It’s truly an honor to be part of this program and to learn alongside such talented and inspiring individuals.

My name is Paresh Shah, and I’m deeply passionate about helping people achieve meaningful goals, building vibrant, cohesive teams, and fostering environments where individuals can thrive both personally and professionally. Whether through corporate training, high-energy keynotes, coaching, or teaching yoga and mindfulness, my purpose is to uplift and empower others.

After earning my MBA from Harvard, I found my calling in helping leaders grow—not just as executives, but as heart-centered individuals who see their teams as whole human beings capable of extraordinary achievements when guided by purpose. Through my firm, Lifter Leadership, I’ve had the privilege of working with organizations like Disney/ESPN, State Farm, Speedo, Mastercard, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, among others, as well as serving as the coach for remarkable individuals such as the Secretary of the Navy, CIO of MTV, CIO of Bertelsmann AG and the COO of AOL.

At the heart of my work is a commitment to merging business strategy with mindfulness, blending the rigor of my early days as a strategy consultant at Monitor (founded by Michael Porter) with a deep understanding of human connection and spirit. My approach draws equally from Eastern philosophies and Western business principles, a fusion that has shaped my journey as a leader, entrepreneur, and advisor.

Over the years, I’ve had the chance to share my insights on leadership and purpose at platforms like TEDx, GAMA, SXSW, Wisdom 2.0, and CES. It’s been humbling to see my thought leadership featured in Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, and Harvard Publishing. Yet, what drives me most is not accolades but the opportunity to inspire and serve.

On a personal note, I’m based in Manhattan Beach, California, where I live with my wife and our four children, one sweet dog (Shadow the rescue mutt), two cats that fight if they are in the same room. Outside of work, you’ll find me surfing as often as I can, meditating, Teaching mindfulness and how to live a joyful life, or jamming heavy metal on my electric guitar.

I’m looking forward to connecting with each of you and learning from your unique perspectives and experiences. Thank you for welcoming me into this exceptional program!  As an adjunct Prof. of Business for many years, I see the tremendous power fo the CPBL program to serve an huge need with leaders seeking practical, actionable skills. As a future CPBL instructor, I am excited to have Tracey be our lead as I see how I would adapt the content to my own style as an instructor.  

Leadership Position:

My role as Managing Director of Lifter Leadership is to lead the team to design and deliver results for our clients when they hire us for speaking, training, consulting, strategy, transformation or coaching.  

Leadership Aspirations in the Next 3 Years:

Looking ahead, my goal is to scale from a business that relies on me as the "dynamic personality" to the Lifter Way being the star of the show.  I have a publisher I am working with for my book, am being hired more and more as keynoter for this engaging, and important message and more companies are seeking a simple, learnable, actionable model to engage talent so my aspiration is to take the Lifter brand and elevate it across other trainers, various client offers (online training, etc.) where I do not have to be directly involved in delivery.  

Success Indicators in My Role:

Success in my role would be to "Lifterize" at least 10,000 people via speaking, training and books.  This would generate over $3 MM in revenue in 3 years, with a team of 5-7 Full time staff, plus third party trainers and coaches we bring in.