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Awakened AcademyAwakened Academy
Golden light at sunrise

Spiritual Awakening + Coaching & Business Systems Training
for the Next Generation of Awakened Leaders

Our mission is to restore dharma to the world. We are dedicated to bringing back beauty, wealth and freedom to the lives of those we serve, through higher consciousness, fearless creativity and awakened living.

You are an eternal spiritual being.

You came into this world for a reason.

You're an awakened leader.

It's your time.

Why wait?

The Founders

Awakened Academy was co-founded by
Michael Mackintosh & Arielle Hecht

Michael Mackintosh

Michael Mackintosh

Founder · Lead Mentor

Michael is known as the mentor for spiritual entrepreneurs. He helps awakened souls reawaken their vision, unlock their genius, and systematically transform ideas into tangible income, impact, and freedom without losing their soul in the process.

Michael began teaching what would later be called spiritual life coaching in 2004, before the term existed, in a small room opposite King's College, Cambridge. 28 years of daily meditation and a personal journey through addiction, depression, and awakening became the foundation of the work.

An international bestselling author and host of the Don't Die With Your Song Inside podcast, Michael has co-founded Superhero Training, Ombar Chocolate, Awakened Academy, and Liberated Life Productions. His meditations on Insight Timer have been reviewed 85,000+ times.

Today Michael lives on the island of Kauai, mentors students 1-on-1 as part of every certification cohort, and writes on spiritual coaching, dharma, and the inner work of being a spiritual leader.

650+
Certified coaches
25+
Countries
Since 2004
Teaching
“The more we help others get what they want, the more we get everything that we want.”
Arielle Hecht

Arielle Hecht

Co-Founder · Higher Self Mentor

Arielle is a Higher Self mentor who supports authentic spirituality and living from truth, service, and wealth. Her work helps deeper souls step into the fullest version of who they came here to be, without burning out their nervous system along the way.

A globally regarded meditation teacher and singer-songwriter, Arielle is the author of 3 Seconds to Being Your Higher Self, a guide for spiritual coaches and seekers learning to anchor in their highest state on command. Her meditations on Insight Timer have reached millions of listeners.

Arielle co-founded Awakened Academy with Michael in 2014 and leads the deeper transformational group work alongside the certification program. She also brings the feminine balance to the Academy's curriculum: presence, embodiment, voice, and the slower work of integration.

Outside of Awakened Academy, Arielle records sacred music, leads private retreats, and continues a long-standing daily meditation practice that informs every part of the work.

2014
Co-founded AA
Author
Higher Self
Daily
Meditation since 2008
“You are not separate from your Higher Self. You are three seconds away from remembering.”
Our Philosophy

The Four Awakened Pillars

The spiritual worldview underneath everything we teach.

I

We are all spiritual family

  • We are all unique spiritual beings part of One spiritual family.
  • We're guests here from a Spiritual World.
  • In that Spiritual World is our Spiritual Parent, the One, also known as God or the Divine.
  • We belong to that One.
II

Everyone has a unique and special part to play

  • Everyone has a part to play in the world. Everyone has something to do here that is unique to them.
  • Everyone has some intimate connection with the world.
  • Everyone has their own unique path. You'll know you've found it when you feel at peace, aligned with your life, and a sense of deep belonging.
III

We each have a responsibility to become #1 of ourselves

  • Everyone has their own personal highest version of themselves, #1 of yourself, not #1 of anyone else.
  • Your mission can be big or small. The point is, it's YOUR mission, your dharma. You will feel deep peace on the inside when you are living it.
IV

By connecting with the One, we return to being #1 of ourselves

  • Our aim in this life is to become #1 of ourselves and to return to our original path and highest way of being.
  • In order to return to our highest self, we forge a connection with our Spiritual Parent/Friend/Bestower, the One, so we can purify old patterns and experience higher states of Being.
  • This One is our North Star, here to help us return to the health, wealth and happiness that is our natural state.
Why We're Different

What sets the Academy apart

A soul-based approach (not ego-based)

Most personal development is "personality-based" development, ego development, aiming to provide a quick fix to a deeper problem. This patchwork, slap-on-a-fake-smile, learn to manipulate people approach is highly ineffective. It's based on the idea that you can fool others (or yourself) into believing you are OK using forced techniques.

Sadly, this approach fails miserably with deeper souls who have deeper issues to address (and a clearer conscience and BS detector).

Our soul-based approach starts from the awareness that you are already a spiritual being. You don't have a soul, you are a soul. Spirituality is not something you get or learn; it's what you are. You can't chase after spiritual awakening, you can only remove the blocks to it.

Spiritual progress means returning back to your original state by releasing the junk that was picked up along the journey. It's about developing your inner nature, strengthening your spiritual powers, and mastering your mind, body and patterns, so you can transform your life from the inside out.

Awakened Academy is for you, the soul.

We help deeper souls, and celebrate you being different

Thousands of people have come to us after they've tried mainstream personal and spiritual development and found it didn't work for them. Many mainstream books and courses simply don't go deep enough, they may be popular, but they don't get to the core of your challenges and deeper needs.

All our content, books, products, programs and services are designed for old souls, deeper souls who are spiritually-minded and want more. Other people don't get you, but we do. And we think you're awesome for being different.

Designed for high-achieving introverts and empaths

Our work is designed for souls who thrive on alone time and need to take time away from the world, people and stimulation to relax, recharge and rest.

Many courses are designed for more extroverted souls who thrive socializing and gaining their energy from being very active and engaged with others. We're sensitive souls ourselves, and thrive with ample alone time and just a few souls at a time.

We're here to help you recharge, go deep, and be at peace with your more sensitive nature. We embrace and support your softly powerful nature.

Leading-edge information for the new paradigm

Most personal development work is based on old-paradigm models of success that promote greed, consumerism, materialism and dog-eat-dog competition. They bolster the ego and promise spiritual methods to achieve materialist goals.

We're here to help you discover your own true dreams and attain happiness, love, freedom and abundance that's sustainable, reliable, and doesn't involve wrecking the planet or hurting other people. The new paradigm of success is one where you awaken to your higher self and follow your highest calling, creating a heaven on earth, starting in your own home.

A truly holistic approach

Many experts believe only their one way of doing things is right. If you go to a traditional doctor, you'll probably be treated with pills, as if the only thing wrong with you is your physical body. This one-dimensional view is limited and flawed.

You are a multi-dimensional being with eight levels of reality: spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, behavioral, environmental, social and financial. If you are out of balance in any of these areas, it will eventually sabotage other parts of your life.

We help you upgrade all areas of your life so you can live a truly soul-based, successful life here on Earth.

The best of East & West

Awakened Academy combines the most powerful, effective and proven techniques and insights from both East and West, timeless spiritual truths integrated with the most effective and proven methods of the modern world.

East
  • Meditation & higher consciousness
  • Raja Yoga
  • Bhagavad Gita
  • Vedanta
  • Hatha Yoga
  • Advaita
  • The Dharmapada
  • Ayurveda
  • Vedic Astrology
West
  • 80/20 Law
  • Results-based thinking
  • Power of full engagement
  • Work-the-systems mentality
  • Power of story
  • NLP
  • Positive psychology
  • Hypnosis
  • Human Design
  • Jungian psychology
  • Whole-food nutrition

Sanctuary & soul-family connection

Many souls feel disconnected from mainstream western culture. We provide a sanctuary where you can connect with like-minded souls and feel seen and heard for being who you are. It's a relief to be able to talk about deeper things on your mind without being judged or misunderstood, instead, you are loved, appreciated and met by a soul family who actually gets you.

Lasting changes, not patchwork

A soul-based approach is about feeling good now while achieving lasting results. You enjoy the process of change while you move gently into your dream reality via your state of consciousness, presence and actions.

It's the opposite of the ego-based approach, which is about adding more fake patchwork on top of the mess. With a soul-based approach, we face the things that no longer work and heal them from the inside out, no more lying, avoiding or pretending.

You can keep up the patchwork on a broken house full of cracks. Or you can demolish the old home and build a beautiful new one based on your true values, real dreams and eternal essence. The choice is yours.

Do less, achieve more

One of the main principles we work with is the law of the vital few, the 80/20 law. A tiny percentage of what we do (20% or less) creates massive positive impact, while most of what we do (80%) has a poor result and could often be removed entirely.

We help you get clear on what's draining your energy and what's working, then remove or reduce the 80% that's pointless and increase the 20% that matters most. The result: double or triple your productivity, take longer breaks, get results up to 16x faster, reduce stress, increase happiness.

What would you love to make 16x better today?

We're living it. Based on real practical experience.

Our work is based on years of dedicated research, study, teaching and personal experience. These teachings come to you having been grounded into practical life and having helped thousands of people all over the world.

This is not one of the countless weekend certification programs where anyone can become a certified expert and then try to heal others before they've applied it to themselves. We believe it's essential to learn only from people who have what you want in their real life.

Beautiful settings, Sedona & Hawaii

The work we do comes from our homes on the paradise island of Kauai, Hawaii, and the sacred desert land of Sedona, Arizona. You get to enjoy the aloha vibes, beautiful nature, beaches and island life with us, along with the mystical golden energy of the sacred desert.

Planet Earth from space
Our Vision

A vision bigger than us

Spiritual Coaching & Sacred Business

Through our work with 5 million souls, we enable awakened leaders to transform 100 million lives through coaching, authoring, speaking and teaching.

Free Spiritual Education

We enable 1 billion people to access core spiritual education for free so they may know themselves, connect to Source and awaken during this pivotal time on Earth.

An Invitation

An invitation to awakening

Right now a global awakening is sweeping through the field of consciousness of humanity, and we are entering a new paradigm, faster than most of us can keep up with. What used to work, no longer does. There is a call for higher consciousness and a real remembering of who we truly are, why we're here and what life is all about.

We know you are a deeper soul with a drive in your heart to fully awaken and help others in a big way. We are here for you.

We also know you are sensitive and empathic, and that your spiritual practice and creating from a higher state of being is important to you. You want to make a difference in the world. And you don't want to sell out.

How to merge the two together?

Awakened Academy is where heart-centered business meets spiritual practice. In the new paradigm, business is a spiritual practice.

Welcome to Awakened Academy.

Pioneering spiritual life coaching since 2004. Certifying life coaches since 2012.

Good evening, beautiful soul.
A meditation for you
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