Michael J. Gelb
Michael J. Gelb is a world-renowned innovator in the fields of creative thinking, accelerated learning, and leadership development. His clients include DuPont, Genentech, Merck, Microsoft, and Nike.
Michael is author of the best-selling book How to Think Like Leonardo DaVinci, which has been translated into 25 languages and has appeared on the New York Times, Washington Post, and Amazon.com best seller lists. Through an intensive immersion in Leonardo da Vinci’s life, works, and writings, including more than 10 trips to Italy, Gelb experienced an epiphany in which he was able to translate the Maestro’s wisdom into contemporary terms.
Gelb is also author of 15 other books, including Creativity on Demand, The Art of Connection, and The Healing Organization. The New York Times, the Washington Post, and Training Magazine have all featured Gelb's work. He has appeared on Good Morning America, CNN's Business Unusual, and on countless radio programs, including live interviews with NPR and the BBC World Service.
Michael began practicing meditation at age 19 while studying at Clark University. After graduating he spent 10 months on a residential course with J.G. Bennett studying the practical application of the world’s great spiritual traditions. Then, while completing three years of full-time training as a teacher of the Alexander Technique, Michael studied aikido with Minoru Kanetsuka, and also became the first Master Teacher of Tony Buzan’s system of Mental Literacy.
A teacher of the Alexander Technique since 1978, Gelb is also a fifth degree black belt in aikido, a certified teacher of qigong and tai chi, and a former professional juggler who performed live on stage with Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones.
2009 was a turning point in Michael’s creation of BodyLearning! Life Energy Fitness, beginning with chronic hip pain that ultimately necessitated a total joint replacement, followed by crippling knee pain that demanded a total knee replacement. Michael responded with a vow to recover from these traumas by cultivating more energy, flexibility, and psycho-physical freedom than ever before.