About us

A long-time professional strategic planner, intentional living innovator Skip Spitzer developed Zen Do-ism for his personal use. Once his super-doer sister Cindy Spitzer tried it, she never looked back. She helped further develop the method and insisted it be made available to others.

About Skip

Life mission

To enjoy the gifts of life, while actively caring for self, others, and world.

My Zen Do-ism

Over my 61 years I’ve become a very intentional person, a process culminating in the development of Zen Do-ism, a practice for doing what matters to you most and feeling at peace.

Every month, working with my own Zen Do-ism Guide, I think about what matters to me most, how to get there, and how much I want to take on.

In this way, just about everything I do from day to day aligns with my primary goals, which in turn align with my life mission. I get real choice about how busy I am, space to focus, and a more relaxed brain. I don’t have to worry about what I’m not doing and I know that I’m doing what I think best with the wherewithal I have.

Zen Do-ism cycles are like thinking things through with an insightful friend, giving it a go, and learning from how it went. They repeat in a comfortable rhythm in which you keep getting better at making your life more the way you want it.

It’s taken my intentionality to new heights. These days, I’m intending things like raising my 9-year-old son in tricky times, writing about the climate and biodiversity emergencies, and developing software for intentional living.

Some intentions I've fulfilled

Became a self-taught software engineer
Volunteered in war zones in Central America
Ran a “RIE” playgroup for babies and toddlers
Taught sociology at universities and community colleges

Helped negotiate a UN environmental treaty (the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management)
Ran a strategic planning and strategy development consulting business
Earned a certificate in conflict resolution mediation
Completed doctoral studies in sociology
Developed and taught at One and World, a quarantine-year preschool
Sailed across the Monterey Bay in a near gale (a frightening yet impressive first date!)
Became a self-taught technical writer
Wrote about parenting in nature (Spitzer, S. “RIE Principles for Parenting in Nature.” Free Forest School. January 2018)
Became a serious amateur photographer (SkipSpitzerPhotography.net)
Wrote about the underlying institutional bases of social and environmental harm (Spitzer, S. A systemic approach to occupational and environmental health. International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health. 2005; 11: 444-54)
Taught backpacking as Principal at Getting Deeper into the Wilderness
Adopted a whole-food, plant-based diet
Earned a B.A. in economics, with a minor in Hunger, Health, and Poverty in International Perspective
Coordinated an international environmental coalition
Worked as a group process facilitator
Created the Stand Up Kids Club, a community fostering kids’ values and capacities in support of themselves, others, and the world they live in
Organized international solidarity brigades and delegations to Latin America
Went car-free
Co-founded a labor union
Backpacked over a 13,828’ Andean peak, summited a 14,179’ volcano (glissaded 3000′ coming down), and tried to hike at 17,500′ (an intention not fulfilled!)
Worked as a web applications developer and web repairman (FixMyWebSiteNow.com)
Wrote “An open letter to parents about protecting your children from climate change” (Spitzer, S. Age of Awareness)
Wrote about hiking and photography (Spitzer, S. Hiking For Photographers. The Luminous Landscape. July 2014)
Became a UBI Certified Bicycle Technician
Co-founded Vegan Scouts (veganscouts.org)
Developed a method for hiking pole use (Spitzer, S. “Effectively Using Hiking Poles: The Gas-Brake-Coast Method.” BackpackingLight. July 2011)
Went to jail for justice
Co-founded The Bike Church community bicycle tool and repair co-op
Wrote about the toxic chemicals inside our bodies (Schafer, K., Reeves, M., Spitzer, S., and Kegley, S. Chemical Trespass: Pesticides in Our Bodies and Corporate Accountability. Pesticide Action Network. May 2004.)
Created RespondToClimateChange.net, a website for those who have yet to face climate change

About Cindy

Life mission

To enjoy thinking, creating, and loving others and myself.

My Zen Do-ism

I’ve been a super-doer all my life, with many professional and personal achievements. I’ve also often been overloaded and overwhelmed, typically chalking it up to being a can-do woman in a complex world. For decades, I just powered through.

But over time, my health, relationships, and personal fulfillment all paid a long-term price that increasingly outweighed the joy of doing more and more. In short, I was overpaying for my life and in return it was draining and underpaying me.

None of the productivity tools I tried helped much. Instead of boosting efficiency, they proved to be quite inefficient at creating a life of intention and peace of mind. I still ran ragged, routinely running out of day before running out of to-dos.

Meanwhile, some of my most precious values and goals continued to languish on the backburner.

My Zen Do-ism practice has re-sculpted my day-to-day life, whittling away what no longer makes the cut, so that nearly everything I do now deeply aligns with my most important goals, which in turn reflect my highest values and support my personal life mission.

And here’s the magic: even though I’m doing more of what matters most to me, I feel far less rushed and overwhelmed, even more intentional, and at peace.

Some intentions I've fulfilled

Wrote, edited, collaborated on more than 20 books, including Chicken Soup for the Soul and other New York Times bestsellers
Provided individual consulting for more than 700 people in 9 countries
Raised $70+ million from individual investors in 18 months

Learned to operate a 2-story electron microscope for published molecular biology research
Contributed news and feature articles to more than 40 newspapers and magazines
Aced the Series 65 exam to become an Investment Advisor Representative
Hitch-hiked to Woodstock at age 15 with my future husband (we reconnected after 3 decades)
Sold sailboats at boat shows and delivered them all over the United States
Helped launch and run an investment management company, including a startup hedge fund
Raised three spectacular humans
Rode all night in a bus from New York to dodge tear gas at Vietnam war protests in Washington, D.C., as a teenager
Wrote dozens of newsletter articles about evolving macroeconomic conditions and ways to respond to them
Rescued and rehomed dozens of stray dogs and cats
Taught myself to sail as a 13-year-old on Lake George, NY, with a herd of deer swimming frantically beside me (unforgettable!)
Organized neighborhood social events to promote sharing of resources
Developed a method for no-cost home interior redesign
Moved 2 tons/week of fresh produce donated for free-food pantries in Baltimore