Biography

For over two decades, Michael Ventura has worked as a leader, facilitator, and educator. Concepts and tools from his first book, Applied Empathy (Simon & Schuster, 2018) have been embraced by influential, respected organizations from the ACLU, LVMH, Google, Goldman Sachs, IBM, Microsoft, and Nike to The United Nations and the Obama Administration. His work is focused on helping leaders and their teams to incite growth and catalyze change.

His work is widely regarded for its ability to embolden others to feel, think, and act with greater curiosity, and a willingness to deepen their understanding of the different perspectives that influence our inner and outer worlds. His study and practice of modern leadership draws from ancient wisdom to bring about new skills and adoptable behaviors that are thoughtful, provocative, and personal.

A dynamic speaker and facilitator, Michael has shared his work as an advisor to a variety of public and private organizations, as well as prestigious institutions such as Princeton University and the United States Military Academy at West Point. His work has been featured in media outlets such as Business Insider, Fast Company, Forbes, The New York Times, PBS News Hour, and with conference attendees at Adobe’s 99U, SxSW, The TED Conference, and corporate events the world over.

Michael's methods have been heralded as a touchstone of a new era of leadership development. Whether working individually, with teams, or societally, he is a committed steward to the positive, transformative power of empathy.