Steve McIntosh is the author of Integral Consciousness and the Future of Evolution (Paragon House 2007). He is an original member of Ken Wilber’s Integral Institute think tank and has taught integral philosophy to a wide variety of audiences, including Naropa University. An honors graduate of the University of Virginia Law School and the University of Southern California Business School, today Steve is founder and president of Now & Zen, Inc., an international manufacturing company marketing “natural lifestyle products” which he has invented. Steve has traveled extensively throughout the world and has had a variety of successful careers, practicing law with one of the nation's biggest firms, and working as an executive with Celestial Seasonings tea company.

Steve was born in Norwalk, Connecticut in 1960 to an English mother and Australian father. He grew up in Los Angeles, but since 1990 he has made his home in Boulder, Colorado, where he now lives with his wife, Tehya, and sons, Ian and Peter.

      Experience in the Integral Movement
In connection with his early interest in spirituality, Steve became a dedicated scholar of philosophy and spirituality in his teens. He was especially drawn to the evolutionary philosophy of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, and later to the work of Ken Wilber and Clare Graves. In 2000, Steve became part of Ken Wilber’s Integral Institute, where he served in both the Integral Art and Integral Business branches. As Steve’s mastery of integral consciousness grew, he became an independent advocate of the integral worldview, working as an integral consultant and giving lectures on integral philosophy to large audiences. In October of 2007 What Is Enlightenment? Magazine featured an extensive interview of Steve entitled: Integral Politics Comes of Age. Andrew Cohen, the magazine’s founder, referred to Steve as “integral thinker par excellence.”

      Political Activism
In 2004, Steve founded The Project for Integral World Federation, a non-profit organization dedicated to cultural and political evolution. The Project for Integral World Federation’s primary activity is the hosting and promotion of the on-line petition: A Declaration of the Value of Global Governance, found at: www.integralworldgovernment.org. This declaration, modeled after Jefferson’s 1776 Declaration of Independence for the United States, implores the leaders of society to recognize the value of establishing a system of global governance. The petition format provides people with an opportunity for action and helps to raise consciousness about the central political issue of the twenty-first century: the creation of a limited, democratic, federal, integral system of world government.

      Spirituality
Steve was baptized an Episcopalian, but his family was not religious. At the age of 12 he started seeking for spiritual answers on his own, and this began a quest that continues to this day. He has studied and practiced many of the world’s great wisdom traditions. His quest has included pilgrimages to some of the planet’s most revered natural and cultural sacred sites, and he has also made many inner journeys. Although he’s not a member of any organized religion, Steve considers the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth to be his primary inspiration.

      Business Experience
Upon his graduation from law school in 1987, Steve became a member of the California bar and began practicing corporate law with Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro, the state’s largest law firm. After three years of law practice, he then worked as an investment banker with Morgan Grenfell Capital Financing. In 1990, he was recruited to become Vice President of a start-up environmental products company in Boulder, Colorado called Earth Wise. Then in 1991, Earth Wise was acquired by Celestial Seasonings tea company where Steve served as Director of Corporate Development and General Counsel. In 1995, he left his position at Celestial Seasonings to found Now & Zen, Inc., where he continues to serve as the company’s CEO.

Now & Zen (www.now-zen.com) is a growing brand of “natural lifestyle products,” featuring the famous Zen Alarm Clock, which wakes users gradually with a series of acoustic chimes. All Now & Zen products have been conceived and designed by Steve, with a brand aesthetic combining the harmonic proportions of sacred geometry with motifs from traditional Japanese culture. This brand aesthetic results in product designs that have a timeless, universal appeal. The company’s mission is to provide products that remind people that they live in the presence of the sacred, however they may define it. Today, Now & Zen is a highly profitable enterprise employing over twenty people.

      Education
After graduating from high school in Los Angeles where he grew up, Steve received a bachelor of science in business administration from USC in 1984. Steve attended USC’s Entrepreneur Program, where he received the program’s highest honor, The Best Business Plan Award. In 1987 he graduated among the top of his class from the University of Virginia Law School where he served as articles editor of the school’s prestigious law review. Since the completion of his formal education Steve has continued to educate himself through voracious reading and extensive travel.

      Other Life Experiences
In the 1970s Steve was active in the counter culture, and he traveled extensively in Europe. Beginning in 1979 he dedicated himself to bicycle road racing, winning major races throughout North America in 1980 and 1981. In 1983 he became a member of the world’s first factory sponsored mountain bike racing team. After graduating from law school in 1987, Steve traveled throughout Asia and spent a month in Tibet, reaching the 20,000 foot level on Mt. Everest. Steve married in 1989, and had a son, Ian McIntosh, in 1992. He was divorced in 1994, after which he became the sole custodian and primary parent of his son. In 1999 Steve met the love of his life, Tehya, whom he married in 2003. The couple has traveled throughout the world, including Peru, Japan, Europe, and many North American wilderness areas. In December 2005 Tehya gave birth to Peter McIntosh, the couple’s first child and Steve’s second son.

Steve can be contacted at: steve@stevemcintosh.com