Communication and has had a mindfulness meditation practice for many years. She lives on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia with her partner and two sons.

Micheline Berry infuses world art and culture into her synthesis of Vinyasa yoga, Buddhist meditation/psychology, and creative process. Known for catalyzing personal transformation and liberating creative expression, she leads Liquid Asana™ Yoga+Creativity programs, teacher trainings, and retreats worldwide.

Michelle Becker, LMFT, developed the Cultivating Compassion for Couples program. She is a certified teacher of Mindful Self-Compassion, Compassion Cultivation Training, and The Daring Way™ and Rising Strong™ programs. She teaches and speaks on the topics of compassion for self and others nationally and internationally.

Michelle Brock is an author and a spiritual life coach who specializes in past life regression. Based on her own experience, she is an expert guide to anyone who wishes to discover more about their own journey over many lifetimes.

Michelle Gale is Chief of Staff at Autodesk, board member of the Holistic Life Foundation and Foundation for a Mindful Society, and strategic advisor to Wisdom 2.0 and Mindful Schools. She is a mindfulness educator and author of the book Mindful Parenting in a Messy World. Michelle was previously the head of Learning and Leadership Development at Twitter and spent most of her career working in high-growth technology startups.

Michelle Gannon, PhD, is a San Francisco-based clinical psychologist, relationship expert, and Hold Me Tight® Workshop and Rising Strong™ Workshop leader. She is a certified supervisor and therapist in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). Michelle teaches internationally.

Michelle Stransky, founder of WisdomWomen, was previously the conference director at Wisdom 2.0. A former management consultant and executive coach, she is now committed to co-creating community and new models of living and working through the journey of embodied wisdom.

Mike Robbins is the author of Focus on the Good Stuff; Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken; and Nothing Changes Until You Do. He delivers seminars around the world, his books are translated into 14 different languages, and he writes for The Huffington Post.

Mike is a Soto Zen Buddhist priest in the lineage of Suzuki Roshi. He lived in the Ventana Wilderness as a monk at the Tassajara Zen Mountain Monastery and served as the director of the San Francisco Zen Center’s City Center Temple. He is a devout backpacker and has co-guided Wildtender pilgrimages since 2024.

Mikey Siegel is excited by science and technology supporting human flourishing and collective awakening. He teaches at Stanford University, and is the founder of Consciousness Hacking, BioFluent Technologies, and the Transformative Technology Conference. He received an MS from the MIT Media Lab.

Millana is a leading voice in wellness and a trusted source to a diverse global community of clients. As a woman of color with Afro-Latina/Panamanian, mid-western and British roots she speaks to an audience as diverse as her background. As a wellness entrepreneur and healer she has carved out a unique and modern path for her mission of deep healing and connection for everyone, everywhere.

Mingtong Gu is an internationally recognized teacher and healer who received his training from a variety of Grandmasters in China and at the world's largest qigong hospital.

Mirabai Bush is founder and Senior Fellow at the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society. She has been teaching workshops and courses on contemplative practice in life and work for 45 years, integrating her experience in organizational management, teaching, and consulting. A key contributor to Google’s Search Inside Yourself curriculum, Mirabai has studied with many spiritual teachers and co-authored Compassion in Action and Walking Each Other Home with Ram Dass.

Mirabai Starr is an award-winning author, internationally acclaimed speaker, and interspiritual teacher. In 2020, she was honored on Watkins’ list of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People. Mirabai shares her wisdom worldwide on contemplative living, writing as a spiritual practice, and the transformational power of grief and loss.

Miranda Macpherson is a spiritual teacher, author, interfaith minister and musician who has been guiding others into direct experience of The Sacred for over thirty years. She leads the Living Grace Global Sangha, broadcasts extensively and leads retreats internationally.

Misha Rauchwerger began his career studying engineering and physics at Cal Poly, SLO. In addition to years of public school teaching, Misha has taught numerous classes in sustainable design, permaculture, natural building, and fermentation over the last 20 years. He has spent much of his adult life in the building trades, and has studied biodynamic agriculture, permaculture, and environmental studies.

Born and raised in Kyoto, Japan, Miyu is an artist, teacher, guide and healer who bridges the East and West through her 20 years of Shiatsu practice, deep listening, intuitive and heart centered approach to truth.

Mollie McNeil, PhD, is a published writer and has lectured in the English departments of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Mills College, and De Anza College. She currently teaches a variety of creative writing classes at the Modern Elder Academy and in various Bay Area workshops.

Monica Hanson is an educator and trainer specializing in the Compassion Program developed at Stanford University. She is also a founding faculty of the Compassion Institute, a global advocate for compassion training in health care, education, law , corporations.

Dr. Monica Lesslie, PT, DPT, CFRp, AWC, ELDOAc, RYT-500, is an integrative physical therapist blending neuroplasticity, fascial science, and ancient mind-body practices. She restores human capacity by honoring body intelligence across physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual planes.

Morris H. Ervin, Jr. is an educator, motivational speaker, and wellness coach committed to helping youth, families, schools, communities, and institutions turn fear into strength and pain into passion. Morris is a mindfulness instructor at University Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, and he was a public school teacher for ten years.