John Heider
Dr. John Heider, a teacher, and Taoist at heart was a prominent figure in the Human Potential Movement. He believed everyone could achieve an exceptional quality of life through learning and creativity. Heider worked at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, starting as a Resident, becoming one of their most memorable facilitators.
He then founded the Human Potential School of Mendocino, where he led personal growth and training groups. Heider held workshops to help others maximize their full human potential for over 40 years. Heider wrote The Tao of Leadership in 1985, and it has been translated into 17 languages since then. In 2000, John Heider wrote The Tao of Daily Living.
John Heider was the son of two psychology professors who taught at Kansas University, and he spent part of his childhood growing up in Lawrence. Heider graduated from Harvard in 1960, Heider received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Duke University in 1968. He left California and returned to Kansas from 1971-1973 and again in 1987, where he had a residence.