Steve McIntosh is author of Evolution’s Purpose (SelectBooks 2012) and Integral Consciousness (Paragon House 2007). He is a leader in the integral philosophy movement and currently works as a Founding Partner of the new social policy foundation: The Institute for Cultural Evolution.
In addition to this think tank, and his work in philosophy, Steve has had a variety of other successful careers, including founding the consumer products company Now & Zen, practicing law with one of America’s biggest firms, working as an executive with Celestial Seasonings Tea Company, and Olympic-class bicycle racing. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia Law School and the University of Southern California Business School.
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 (20 years old) and Peter (7 years old).
Integral Philosophy
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 Alfred North Whitehead, Ken Wilber, and Holmes Rolston. Then in 2000 he became part of Ken Wilber’s Integral Institute where he served in both the Integral Art and Integral Business branches. In September 2007 Paragon House published Steve’s first book, Integral Consciousness, and in October of that yearEnlightenNext Magazine featured an extensive interview of Steve entitled: Integral Politics Comes of Age. In 2008 he was invited to join the Evolutionary Leaders group spearheaded by Deepak Chopra. And in 2012, his second major book, Evolution’s Purpose, was published by Select Books New York.
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 also 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 is not a member of any organized religion, Steve accepts the label of “panentheist” as a description of his spiritual position.
Business Experience
Upon graduating 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. In 1990, after three years of law practice 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., (www.now-zen.com) a brand of “natural lifestyle products,” featuring the famous line of Zen Alarm Clocks, which Steve conceived, designed, and patented.
In 2012, Steve stepped down from his position as CEO of Now & Zen to co-found the think tank called The Institute for Cultural Evolution (www.culturalevolution.org), which applies integral philosophy to politics to help ameliorate climate change and other problems.
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. His major emphasis was in 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 he 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 traveled extensively in Europe. Beginning in 1979 he dedicated himself to bicycle road racing, winning major races throughout North America in 1980 and 1981. Then in 1982 he became a member of the world’s first factory sponsored mountain bike racing team. After graduating from law school in 1987, he 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 since 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.
Since 2008, the McIntosh’s have divided their time between their Victorian home in downtown Boulder, Colorado, and their desert retreat—an off-the-grid yurt on 5 acres in Castle Valley, near Moab, Utah.
Steve can be contacted at: steve@stevemcintosh.com