Elizabeth Pyjov

Elizabeth Pyjov’s goal is to make the world more compassionate by helping people practice self-compassion.

She is a founder, CEO, theologian, lawyer, facilitator, published poet, and business school faculty who holds three Harvard degrees, speaks five languages, has lived in seven countries, and has created over a hundred different programs for happiness, energy, connection, and resilience. Through her organizations, Happiness Sangha and Lead with Compassion, she has reached well over 100,000 people.
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Her approach combines what she learned about ritual and meaning at Harvard Divinity School, her literature degree from Harvard College, neuroscience studies at Stanford Medical School, the rigor of Harvard Law School, experience living in seven countries, fluency in five languages, and her time studying with the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Jon Kabat-Zinn to think outside the box and help people find happiness and fulfillment today.
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Elizabeth understands motivated, intelligent individuals. Her past professional experience includes being an Investment Funds Associate at Sidley Austin, human rights work at the United Nations, legal investigations for the New York Attorney General’s Office, and managing Compassion Journal for the Stanford Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. She has also worked in marketing for Italy’s top television station RAI in Rome, and as a literary translator for Italian Nobel Prize-winning author Dario Fo. She now helps organizations all over the world create a more compassionate culture.

Living, working, or studying in Argentina, France, Italy, Peru, Spain, Switzerland, and Russia has led her to understand that among those of different traditions, customs, and religions, people find happiness in many of the same ways. They want to be healthy, do meaningful work, and be close to loved ones—and what brings joy is practicing compassion, self-kindness, and deep awareness.Elizabeth’s clients include the Library of Congress, The Carlyle Group, Novartis, and Deutsche Bank, as well as courts, startups, top law firms, and universities such as Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, and NYU Medical School. This work is the biggest privilege of her life.