Nathanael Chawkin is the founder and CEO of Palæstra, a leadership & organizational development consultancy based in Santa Barbara, California.
As a trusted advisor, Nathanael works with CEOs and their teams to build in-house leadership & organizational development practices that create cultures of continuous coaching and feedback.
Based on 25+ years of practice in martial arts, meditation, and integral psychology, his practice-based approach captures the tribe-like “Community of Practice” feel that you get on the mat today in Jiu-Jitsu, Yoga, and Crossfit.
Prior to founding Palæstra, Nathanael was an executive coach and workshop facilitator for the Stagen Leadership Academy where he coached dozens of executives from growth-minded, mid-market companies to their next level of leadership development.
Nathanael’s passion lies in “getting on the mat” both literally and metaphorically, where confronting real conflict, stress and tension leads to opportunities for deep self-awareness, perspective taking, authentic feedback, and the cultivation of a leadership presence that can transform breakdowns into breakthroughs.
Specialties
Nathanael founded Integral Martial Arts in 2011, a body-mind-spirit cross-training approach that balances self-defense on the mat with self-development off the mat.
In addition to running a men’s embodied leadership program at the dojo on a quarterly basis, he is also deeply practiced in The Work of Byron Katie.
The Work is a powerful form of self-inquiry that involves identifying and questioning the stressful beliefs and judgments we hold as the basis for looking in the mirror at the unconscious aspects of our own mind. He has participated in or staffed over a dozen 9-day and 5-day transformational, in-residence retreats, including the 28-day intensive called the Turnaround House, and also led a 6-month program for The Work in Leadership for executives.
Business clients through the years have reported that The Work is the singlemost transformative way of working with a coach that they have ever experienced and credit The Work for significant and sometimes radical changes in their self-awareness, personal integrity and leadership presence, including unprecedented levels of trust and alignment with their executive teams at work and with their families at home.
Nathanael has used The Work inside of YPO and EO forum retreats to help members increase vulnerability, forge deeper bonds, develop coaching skills, find their developmental edge, increase authenticity in feedback conversations, resolve conflicts, and to enhance overall forum performance.
Qualifications
- Executive coach to dozens of YPOers inside of 1-year leadership training
- M.A. in Integral Psychology (JFK University)
- B.A. from Maharishi University of Management
- 25+ years’ experience practicing and teaching martial arts, coaching & meditation
- Certifications: Professional Coaching; The Work of Byron Katie; Drama Triangle (The Power of TED*); Enneagram; 2nd degree black belt Aikido; purple belt, medal-winning competitor in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
- Consulting Modalities: 5 Dysfunctions of a Team; Executive Alignment; Strategic Planning & Execution; Core Ideology; Conscious Communication; Immunity to Change; Embodied Leadership
Languages Spoken
- English
- Basic Italian
