A First Date

By Jim Dethmer

Hi.

Seems like a good place to start.  A greeting.  Our first blog is a bit like a first date, a chance to meet and get to know one another.

Unlike most our idea of a first date is to dive right in, to tell you who we are at the deepest level and see if we fit, to see if another conversation is worth having.So here’s what we’re up to, and  what matters most to us at the Conscious Leadership Group (CLG).  We call it our mission statement, but that’s just fancy language for what we are doing in the world.

Each word in this statement means something important to us.First, we “support.” By this we mean that something is happening; something radical, transformational, new and compelling. It’s happening. No one individual or group is doing it.  Many are touching it, but no one is leading it.  We see ourselves as supporting what is coming into the world, a bit like how a midwife supports the birth of new life.  A new way of leading and living is being birthed into the world, and our part is to support those embracing that new way.

“Expansion” feels to us like the steady, timely healthy growth of a movement that is changing the game.  Sometimes it looks more like an explosion, eruption, or an eradication of the old, but it is always expanding from one leader to another, from one organization to another.

“Conscious” to us means awake, present, here-now and non-reactive.  If I’m not conscious I’m unconscious, and to be unconscious is to be non-responsive.  Many, many leaders are non-responsive to people circumstances and conditions.  Instead they are reactive.  Because conscious leaders are not living in a triggered state they can be totally present and completely responsive to what the moment requires.

“Leadership” for us is the power of influence.  When I lead I influence.  Leadership for us is not about hierarchy.  Rather it is much more about authenticity.  Great leaders in this new movement are deeply authentic and impeccably aligned.   Authentic means that what is on the inside matches what is on the outside, no pretense or hypocrisy.  Aligned means that the leader and the organization are clear about their purpose and living on purpose at any moment in time.

We talk about this movement of conscious leadership being rooted in 15 commitments.  We teach leaders how to live from these commitments as a practical daily lifestyle.So if this were a first date, maybe even a speed date, would you want to talk more, to go deeper to explore what a connection between us might look like?  If the answer is yes, we ask you to join the movement and to co-create with us a new paradigm for leading and living that is both powerful, effective, fun and sustainable.

With expectation and appreciation,

Jim and Diana

Portrait of Coach + Founder Jim Dethmer

Jim Dethmer

Co-Founder and Coach

More

  • Download our Handout: Eating your Projections – A step-by-step walk-through to recognize that our critical judgements about others are pointers to the parts of ourselves that we either don’t acknowledge or fully accept.  

Additional Blog Posts

Going Deeper with The 15 Commitments: How You’ll Know You’re Leading a Conscious Organization ‍

Busy and Bored: Two Sides of the Same Coin

When Quitting is the Boldest Move You Can Make

It begins with you.

Whether you’re here to lead with less drama, get better results, or stop repeating the same patterns – you’re in the right place. Start here:

Read the Book

The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership is where it all begins. You’ll never see leadership – or yourself – the same way again.

Explore Resources

Access our library of free practices, videos, meditations, and more. Get a feel for the work, and discover what resonates.

Get in the Room

These powerful experiences are open now, no sales call required. Check out what’s available and claim your seat before it’s gone.

Loading...

Susan Flynn

Verdant Hollow Farms, Owner

“Forum has really opened me up personally to a more fuller experience of myself... I've seen myself step back and let things unfold more naturally, and, as a result, I feel like the relationships and my connection to organizations, family members, or projects that I'm creating have been more clear and less laden with all sorts of other emotional baggage. Everything feels a little lighter and cleaner, a little more nimble in my life than it has in the past. That's been a great shift for me.”

Rodney Harl

Alene Candles, CEO

“Conscious leadership is the idea of taking exactly 100 percent responsibility—not more not less—for your role in your work, your home, your life. People get into drama situations when they take on more than 100 percent rather than asking others to accept their own responsibility. But it’s also about giving appreciation and accepting it too. That has more impact on employee satisfaction than spot awards and things like that.”

Kim Redding

Retired Chief Investment Strategist

“The first time I went to a Conscious Leadership Group forum, I thought, 'Four hours? Boy, what are we gonna talk about for four hours?' But, for my personality type in particular, I need time to really sink into things and be forced to stay with something. It's like family because you share the good, and the bad, and the ugly. I love how it draws me to go deep into issues that I may not want to, with people that I really trust and love. If you really want to get in the rollercoaster of looking at life, and your relationship, and consciousness, this is the single best way to do it. It's totally exhilarating, and it's scary. Everything is there, and if you're serious about going to the next level, I don't see how you do it without doing a forum.”

Jim Barnette

Glint, CEO & Co-Founder

“The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership is an inspirational masterpiece and a brilliant roadmap for leadership in the 21st century. Embracing conscious leadership and the 15 Commitments at my companies and in my life has led to both phenomenal success and deep personal joy.”

Lisa Murphy

City of Santa Cruz, Human Resources Director

“Finding Conscious Leadership Group was like finding a treasure. For me, the Enneagram Test has been the most transformative piece. That self-reflection of what it is that drives me and motivates me and what holds me back. If you're a leader and you don't understand those features about yourself, you just won't be successful. What I've learned has made me a better leader to my staff.”

Rosa Scarcelli

Stanford Management, President & Owner

“Jim Fallon is one of the most thoughtful, feeling-ful, and insightful people I know. His ability to use his own profound transformation, his deep curiosity and drive to learn and grow is a gift that is hard to quantify. If you are fortunate enough to work with him, I know you will find it invaluable. I am certain it will start you on your own path to greater self-awareness. His training as an analytical thinker has served him well as it has integrated with his expansion into the realms of feeling and tuning into the wisdom of the body. The trifecta of the heart, the head and the hand are life transforming. He will guide your growth and expansion.”

Eric Langshur

AVIA, Co-Founder & CEO Abundant Venture Partners and Life XT, Co-Founder

“One of our overarching and guiding principles here and vision is that we were trying to create a place where people could come to work and live in their genius and contribute. We see CLG as the core ingredients for helping us manifest that.”

Ron Rubin

Bridgewater Wealth, CEO

“The Conscious Leadership Group and the 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership not only changed how we do business at Bridgewater Wealth, but they have changed my life personally. The company I founded in 1996 has been infused with new life, the culture is awake and aware, communication is crystal clear, and clients notice the difference. I’m so committed to conscious leadership now that I’m introducing the book and whole model to other CEOs in the finance industry.”

Jason Hsu

Rayliant, Chairman & CIO Research Affiliates, Global Advisor & Vice Chairman

“We thought we were just going to bring someone who was a management consultant, get a diagnostic on who's wrong, who's right and be done with that. It's been certainly far, far, far from that. It's been a fantastic journey.”

Justin Rosenstein

Asana, Co-Founder

“At Asana, we believe that conscious leadership training is so important we give every single employee the opportunity to go through a 2-day CLG Conscious Leadership training, and many report profound changes to how they work. Because of conscious leadership, our communication is clearer and more authentic, and Asana as a company is more effective in succeeding in its mission.”

Peter Parthenis

Grecian Delight, CEO

“It was difficult at first, to get people to understand and to get people committed behind this work and to practice it; but I can tell you, with one hundred percent certainty, that my ability and my team's ability to connect with each other is at a whole different level than what it was before. We can establish trust immediately. It's made a tremendous impact around being able to get things done as an organization, be aligned and being a higher performing team.”

Joe Greenstein

InnerSpace, Co-Founder

“During the persona party at our Conscious Leadership Group retreat I experienced a profound shift; it turned the hardest thing I've ever dealt with in my adult life into an incredible learning opportunity. I now know I can choose to look at every situation in life as an opportunity rather than a struggle...[In general] I think of Forum as fun. I see it on my calendar and I look forward to it.”

Sierra is the coach for you if...

Portrait of Joyce Chen

Joyce Chen

Managing Partner + Coach

Joyce is the coach for you if...

Kate is the coach for you if...

Michael is the coach for you if...

Jonathan is the coach for you if...

Portrait of Jim Fallon

Jim Fallon

Managing Partner + Coach

Jim is the coach for you if...

Casandra Wilson

CFO + Board Member , Company

Andrew Lee

CEO, Company

“Conscious Leadership Foundations fundamentally changed the way I show up as a leader. The program didn’t just give me tools — it helped me understand myself, my impact on others, and how to lead with clarity and intention. I’ve seen a noticeable shift in my team’s engagement, communication, and trust since applying what I learned. This work goes far beyond traditional leadership training; it’s practical, deeply human, and incredibly powerful. I recommend Conscious Leadership Foundations to any leader who wants sustainable growth — personally and professionally.”

Jessica Thompson

Co-Founder + Coach, Company

Unlock More Conscious Leadership Resources

Get full access to all our tools and practices designed to support you lead with clarity, courage, and connection.

FORM GOES HERE

We’ll only send resources that support your growth. No spam, ever. By continuing, you agree to our [Terms of Service], [Privacy Policy], and [Community Guidelines]. You may unsubscribe from emails at any time.

Justin Rosenstein

"Joining the Conscious Leadership Forum was like upgrading from black-and-white to full color. As a CEO, I’m used to high-pressure environments and decision fatigue—but the Forum gave me space to slow down, re-center, and connect with other leaders doing the inner work. It wasn’t just professional development—it was personal transformation. I left each session with more clarity, presence, and the kind of energy that ripples through my entire organization."

Joyce Chen

Managing Partner + Active Coach

Joyce is the coach for you if...