Jonathan Ellerby PhD

A Letter From the Heart: Dear Soul Seated

It is with enthusiasm and a deep alignment that I submit my application for the Director of Transformative Design at Soul Seated Journey. Your mission to bridge contemplative wisdom and scientific rigor online in service of human flourishing resonates profoundly with my life’s work, personal path, and extensive study. For 30 years I have studied the process of human transformation as an author, teacher, researcher, consultant and devoted student (I started young!).

 I have a strong and absolutely unique background the science of transformation, research, and program development and delivery – online live, recorded, automated and in person. Since 2020 I have invested a substantial amount of time, energy and personal investment in understanding the amazing capacity and limits of the online, virtual and self-guided healing experience. Having work almost exclusively online the past 5 years and consulted for large tech companies and online spiritual practice organizations, I have a rare view of your opportunity and how to fulfil its greatest potential.  

In the last 7 months I undertook a deep research process for an investor/entrepreneur in the Vancouver area to evaluate and identify the most essential science-backed spiritual and psychological practices for human transformation and change. This research included a market analysis, a study of hybrid self-study-online-live-personal connection models. I have complied my evidence-based findings, and I would gratefully discuss them with you. From somatic therapy to mindfulness and meditation training, there is a wide wellness field with much untapped opportunity. I have assessed several prevalent problems and gaps in online transformative platforms that show excellent UX yet with little understanding of what actually works for people in the real world – including what practices are accessible, how the process of change works, the puzzle of motivation and learning styles, what are the most common reasons for users to abandon a journey of growth and what are the most significant missing elements your competitors have missed.

With 20 years of experience working with leaders, entrepreneurs and change makers, as an executive coach and development consultant – from Fortune 100 CEOs to celebrities, and Indigenous Tribal Leaders to Inner City program managers, I understand the challenges and evolving needs our next generation of leaders must face and master.

For over two decades, I’ve led transformative education, growth and “healing” initiatives at the intersection of spirituality, timeless wisdom, wellness, and evidence-based transformation. I’ve developed integrative healing programs at luxury wellness resorts, created integrative wellness programs within hospitals, revitalized spiritually diverse nonprofits with a heart for social and ecological change, and consulted across cultures and countries to design experiences that change lives. 

I have been studying and curating the transformative process, rooted in spiritual tradition and science, in an amazingly wide range of settings from home study to prisons, boardrooms to wilderness settings, small groups to large conferences, and for people of diverse national, economic and cultural backgrounds. I have partnered with integrative physicians, seasoned psychologists and through my research and podcast I have been in deep conversation with incredible teachers about the most essential elements of human development.

My suitability is best represented in this cover letter and a conversation, as my past work titles and organizations may not show an obvious match to you. As an author, speaker and facilitator, hundreds of my talks, sessions and projects are assumed and not documented. My work is grounded, evidence-informed, and rooted in real-world leadership and experience. As a senior leader I have also led multidisciplinary teams through periods of innovation and change. I believe in service design that doesn’t just solve problems—it evokes purpose and possibility.

I would be honored to join your mission in creating experiences that move people not just forward, but deeper.Thank you for considering my application and I feel hopeful and certain there may be a place for me on your team, if not in this role, perhaps another. I look forward to the possibility of co-creating the next generation of transformative learning at Soul Seated Journey.

Gratefully,
Dr. Jonathan Ellerby