How to Integrate the
Shadow and the IDGS

A Three-Session Workshop for Coaches, Consultants, and Facilitators

All sessions will occur on Zoom from
1:30-3pm EST/ 7:30-9pm CET
on the following dates:

Wed, January 28th
Wed, Februrary 4th
Wed, February 11th

Cost:
Early Bird (by Jan 21st) $249
After Jan 15th: $299
20% of proceeds will be donated to the IDG Foundation

Watch this 2-minute
video to learn more:

Interest Form

Complete this form to recieve more information
about how to register for the workshop.

Overview

As the Inner Development Goals (IDGs) gain global momentum, more and more practitioners are being called to teach essential inner skills like self-awareness, presence, compassion, and courage.

Here’s the challenge: we cannot cultivate these qualities fully — in ourselves or others — without facing the shadow.

This live, interactive series is for facilitators, coaches, educators, and inner development practitioners who want to understand and teach the IDGs with greater authenticity, depth, and psychological integrity.  It is being offered by Dr. Max Klau, a Harvard-trained author, coach and speaker, and the Founder of the Center for Courageous Wholeness. This class has been designed to build upon the “Story from the Field” that Max shared from the main stage at the 2025 IDG Summit in Stockholm, in which he described his work guiding aspiring politicians in the U.S. through the process of confronting shadow.  

In this class, we will explore the concept of shadow and explore practical approaches to integrating shadow into efforts to teach inner development skills in ways that are powerful and effective.  

Who Is This For?

  • Coaches who are focused on using the IDGs in their work with clients

  • Consultants who are seeking to bring the IDG Framework to their work with organizational clients

  • Facilitators who create processes and dialogue informed by the IDG framework

  • Champions of the Inner Development Goals who are seeking practical, effective approaches to teaching and training the IDG dimensions and skills in ways that integrate a focus on shadow.

What You’ll Gain

  • A deeper understanding of the psychological shadow — and why ignoring it undermines inner development.

  • Practical exercises and insights for teaching IDG dimensions and skills in ways that integrate an understanding of the shadow.

  • Live guidance and expert facilitation from Dr. Max Klau — a Harvard-trained leadership expert who has spent decades developing a practical and effective approach to inviting leaders to confront their shadow.

  • Two to three ready-to-use exercises that blend shadow work with IDG themes.

  • An opportunity to design and share your own shadow-integrated activity, with feedback from peers and Dr. Klau.

  • A community of thoughtful, values-aligned practitioners committed to inner and outer transformation.

Watch Dr. Klau’s eight minute
“Story from the Field” Presentation at the IDG Summit

About This Work

  • The Inner Development Goals (IDG) initiative is built on the insight that large-scale transformation is only possible when inner growth is integrated into leadership, organizations, and institutions. Max Klau provides a powerful roadmap for integrating inner development into large-scale systems. Drawing from his years of experience designing and refining a national nonprofit’s approach to inner growth, he shares hard-earned insights on what works, the obstacles that arise, and how to navigate them. At a time when organizations worldwide are recognizing the urgency of this work, Klau’s book is an essential resource for those seeking to embed inner development at the heart of leadership and change.

    Jan Artem Henriksson
    Executive Director, The Inner Development Goals Initiative
    & Co-Founder of the Inner Development Goals Foundation

  • In a time when our nation is hungry for purpose-driven leadership, Max Klau offers a roadmap for the kind of transformation we so desperately need. As a combat veteran, an entrepreneur, and now a member of Congress, I’ve learned that real leadership isn’t about titles or ego—it’s about service. And as Max Klau makes clear, true servant leadership begins within. It challenges us to connect with our deepest sense of purpose and confront our own shadow—the fears, biases, and blind spots that limit our ability to lead with authenticity. That inner work isn’t optional; it’s essential. You can take my word for it: This stuff works.

    Congressman Pat Ryan,
    U.S. Representative, NY-18;
    former Army officer and tech entrepreneur

  • In a world torn by division and crisis, how do we cultivate leaders who truly serve? Max reveals how to develop servant leaders at scale—expanding leadership beyond individual efforts to create systemic change. Drawing on decades of experience, Max Klau maps blueprint for leaders who prioritize improving the lives of others.

    Betsy Myers

    Chief Operating Officer for Obama’s 2008 national campaign. Founding director of the Center for Women and Business at Bentley University and former Executive Director of the Center for Public Leadership Harvard’s Kennedy School. Author of Take the Lead:  Motivate, Inspire and Bring Out the Best in Yourself and Everyone Around You.

  • Scale is the hallmark of our era. Max Klau explores where less courageous thinkers dare not tread: how to bring life-affirming practices between leaders and followers into the world on a scale that transforms humanity’s precarious future.

    Ira Chaleff
    Author of The Courageous Follower: Standing Up To and For Our Leaders and To Stop a Tyrant: The Power of Political Followers to Make or Brake a Toxic Leader.