He gives back to the place that helped shape him.

Some experiences stay with us for a lifetime. For Joseph, Esalen has been the setting for some of the most meaningful chapters of his life. He first arrived in 1980 as a teenager and soaked in the baths beneath the stars, an experience that left, as he describes it, “a lasting imprint on my psyche.”

Three decades later, at a difficult crossroads, he found his way back to Esalen. What began as a return became an ongoing relationship with Esalen as a workshop participant, work scholar, volunteer, and devoted member of the community.

As a work scholar, Joseph has worked in the Kitchen, Farm & Garden, and CABinS departments. As a workshop guest he often brings friends and family. As a volunteer, he contributes his time and energy to a place that has given him so much.

“Esalen Institute has given me so much and really changed the trajectory of my life,” Joseph says. “I’ve received so much from here and, at the same time, I want to give back, and it is my pleasure and honor to be able to give back to the Institute and the place that has given me so much.”