If powerful men and women could remain centered in the Tao, all things would be in harmony.
– Verse 32, Tao Te Ching
You can’t stop the waves but you can learn how to surf.
– Jon Kabat-Zin
Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.
– Peter Drucker
The brain is velcro for the negative, teflon for the positive.
– Rick Hanson
Joy… is the simplicity of being, an innocence recovered through the magic of being present in the world.
– Daniel Odier
We are crying out — from the West to Europe, to the East, to the South, to everywhere — for wiser leadership, better leadership, leadership that doesn’t polarize, leadership that’s not afraid to come to political solutions, and leadership that will continue the fight.
– Christiane Amanpour
Time Magazine, Person of the Week Interview
Without a sense of purpose, no company, either public or private can achieve its full potential.
– Ranjay Gulati
What is the purpose of Alice Hogan Consulting?
At the highest level, it’s to support the flourishing of deserving leaders and organizations for the benefit of the world.
I do this in two ways—through strategic communications, and through practices that help enhance clarity, presence, and skillful action.
How has your consulting business changed since its inception?
When I started consulting in 2000, I focused on developing strategic communications for the global banks. I did a lot of work for Citibank Services (Treasury and Trade Solutions and Securities Services), the business Jane Fraser refers to as Citibank’s crown jewel.
At the time, we were writing about the emerging technologies and services that were creating “the single, interconnected global economy.”
The financial crisis of 2008, which journalists referred to as “the end of Wall Street as we know it,” was a watershed moment. In the years following 2008, I diversified my consulting practice and did some pro bono work for nonprofits and organizations in the education sector. I also continued my deep dive in meditation and yoga both as a practitioner and Instructor.
By 2017, it felt perfectly natural to show up at the the Association for Financial Professionals in San Diego with a powerpoint and my Tibetan bowl in hand. The audience was very receptive to the topic I presented: Meditation and Mindfulness in the Age of Volatility: Essentials for Financial Professionals.
During the pandemic, I was the only Yoga Therapist in Dr. Loren Fishman’s office. Dr. Fishman is a world-renowned pioneer in using Yoga for common medical conditions.
What other experiences have informed you as a consultant?
In September of 2020 I became President of the Board of my Manhattan Co-op. I now have firsthand experience of how invaluable a daily meditation practice is to anyone in a leadership position and how crucial communications are in solving problems and taking advantage of opportunities.
One recent example: when our insurance was up for renewal, our insurance broker recommended we write “the narrative” of the building. At a time when co-ops and condos are experiencing 20 to 40% insurance increases, with our compelling narrative, we reduced our umbrella insurance more than 50%.
What’s unique about your approach to strategic communications?
The only thing I’ve ever done is write the truth skillfully to support clients in accomplishing their objectives. Especially in the age of disinformation, there is an opportunity to stand out as a credible source of relevant information. People need good thought leadership from trusted experts.
I’m a critical thinker. In branding, I focus on the competitive differentiation, the analysis that enables us to craft the strongest, most salient messages for your organization.
I’m very comfortable writing about technical topics in global banking and real estate/property management. I am, myself, a subject matter expert in meditation, therapeutic Yoga, and well-being. I’m interested in helping deserving organizations of all kinds, including schools and non-profits, flourish.
With expertise in both communications and well-being, I’m also uniquely well-equipped to partner with organizations on well-being programs that could have a broad social impact.
What programs do you envision piloting?
I would like to collaborate with a bank with a global proprietary network to research global well-being and share the insights and best practices within the organization and with the world. Economist Joseph Stiglitz and others have pointed out we can no longer measure just GDP; we must also measure well-being.
I would also like to pilot a “Follow Your Bliss” after-school program that would give children and adolescents the opportunity to learn basic self-care and immerse in activities that bring them joy.
Neuroscientists like Rick Hanson point out that our brains are wired for negativity and recommend “taking in the good” to mitigate the tendency to dwell on the negative. As part of an after-school program we can focus on: What do you love? What brings you joy?
What’s unique about your approach to teaching meditation and presence practices?
Some traditions were designed for ascetics, monks, and those who want to withdraw from the world. I’m biased towards the more life-affirming traditions and practices that were designed for “householders”—leaders, “warriors,” and lovers (of life and the world).
The view we embrace matters. Buddhism reminds us “life is suffering” and offers very skillful practices for dealing with suffering. It’s great to draw on those practices. However, my deep exploration has been in the Yoga traditions including the pinnacle of those traditions which reminds us life and our deepest experience is bliss.
My view, as well as my practice and teaching, are deeply informed by the life-affirming traditions and practices of Yoga which enhance our ability to see beauty, feel joy, and cultivate resilience.
Why are you including the topic of “leadership” in this version of the site?
The world badly needs leadership in this moment, not just the leadership of politicians. With environmental and other challenges we’re collectively facing, leaders of corporations, non-profits, and educational institutions also have crucial roles to play.
As a consultant, I help clients achieve leadership positions and accomplish their goals through strategic communications. My meditation offering also has a lot to offer leaders. When the world is so chaotic, staying deeply present and allowing skillful action to emerge from presence is arguably the single most important thing a leader can do.
I’ve always been interested in how people define leadership. Greg Carr, philanthropist and entrepreneur, offers a stunning example of both resilience and leadership.
In Five Recommended Authors, you mention Deep Purpose by Ranjay Gulati. What is your grand narrative?
Rather than a full-fledged grand narrative, I’ll mention only that the roots of my interest in leadership and contemplative traditions run deep. My father, who was the CEO of an automotive parts supplier, often talked about Peter Drucker. He would sometimes also ask, when pondering a challenge, “What would love do?” It was phrased as “What would Jesus do” because we were Catholic. My mother had a passion for reading widely and for exploring diverse spiritual traditions.
When I was a college student, flying home after a year of study in Paris, I was seated next to a man who knew my father from Detroit. He extolled my father’s virtues at length and claimed he was “the only high integrity person he knew in business” which I was sure was an exaggeration.
Decades later, I’m acutely aware integrity is essential for leadership. One definition of integrity is “the state of being whole and undivided.” Interestingly, the practices of meditation and yoga help us recover our wholeness. The etymological origin of “heal” is in fact “to make whole.” When there is so much that needs healing in the world, we need leaders who are themselves whole.