Raphael Cushnir is a leading voice in the world of emotional intelligence, present moment awareness, conflict resolution and peak performance.. He has shared his unique approach to personal and professional development with millions of readers in O, The Oprah Magazine, Beliefnet, Spirituality and Health, The Huffington Post, and Psychology Today.. 

He is the author of five books, lectures worldwide, and is a faculty member of the Esalen Institute, the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, and the Hollyhock Center. In addition, he coaches individuals and teams at Fortune 100 companies, governments, religious organizations, and leading non-profits.

Cushnir’s key book for business was published in 2009 by Harper Collins. The One Thing Holding You Back: Unleashing the Power of Emotional Connection brings together all of Cushnir's insights, principles, and practices regarding the role of emotion, and resistance to emotion, in all realms of endeavor, especially the workplace. It introduces the "2 X 2 Process" and its encapsulation as "emotional surfing."

In developing his tools and trainings for business, Cushnir has drawn upon his years as an executive in Hollywood, Silicon Valley and beyond. He has worked for or consulted with:

۰Amazon.com
۰MTV
۰Sega
۰Edelman Worldwide Communications
۰JD Power and Associates
۰Rocket Science Games
۰O'Reilly and Associates

۰Warner Brothers
۰Columbia Pictures
۰The Geffen Company

۰REI

۰The Gap

۰Wells Fargo

Cushnir's passion for filmmaking led to a decade-long stint in Hollywood. He wrote, directed, and produced a Showtime movie, Sexual Healing, starring Helen Hunt, Anthony Edwards, and Jason Alexander. The film was nominated for two Cable Ace awards and won Grand Prize at the Houston Film Festival. Designed by Cushnir as a not-for-profit venture, it raised over $30,000 for the Minority AIDS Project.

Cushnir also co-designed the $5 million techno-spiritual computer-game, Obsidian, which Gamezilla magazine called "the very best game in any genre."

Cushnir grew up in a San Fernando Valley suburb, the third of four children. As a teenager he taught American Literature to other teens in the short-staffed school district. He then entered college at the age of sixteen, attending the College of Creative Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, followed by Reed College and UCLA, where he graduated at the age of nineteen. After working his way through school by continuing to teach, and becoming a professional storyteller, Cushnir redirected his energies as an activist for the environment and human rights. He devised innovative media campaigns that included such celebrities as Madonna, Pearl Jam, Demi Moore, and Michael J. Fox.

In 1996, both his career and his marriage fell apart. "It was a classic dark night of the soul," he remembers. "Many people experience something similar in their own lives. The particulars are always different but the core experience is the same - a deep, depressing, gut-wrenching pain. In my case, everything I thought I knew about life went completely out the window."

Then, luckily, one of Raphael's mentors convinced him to embrace the pain instead of turn away from it. He suggested that, in fact, this was a perfect opportunity to "wake up."

This wake-up call drew Cushnir to his new passion – sharing the principles and tools necessary for others to reach an optimum degree of presence and flow. His business background has allowed him to develop talks and training programs that work, not just in an ideal world, but in a cubicle, a staff meeting, a boardroom, and virtually every other arena where today's workers find themselves particularly challenged.

Cushnir's creative background has led him to bring a unique and dynamic flair to his presentations. This includes, for example, using behind the scenes Hollywood lore to humorously demonstrate interpersonal skills. In addition, Cushnir's personal background allows him to address people's greatest emotional hurdles with an in-the-trenches immediacy and authenticity.