Awaken

12Conscious Awakening

In early 2018, I told my friend Betsy, an author and leadership expert, that I was planning to write a book called The Healing Organization. It would be about healing in business: the idea that businesses can be places of healing for those who work there, sources of healing for those they serve – their customers and communities – and a force for healing in society. I defined healing as alleviating suffering, elevating joy, and promoting healthy growth The book had nothing to do with me or my need for healing – or so I thought.

Betsy suggested I come with her to experience a “plant journey,” which she had found to be very healing. I had no idea what she was talking about; I thought we would eat potted plants with medicinal properties. I trusted my friend and made plans to join her for a journey in March 2018.

Around 3 p.m., my Lyft entered the locked gate of a sprawling estate in Westchester County outside New York City. We drove down a long curving driveway toward a large house set next to a lake. I had no idea that I was about to have a transcendent experience that would illuminate aspects of my psyche that I had never examined and connect dots in my story that I had never connected before.

I met an eclectic group of people inside, from fashion models and opera singers to hedge fund managers. Those who were there for the first time looked nervous, while the rest were filled with joyful anticipation for what lay ahead.

Our host and guide, Laura, had apprenticed ...