CMC differs from conventional coaching programs in five ways:

CMC has been primarily designed for three groups:

A core coaching skill taught in CMC is meeting every person in their own language and framework. You will not be expected to use terms like ‘soul’ or ‘mystic’ with every client. The program trains you to draw out each person’s own spiritual or meaning-making foundation—whether they call it faith, values, purpose, or something else entirely—and coach from that place. In institutional contexts, the framing can shift to leadership development, presence, and purpose without losing the essence of the work.

CMC focuses on the skills you need to coach from the mystic core, and it does not directly focus on marketing, pricing, or business development.

However, it does meaningfully strengthen the foundations of a viable coaching practice:

While this program is best suited for those who already hold a reverence for the transcendent—whether through a formal spiritual practice, a set of deep convictions, or a sincere curiosity about life’s deeper questions—it is not a religious program.

You do not need to follow a specific religious tradition, or any tradition at all. CMC draws from mystic traditions across many cultures, including Kabbalah, Taoism, Buddhism, Sufi Islam, Sikhism, Hinduism, Mystic Christianity, and others. However, it is not affiliated with a single religion or denomination. All pathways are honored equally, and spiritual inclusivity is an explicit, core commitment of the program.

In addition to these mystic traditions, CMC also draws upon the latest scientific findings on human nature from fields like neuroscience and psychology, and honors the rich intersections we see today between science and spirituality.

The Soul Map is a proprietary, AI-enhanced assessment developed by Mentora that combines psychological rigor with spiritual insight. Unlike personality assessments that place people in rigid categories, the Soul Map uses narrative inquiry (15 deep, reflective questions) to reveal each person’s unique energetic code, including their divine spark, life purpose, and growth areas. CMC participants are equipped with their own Soul Map and learn how to offer it to their clients and teams.

The LiFT (Leading-in-the-Flow) platform is Mentora’s AI-enhanced digital platform that helps participants integrate soul-guided practices into the daily flow of life and work. It provides on-demand access to training materials, lectures, and ongoing support beyond the CMC retreats and virtual sessions.

CMC retreats are fully immersive. Days are richly structured from morning through evening, with a blend of guided sessions, shared practice, and reflective time. The work we will be doing together asks for your full presence.

We understand that senior professionals carry significant responsibilities. Both of the retreats we offer have been scheduled over weekends to ease the burden on your calendar, and breaks will be built into the schedule and shared in advance. That said, we ask participants to protect this time as fully as possible, both for their own experience and out of respect for their fellow cohort members.

Yes. We have a long-term vision for this work. The CMC program will be offered at least once a year, and potentially more frequently as our community grows. If other commitments prevent you from joining this inaugural cohort, please stay in touch and look out for future offerings.

Dr. Hitendra Wadhwa is Founder & CEO of Mentora Institute and Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School, where he received the Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence for his leadership elective, “Personal Leadership & Success.” He holds an MBA and PhD from MIT’s Sloan School of Management, has coached dozens of Fortune 100 C-suite executives, and is the author of Inner Mastery, Outer Impact: How Your Five Core Energies Hold the Key to Success. His article, “Leading in the Flow of Work,” was published by Harvard Business Review, and his work has also been featured in Fortune, Forbes, Financial Times, and more.

John P. Schuster, PCC, is a seasoned ICF-certified executive coach, trainer, and author of five books, including Answering Your Call: A Guide to Living Your Deepest Purpose. He has dedicated over 20 years to teaching in distinguished coaching schools, including Columbia University’s Teachers College and the Hudson Institute of Coaching. John served as a mentor and coach at the ExCo Group for 17 years. He holds two master’s degrees.

The CMC program is offered through Mentora Institute. While Dr. Wadhwa holds an adjunct faculty position at Columbia Business School and John Schuster has taught coaching programs at Columbia University’s Teachers College, CMC is not a Columbia program.

We have a limited amount of scholarship funds available for participants with economic constraints who are fully committed to the program. If cost is a prohibitive consideration for you, please reach out to Blair Kimmel at blair@mentora.institute.

Yes, employer and institutional sponsorship is common, particularly for participants coming from educational or nonprofit settings. Please reach out to Blair Kimmel at blair@mentora.institute if you would benefit from our guidance in requesting sponsorship from your organization.

A formal certification is not explicitly required, but the CMC program is designed for participants with at least five years of coaching experience or a deep background in leadership or organizational development work.

For the Immersive retreat (June 16–19), please arrive the evening of June 15. For the Integration retreat (September 15–18), please arrive the evening of September 14.

Yes, the $2,000 room and board fee covers four nights of on-site accommodation plus all meals during the retreat.