Richard Strozzi-Heckler (born in 1944) is an American author,

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

, and consultant on "embodied leadership and mastery."Marshall, L. ''Speak the Truth and Point to Hope: The Leader's Guide to Maturity'', Kendall Hunt (2004) p. 53 He is the founder of the Strozzi Institute, headquartered in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

Biography

Early life and education

Strozzi-Heckler spent his early life in a

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

family, periodically moving to different naval bases. In early adolescence, he began studying

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

, beginning with

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

, then

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

, and

jiujitsu Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdu ...

. He excelled in athletics while in high school and was awarded a scholarship to San Diego State College in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

where he was named All-American in

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

. After a Marine Corps tour of duty in the mid-1960s, Strozzi-Heckler traveled throughout Asia studying

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

and

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally cal ...

. He returned to the United States, eventually earning a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from

Saybrook University Saybrook University is a private university in Pasadena, California. It was founded in 1971 by Eleanor Camp Criswell and others. It offers postgraduate education with a focus on humanistic psychology. It features low residency, master's, and d ...

with an emphasis on mind-body connection.Stone, J., Meyer R. ''Aikido in America'', Frog Books (1995) p. 240 Strozzi-Heckler holds the rank of seventh-degree

black belt Black Belt may refer to: Martial arts * Black belt (martial arts), an indication of attainment of expertise in martial arts * ''Black Belt'' (magazine), a magazine covering martial arts news, technique, and notable individuals Places * Black B ...

in Aikido.Warneka, T. ''Leading People the Black Belt Way: Conquering the Five Core Problems Facing Leaders Today'', Asogomi Publishing International (2006) p. 30 In January 2020, he was awarded Shihan by the International Aikido Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan.

Career

Strozzi-Heckler co-founded the Lomi School in 1970 with Robert K. Hall, Alyssa Hall, and Catherine Flaxman, integrating aikido and bodywork principles into a body-oriented psychotherapy called Lomi Work. In 1976, Strozzi-Heckler, together with

George Leonard George Burr Leonard (August 9, 1923 – January 6, 2010) was an American writer, editor, and educator who wrote extensively about education and human potential. He served as President Emeritus of the Esalen Institute, past-president of the ...

and Wendy Palmer, established the Aikido of Tamalpais

dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the ...

Mill Valley, California Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, Marin County, California, United States, located about north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge and from Napa Valley. The population was 14,231 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ...

. In 1985, he was invited to contribute to a US Army Special Forces project designed to test the effectiveness of integrating various practices into its training program. During the six-month program, he taught aikido and meditation techniques. In 1986, he moved to rural

Sonoma County, California Sonoma County () is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 488,863. Its county seat and largest city is Santa Rosa, California, Santa Rosa. It is to the n ...

outside of

Petaluma Petaluma (Miwok: ''Péta Lúuma'') is a city in Sonoma County, California, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Its population was 59,776 according to the 2020 census. Petaluma's name comes from the Miwok village nam ...

, and developed a methodology, Strozzi Somatics, aimed at reproducing the outcomes of the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

project with individuals and civilian organizations. Strozzi Somatics has been employed in various forms to groups around the world and helped design and implement the

Marine Corps Martial Arts Program The Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP, ) is a combat system developed by the United States Marine Corps to combine existing and new hand-to-hand and close quarters combat techniques with morale and team-building functions and instruction ...

.Jaffe, G
A Few Good Men Try the Marine Martial Art, and Take on 2 Gurus
''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', October 9, 2000 Retrieved 11/26/2011

Beliefs

Pointing out the relationship of thoughts and mood to an individual's body (e.g., posture, facial expression, tone of voice),McLeod, L.E. ''The Triangle of Truth: The Surprisingly Simple Secret to Resolving Conflicts Large and Small'', Penguin (2010) Strozzi-Heckler has said that congruency between these elements and a person's words is a primary characteristic of effective leaders. He asserts that this characteristic can be practiced and improved as reliably as practicing and improving one's skill in a martial art or with a musical instrument. The Strozzi Somatics methodology involves eliciting an individual or organization's defining values and introducing practices that combine conceptual understanding with physical activity in a way that is intended to produce an increase in behavioral traits that are in accordance with those values. Many of these practices are based on aikido movements or principles. In addition to corporate and military leadership, Strozzi Somatics have been applied to

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society. The term en ...

, corrections, professional and Olympic athletics,Helgesen, S. "The Dance of Power" ''Strategy+Business'', Winter 2007/Issue 49

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

, politics,

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fu ...

, and health.

Books

*''The Mind/Body Interface''. Freeperson Press (1975) ASIN B0006YH3I2 *''Aikido and the New Warrior''. North Atlantic Books (1993) *''In Search of the Warrior Spirit''. North Atlantic Books (1997) *''The Anatomy of Change''. North Atlantic Books (1997) *''Holding the Center''. Frog Books (1997) *''Being Human At Work: Bringing Somatic Intelligence Into Your Professional Life''. North Atlantic Books (2003) *''The Leadership Dojo''. Frog Books (2007) *''The Art of Somatic Coaching: Embodying Skillful Action, Wisdom, and Compassion''. North Atlantic Books (2014)

References

External links

Strozzi Institute Website

Two Rock Aikido Dojo
*
The Great Lesson
Web Archive of The Great Lesson: A New Film About Mind and Body: Featuring Richard Strozzi-Heckler {{DEFAULTSORT:Strozzi-Heckler, Richard Saybrook University alumni American aikidoka Life coaches American martial arts writers 21st-century American psychologists 1944 births Living people San Diego State University alumni 20th-century American psychologists