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About Lynne Twist

For more than 40 years, Lynne Twist has been a recognized global visionary committed to alleviating poverty, ending world hunger, empowering the status of women and girls, supporting social justice, and environmental sustainability.

The breadth and scope of Lynne’s work ranges from working with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, to working with refugees in camps in Ethiopia and the threatened rainforests of the Amazon, as well as guiding the philanthropy of some of the world’s wealthiest families and working directly with the women who won the Nobel Peace Prize. Lynne’s on the ground work has brought her a deep understanding of global issues, the challenges women and girls face worldwide, people’s relationship with money, and the transformation of human consciousness. Her extensive knowledge and experience has led her to profound insights about the social tapestry of the world and the historical landscape of the times in which we are living.

Acclaimed Author

Her compelling stories and life experiences inspired Lynne to write her best-selling, award-winning book “The Soul of Money: Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Life” (W.W. Norton, 2003) which has been translated into nine languages including Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Bulgarian and Portuguese.

Her most recent book "Living a Committed Life: Finding Freedom and Fulfillment in a Purpose Larger Than Yourself" (Berrett-Koehler, 2022) will be published on October 18, 2022.

In addition, Lynne has contributed chapters to more than ten books including:

• The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life's Direction and Purpose by Oprah Winfrey (Flatiron Books, 2019)

• Nonprofit Management 101: A Complete and Practical Guide for Leaders and Professionals” by Darian Rodriguez Heyman (Jossey-Bass, second addition 2019)

• The Wisdom of Sundays: Life-Changing Insights from Super Soul Conversations by Oprah Winfrey (Flatiron Books, 2017)

• Birth 2012 and Beyond: Humanity’s Great Shift to the Age of Conscious Evolution by Barbara Marx Hubbard (Shift Books, 2012)

• Einstein’s Business: Engaging Soul, Imagination, and Excellence in the Workplace” by Dawson Church, Ph.D. (Elite Books, 2007)

• Women of Courage: Inspiring Stories from the Women Who Live Them, by Katherine Martin (New World Library, 1999)

Ms. Twist has written numerous articles for Huffington Post, The Shift Network, RSF Quarterly, Fetzer Institute, Noetic Sciences Quarterly, and YES! Magazine and Balance.

Consultant and Coach

Founder of the Soul of Money Institute, Lynne has worked with over 100,000 people in 50 countries in board retreats, workshops, keynote presentations and one-on-one coaching in the arenas of fundraising with integrity, conscious philanthropy, strategic visioning and creating a healthy relationship with money.

Her clients cover a wide variety of businesses social profit (nonprofit) and educational institutions including:

• Nobel Women’s Initiative • Conscious Capitalism

• UBS

• Northern Trust

• Wells Fargo

• Microsoft

• Proctor & Gamble

• Women Moving Millions

• Dallas Women’s Foundation

• Power of the Purse

• Charles Schwab

• United Way

• The Red Cross

• Amnesty International

• Sierra Club

• Women Presidents’ Organization

• Young Presidents’ Organization

• Entrepreneurs’ Organization

• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) • The Stanford Business School

• MIT Sloan School of Management

• Harvard University

• Modern Elders Academy

• Ubiquity University

• University of Oregon Business School

• University of Missouri

• University of Washington

• Haskayne School of Business

• New York University

Ms. Twist has been an advisor to many organizations, including the Desmond Tutu Foundation, the Jane Goodall Institute, Network of Grateful Living and The Nobel Women’s Initiative — an initiative of seven living Nobel Women Peace Laureates who work together to end violence against women and girls.

Keynote Speaker

A sought-after speaker, Lynne travels the world giving keynote presentations and workshops for conferences including: United Nations Beijing Women’s Conference, Nobel Women’s Conference on Sexual Violence, State of the World Forum Conference, Alliance for a New Humanity Conference with Deepak Chopra, Synthesis Dialogues with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Women Moving Millions, Visionary Women, and the Governor’s Conference on California Women, among others.

In addition, she has co-presented and shared the stage with some of today’s most influential thought leaders including:

• Oprah Winfrey

• Marianne Williamson

• His Holiness the Dalai Lama

• F.W. de Klerk

• Stephen Covey

• Riane Eisler

• Deepak Chopra

• Barbara Marx Hubbard

• Jane Goodall

• Jean Houston

• John Gray

• Jack Canfield

• Paul Hawken

• Van Jones

• Roshi Joan Halifax and Archbishop Desmond Tutu • Jody Williams

• Leymah Gbowee

• Angeles Arrien

Global Citizen

A teacher by training, Lynne’s desire to contribute to others moved beyond the classroom and onto the world stage when she became the chief fundraising officer for The Hunger Project, raising hundreds of millions of dollars in the course of her tenure.

In 1996, Lynne and her husband, Bill, co-founded The Pachamama Alliance — a social profit (nonprofit) organization whose mission is to empower indigenous people of the Amazon rainforest to preserve their lands and culture and, using insights gained from that work, to educate and inspire individuals everywhere to bring forth a thriving, just and sustainable world.

Lynne’s work as a global citizen encompasses membership in a prestigious group of social profit (nonprofit) boards including the Fetzer Institute, Conscious Capitalism, The Institute of Noetic Sciences, Bioneers, Educating Girls Globally, Youth for Environmental Sanity, Partnerships in Youth Empowerment, Project Biome, igivetrees.org and Women’s Earth Alliance. She is a fellow at the World Business Academy.

Lynne also has served as an advisory board member for the California Institute of Integral Studies, Global Youth Action Network, The International Museum of Women and The Center for Partnership Studies, among others. She is a member in good standing of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, The Social Venture Network, The National Society of Fundraising Executives, The Transformational Leadership Council, Evolutionary Leaders Coalition, The Turning Tide Coalition, Women Donors Network and Conscious Leadership Guild.

As a result of her work as a global citizen, Lynne has been featured in over 10 films including: “The Shift” (Michael Goorjian, 2010), “Crude Impact” (James Jandak Wood, 2006) and “Women of Wisdom and Power” (Lili Fournier, 2000) and “Money & Life” (Katie Teague).

In addition, she has been interviewed by dozens of media including The Huffington Post, “Mehmet Oz Radio,” Oprah and Friends Radio, NPR, The Chicago Tribune, The San Francisco Chronicle and PBS.

Honoree

As a result of her work around the world, Ms. Twist earned an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Centenary College and has won numerous awards including the United Nations Woman of Distinction award, honoring her work to end world hunger; the Purpose Prize Fellow; Humanitarian of the Year Award from Youth at Risk; Humanitarian of the Year Award from the City of Fairfield, Iowa; Heroes of the 21st Century award from the Social Venture Network; Entrepreneurs’ Award from Katalysis Partnership; The Rainforest Champion Award from the Rainforest Action Network; the Nautilus Book Award; the New Dimension Broadcaster Award and the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights Award for Breakthrough Visionary Leadership; the 2015 GOI Peace Award, which she received in Tokyo, Japan; the Greenheart International Award 2016 and the Limitless Women Award 2016.

Ms. Twist was awarded the Auburn Seminary Lives of Commitment Award in April 2020, Conscious Visionary Award from Sedona, Arizona’s Illuminate Film Festival in May 2018, as well as the Service Award from the American India Foundation in March 2018.

Lynne and her husband, Bill, live in San Francisco, California, and take delight in their three adult children and five grandchildren.