Yosi Amram is a licensed clinical psychologist, a CEO leadership coach, an author, and a pioneering researcher in the field of Spiritual Intelligence. ​

Growing up in a Jewish home in Israel, Yosi found himself surrounded by traditional gender stereotypes. As refugees, his parents fled Iraq after World War II, and his father was absent and emotionally distant most of the time, working two jobs to provide for the family. Yosi was very close, alternatively, with his mother, who was warm, emotive, and nurturing—a stay-at-home mom for most of his childhood. Further reinforcing these stereotypical gender roles was the society in which Yosi grew up, encouraging its men to “toughen up”, disconnect from the sensitivity of their heart—the true source of lasting fulfillment and love—to become warrior soldiers in the wars Israel faced.   

Despite his pacifist leanings, when Yosi was drafted into the military, he held the fastest promotion record in the history of his regiment and received numerous leadership awards. While “excelling” in this culture of aggressive ‘macho’ masculinity, the military chafed at his soul, eventually instilling in him the desire to reimagine our cultural stereotypical models of leadership and gender. Later, after receiving a BS and MS in Engineering from MIT and an MBA from Harvard, Yosi became the founder and CEO of two technology companies that he led through successful Initial Public Offerings (IPOs). ​

Then, in 1996, despite his company’s rising stock price, Yosi experienced a spiritual crisis. It was through this “dark night of the soul” that Yosi came to see through the illusion of separateness, including how it pertains to gender. He awoke to a new understanding of life’s interconnectedness and experienced all of reality emerging from the interplay of masculine and feminine energies. This put him and his value system on a fresh trajectory. He earned a PhD in clinical psychology and initiated his academic research into Spiritual Intelligence, developing the first research-grounded theory and academically validated measure of Spiritual Intelligence (SI) and a model for Spiritually Intelligent Leadership—research that has received over a thousand citations to date. ​

As a therapist and leadership coach working with individuals and couples of all genders and sexual orientations, Yosi has witnessed many clients struggle with issues of gender within themselves and their relationships. Furthermore, following the #MeToo movement, Yosi became even more aware of the interconnection between men’s violence and the shame they experience as men individually and collectively. He realized that men lack healthy role models who can show them how to hold their masculinity with dignity, thus motivating him to form and publish the manifesto for trueMASCULINITY. At the same time, #MeToo also highlighted how we must face and acknowledge the pain, fear, and sense of violation that women have experienced for millennia in order for healing and reconciliation between the feminine and masculine to take place. Against this backdrop, and with an ever growing nuanced complexity of gender identities in our world, was born the idea for this summit. 

Yosi’s personal mission is to awaken greater Spiritual Intelligence in himself (a lifelong journey) and in the world. His book, Spiritually Intelligent Leadership: How to Inspire by Being Inspired is now available to order here (along with 3 bonus gifts) or at your favorite book seller. Yosi is blessed with two wonderful grown children who are the bright stars of his life and enjoys nature, hiking, biking, reading, meditating, and dancing.