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About Us

Our Mission

Formed in 2016, the Eckhart Tolle Foundation focuses primarily on awakening human consciousness, as well as alleviating – and ultimately ending – the suffering created by the dysfunction of the egoic human mind.

We accomplish this through making Eckhart Tolle’s teachings available to communities in need, and by funding and collaborating with like-minded organizations, especially those who work with youth and students, incarcerated people, hospice patients and the elderly, animals, and other vulnerable beings.

Formed in 2016, the Eckhart Tolle Foundation focuses primarily on awakening human consciousness, as well as alleviating – and ultimately ending – the suffering created by the dysfunction of the egoic human mind.

We accomplish this through making Eckhart Tolle’s teachings available to communities in need, and by funding and collaborating with like-minded organizations, especially those who work with youth and students, incarcerated people, hospice patients and the elderly, animals, and other vulnerable beings.

Board of Directors

Eckhart Tolle

Cofounder and Board Member
Eckhart Tolle is widely recognized as one of the most inspiring and visionary spiritual teachers in the world today.

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Kim Eng

Cofounder and Board Member
Kim Eng is a spiritual teacher and the creator of Presence Through Movement, a powerful practice for awakening consciousness through the body and through movement.

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Erin Jacobson

Cofounder and President
Erin Jacobson, a foundational presence at Eckhart Teachings since its inception in 2000, has dedicated herself to the spiritual well-being of Eckhart Tolle and Kim Eng’s vast global audience, which now spans millions.

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Sibyl Chavis

Board Member 

Sibyl Chavis is based out of Pasadena, California, United States and is the CEO of Sounds True. 

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Tami Simon

Board Member

Tami Simon is the founder of Sounds True, a multimedia company with the mission of disseminating spiritual wisdom.

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Elizabeth Lesser

Board Member

Elizabeth Lesser is the co-founder and senior adviser of Omega Institute, the largest adult education center in the United States focusing on health, wellness, spirituality and creativity.

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Ravi Patel

Board Member

Dr. Ravi Patel is a board certified Medical Oncologist who has been practicing for more
than 30 years.

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Steven Landaal

Board Member

Steven Landaal is an expert in asylum and refugee law and has successfully assisted thousands of clients with family visas and other immigration applications, from initial entry into the United States through application for citizenship.

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Our Staff

Aly Waibel

Executive Director

Aly Waibel, PhD, is an accomplished executive with over 15 years of nonprofit leadership experience.

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Diane Downend

Finance

Diane Downend is a financial executive with a broad range of experience in accounting, tax, auditing, treasury oversight and risk management.

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Christopher Jacob

Outreach and Communications

Chris Jacob has been a student of Eckhart’s teachings for more than a decade and is grateful to help support others on their awakening journeys through Eckhart’s work.

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Christopher Jacobs

Outreach Coordinator
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Full bio

Tony Hawkins

Web Design

Tony is a product designer with over 15 years of experience in the tech industry, dedicated to blending design, technology.

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© 2024 The Eckhart Tolle Foundation
PO Box 1020, Lafayette, CO 80026 USA
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© 2024 The Eckhart Tolle Foundation
PO Box 1020, Lafayette, CO 80026 USA

Thank you for helping expand the reach of Eckhart's teachings

Join The Community

Connect

  • Indicates Required

Join our mailing list to receive occasional updates and learn more about how you can support our work of accelerating the awakening of human consciousness to create a more peaceful and harmonious world.

Powered By

© 2024 The Eckhart Tolle Foundation
PO Box 1020, Lafayette, CO 80026 USA

With his international bestsellers The Power of Now and A New Earth—translated into more than 50 languages—he has introduced millions to the joy and freedom of living life in the present moment. The New York Times has described him as “the most popular spiritual author in the United States,” and in 2011, Watkins Review (now Watkins Mind Body Spirit) named him “the most spiritually influential person in the world.”
Eckhart’s profound yet simple teachings have helped countless people around the globe experience a state of vibrantly alive inner peace in their daily lives. His teachings focus on the significance and power of Presence, the awakened state of consciousness, which transcends ego and discursive thinking. Eckhart sees this awakening as the essential next step in human evolution.
She leads retreats and workshops internationally in partnership with Eckhart Tolle, and she teaches immersive online courses, including the breakthrough four-week immersion Awakening Through the Pain-Body. Her approach incorporates Eckhart’s wisdom into an embodied practice, enabling a deepening of Presence, the awakening of consciousness in our physical form.
She is also the creator of the instructional Presence Through Movement videos Qi Flow Yoga and Yin Yoga and the guided audio programs Meditations for a New Earth and Resist Nothing, featuring practices for addressing inner challenges to living a life of Presence.
From the humble beginnings of Eckhart Teachings, where the organization operated out of a tiny living room, Erin has been an integral part of its evolution. Having experienced the entire journey, she embodies a unique perspective in that she has touched nearly every facet of Eckhart Teachings since its modest origins.
Erin has played a pivotal role in disseminating the teachings to the world, moving beyond the early days of folding flyers, customer service, audio/video production and order fulfillment to navigate and usher the organization through various phases spanning more than two decades. Bringing together inspired partnerships committed to the acceleration of consciousness, Erin consistently seeks new ways to make Eckhart and Kim’s teachings more accessible to a broad audience through various channels such as in-person engagements, virtual live events, online courses, multiple free digital platforms, a publishing imprint, The Eckhart Tolle Now community, and The Eckhart Tolle Foundation.
Cofounding The Eckhart Tolle Foundation in 2016, Erin serves as President, furthering the reach of Eckhart and Kim’s teachings to underserved communities such as youth, hospices, and incarcerated people.
Her commitment to upholding the authenticity of the teachings is central to her leadership, with the organization’s primary mission being to disseminate Eckhart and Kim’s spiritual wisdom for the benefit of all.
She earned her Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Michigan and Juris Doctorate degree from Harvard Law School. Following law school, Sibyl began her career practicing law at a leading law firm in Atlanta, Georgia. From there, she became an Executive Vice President at one of the top multicultural advertising agencies, where she played a key role in helping grow the company, with billing and personnel tripling over the course of her tenure.
Sibyl left the lucrative corporate world on the East Coast to create a life of greater clarity and purpose. She is passionate about her work with Sounds True, a multimedia publishing company that works with some of the leading spiritual teachers and visionaries of our time.
Over its 36-year history, Sounds True has grown into a multimedia publisher that has produced over 6,000 titles, has been included twice in the Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing companies, and is North America’s leading publisher of spoken-word spiritual teachings.
A pioneer in the conscious-business movement, Simon focuses on bringing authenticity and heart into the workplace while honoring multiple bottom lines. She hosts a weekly podcast, “Insights at the Edge,” interviewing leading spiritual teachers, and with Sounds True has also released the audio program “Being True: What Matters Most in Work, Life, and Love.”
She is the author of Cassandra Speaks; Marrow; The Seeker’s Guide; and the New York Times bestseller Broken Open.
For more than 30 years, Lesser has studied and worked with leading figures in the fields of healing, spiritual development and cultural change. Her work at Omega has included co-directing the organization, curriculum research, conference weaving, teaching and writing the yearly Omega catalog, a reference book that describes the work of some of the most eminent thinkers and practitioners of our times. She has given two popular TED talks and is one of Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul 100, a collection of one hundred leaders who are using their voices and talents to elevate humanity. She lives in New York’s Hudson Valley with her family.
He founded Comprehensive Blood & Cancer Center in Bakersfield, CA in 1984, growing it from a 1,200 square foot office with one employee into the comprehensive, community focused, diagnostic, treatment, educational and research-based cancer center it is today with over 250 employees and a 120,000 square foot campus.
While serving as managing director of the center, Dr. Patel continues to actively care for his patients and serve as principal investigator on the center’s many clinical research studies. Dr. Patel is actively involved with the leading pharmaceutical manufacturers and academic research programs to assure that cancer patients in Kern County have access to the most cutting-edge medicines and treatments available anywhere in the world.
Steven is a 1985 graduate of the University of Southern California Law Center and his undergraduate degree is from Washington University in St. Louis. For ten years prior to attending law school, he was in business with Europe and Africa. He has traveled widely, visiting more than 40 countries. As a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Steven Landaal he has served for three years as that organization’s liaison to the Los Angeles Asylum Office of the USCIS.

She excels at collaborating with diverse stakeholders and developing innovative programs to support social impact organizations at all stages of development.

Aly began studying Eckhart’s and Kim’s teachings in 2004 and is passionate about the transformative power of their work. An experienced practitioner of meditation, inquiry, and embodiment practices, Aly holds a Ph.D. in Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies with a focus on lifelong learning, somatic learning and contemplative education. As one of the first certified teachers of Stanford Medical School’s Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) program, she has delivered and designed educational programs for teachers, healthcare workers, therapists and community leaders.


Aly has been a key contributor to grants awarded by prestigious foundations, including Meyer Memorial Trust, Ford Family Foundation and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). She has co-authored a book chapter and other publications, and has also served as a peer reviewer for Mindfulness, an international journal.
Highly regarded for her communication skills, collaborative spirit, and ability to motivate and inspire others, Aly integrates her leadership and educational experience with compassion to create positive change for individuals, organizations, and communities.


A career that began at Deloitte in San Francisco led to positions with privately-held companies whose common thread is real estate development.  She currently serves as CFO for a residential real estate developer in Northern California

Diane is a long-time community volunteer.  Highlighting Diane’s passion for affordable housing, she served on the Finance Committee for Med-Pen Housing for over twenty years.  She served on parent teacher association boards as president, treasurer and auditor.  Diane is currently serving as treasurer for the Palo Alto Community Fund, a locally focused grant making organization.  Diane has also spent time working with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, assisting with an accounting system conversion and annual external audit.  
Diane joined the Eckhart Tolle Foundation team in 2023 as a financial advisor, assisting with routine accounting, financial reporting, tax compliance and treasury management.
Christopher Jacob is a passionate creative executive, activist and entrepreneur. A graduate of the University of Southern California where he received his undergraduate degree in Public Relations and a master’s in Marketing Communication Management, Chris believes in the transformative power of storytelling and compelling content. He started a successful marketing agency working with Fortune 50 brands, media companies, non-profits and some of the world’s biggest public figures. In 2021, Forbes named Chris one of the most inspiring entrepreneurs in America.
More than a decade since starting his company, Chris has found his deepest love in the area of spirituality and self-transformation. His spiritual awakening journey has spanned nearly a decade and now Chris’ focus is to infuse the power of spiritual energy and higher consciousness into the areas of entrepreneurship, entertainment, media and social impact. Eckhart Tolle’s work has been a driving catalyst throughout Chris’ awakening journey and he is so grateful to help support many more in reaching Eckhart’s life-changing teachings.
Tony is a product designer with over 15 years of experience in the tech industry, dedicated to blending design, technology, and creativity for meaningful impact. Inspired by Eckhart Tolle’s teachings, he brings a sense of presence and conscious awareness to his work. Beyond design, Tony is passionate about travel, sports, music, and creating solutions that add genuine value to people’s lives.