Leadership Embodiment
Embodied Presence as a Leadership Skill – A 2-Day Workshop with Paul King in Vienna
Leadership Seminar in Vienna
Group exercise in the Leadership Embodiment Workshop – conscious physical alignment is the entry point to present-minded leadership.
Leadership Embodiment – When Leadership Begins in the Body
Leadership does not happen in the head alone. It is visible in how we hold our body, how we walk into a room, how we react under pressure – and how we radiate presence when it counts most.
Leadership Embodiment is a practical approach that links body awareness with leadership effectiveness. Developed by Wendy Palmer and recognised internationally, the method helps senior leaders shape their impact intentionally – beyond rhetoric and strategy.
The Leadership Institute Vienna brings this workshop to Vienna in cooperation with Paul King – the first Leadership Embodiment trainer ever certified in Europe.
This seminar complements our seminar offering and our Executive Coaching programmes – designed for leaders who want to work on their impact not only cognitively, but holistically.
Curious whether this format is right for you? We are happy to discuss it with you – confidentially and without obligation. Book your free consultation.
At a Glance: Leadership Embodiment Workshop Vienna
- What it is: Two-day in-person workshop linking body awareness with leadership skill.
- Method: Leadership Embodiment by Wendy Palmer – an internationally established, evidence-informed approach rooted in Aikido, mindfulness and somatic research.
- Trainer: Paul King – Co-Founder of The Beyond Partnership, the first Leadership Embodiment trainer certified in Europe, teaching the work since 2008.
- Language: English.
- Location: Vienna, Austria.
- Host in Austria: Leadership Institute Vienna, Dr. Judith Girschik (ICF PCC).
- Audience: C-Level executives, managing directors, board members, senior leaders, and coaches who want to integrate body-based methods.
- Prerequisites: none – Level 1 is designed for those new to embodiment.
Centred posture under observation – one of the core practices in the workshop.
Who is it for?
This workshop is designed for senior leaders who want to strengthen their executive presence – CEOs, managing directors, board members, and other decision-makers. It is equally valuable for coaches and consultants who wish to integrate body-based methods into their practice. No prior experience with somatic work is required.
The Method: Leadership Embodiment by Wendy Palmer
Leadership Embodiment is an internationally established somatic leadership approach developed by Wendy Palmer – an Aikido teacher and coach based in California – over more than three decades. The method draws on Aikido, mindfulness practice and modern embodiment research.
The core insight: How we stand, breathe and align ourselves shapes what we think, say and decide. Centred posture changes not only how others perceive us, but also how we ourselves experience pressure, stress and complexity – measurably, in behaviour, tone of voice and the quality of our decisions.
The method is used worldwide in corporations, universities, NGOs and in coach education. The standard reference is “Leadership Embodiment – How the Way We Sit and Stand Can Change the Way We Think and Speak” by Wendy Palmer and Janet Crawford.
The Leadership Institute Vienna offers this approach in cooperation with Paul King in Vienna – as one of the few officially authorised hosts in the German-speaking region.
What Sets Leadership Embodiment Apart from Similar Approaches?
Several methods work with the body, mindfulness or presence. Each pursues different goals:
- Classical leadership training works with cognitive models and frameworks (Situational Leadership, feedback techniques, OKRs). It gives you tools — but does not change how you react under pressure.
- Mindfulness training develops inner state and attention. Valuable, but the transfer into concrete leadership situations is often left to the practitioner.
- Classical coaching is largely conversation-based. It builds clarity about goals and patterns, yet rarely works directly with the body as an instrument.
- Body-based therapy (e.g. Bioenergetics, Somatic Experiencing) aims at healing psychological strain — not at leadership effectiveness.
- Aikido or martial arts for executives does work with body principles, but stays in a sporting context and transfers only indirectly into meetings, negotiations and team conversations.
Leadership Embodiment is the only one of these methods explicitly developed for the practice of leaders — designed to make body principles directly applicable in everyday situations: before meetings, in negotiations, in conversations with teams.
About Paul King – Trainer and Co-Founder of The Beyond Partnership
Paul King is Co-Founder of The Beyond Partnership and has worked as a coach and consultant to leaders and organisations for more than 35 years. He was the first person in Europe certified to teach Wendy Palmer’s Leadership Embodiment, and has been delivering the work internationally since 2008 – from London and Dublin to Vienna.
Before specialising in embodiment and coaching, Paul spent several years at Deloitte and PwC. He knows the realities of corporate life, executive boards and senior leadership from the inside – which makes his work especially relevant for executives.
Paul’s training background includes:
- Coach training with Sir John Whitmore (Inner Game / GROW model)
- NLP Master Practitioner and certified NLP trainer
- Tai Ji teacher, trained with Chung Liang Al Huang
- Qigong teacher
- Feldenkrais Practitioner (movement re-education)
- Extensive study of the Alexander Technique and the neuroscience of embodiment
- Certified in Spiral Dynamics – the vertical-development model applicable to individuals, organisations and all human systems
Paul creates a focused, experiential learning environment – in the spirit of inquiry rather than fixing. His goal: to help people connect more deeply with themselves in an embodied way, and through that, build genuine impact in how they lead others.
More about Paul King: The Beyond Partnership · Official Leadership Embodiment profile · LinkedIn
Paul King in direct conversation – clarity in communication starts with presence.
What You Will Learn in This Workshop
The approach follows a simple logic – Performance = Potential − Interference: rather than adding more skill, embodiment reduces the inner interference (tension, reactivity, self-doubt) that stands between you and your full impact under pressure.
- Develop centred presence: Learn to hold an open, calm and integrative posture even in challenging situations.
- Recognise reactive patterns: Understand how stress changes your body posture – and through that, your impact on others.
- Use body intelligence: Activate the often unused link between body, intuition and leadership behaviour.
- Practical techniques you can use immediately: Exercises for everyday moments – before meetings, difficult conversations or public appearances.
- From reacting to acting: Move from anxious or stressed states to a state of balance, openness and creativity.
- Speak plainly, without hardness: Say your truth with clarity and without aggression – and listen without taking things personally.
- Embody psychological safety: Create a felt “we are in this together” sense in the team – as a physical experience, not just a concept.
Typical Application Situations in Leadership Practice
Leadership Embodiment shows its impact precisely where classical leadership training reaches its limits — in the seconds when you must act under pressure. Five examples from the daily reality of C-Level and senior leaders:
- Board meeting under time pressure. You have three minutes to argue against a popular project. Under stress, the body tends to shrink or stiffen — the voice rises, the tone turns defensive. With centred presence, your argument stays clear and your impact authoritative without becoming aggressive.
- Investor call after weak quarterly numbers. Tough questions, critical analysts. Whoever responds with tense shoulders and shallow breathing signals weakness — even when the content is sound. Embodied presence keeps content and body language congruent.
- Termination conversation or restructuring. A difficult message that you genuinely mean as a person. If you go cold inside to protect yourself, the conversation does not arrive with the dignity it deserves. The method teaches you to remain clear and warm at the same time.
- M&A or contract negotiation. The other side shifts tactics, becomes more aggressive, applies pressure. Whoever reacts loses ground. Whoever stays centred can deliberately decide whether to counter, stay silent, or pause the conversation.
- Town hall in times of crisis. The workforce expects clarity and human warmth. Conveying both at once is exactly what centred presence offers — something charts and talking points alone cannot deliver.
Partner exercise: leadership begins with what you sense in your own body.
Workshop Details
Format: Two-day in-person workshop, Level 1
Language: English
Location: Vienna, Austria (the exact venue will be shared upon registration)
Group size: Small group for an intensive learning experience
Fee: EUR 990
Next date: spring 2027 – the exact date will be announced in good time. Places are limited. Register your interest now and we will inform you first as soon as the date is confirmed. Level 2 for graduates is in planning.
Pre-registration & interest: Send an email to office@leadership-institute.at or book a free consultation.