Philip Folsom has gone into the dark woods and what he learned there is that individuals and organizations can DO and BE ANYTHING if two things are in place: a model of success and the tools to reach it.  Philip’s game-changing tools have dramatically improved the lives of over 500,000 individuals over the last 25 years through his work at the Leadership Institute.  He is acknowledged as an industry leader in team building, leadership and especially Los Angeles high ropes challenge courses and professional development adventure programs.

After many years of helping write curriculums and facilitating programs for military veterans and emergency first responders struggling with post-traumatic stress, Philip co-found The SPARTA Project, a warrior healing nonprofit for veterans and emergency first responders who struggle with post-traumatic stress. The SPARTA Project has conducted its healing programs in Canada, Australia and across the United States.

Philip's work spans the who’s who of the corporate world where he works regularly for the management of notable fortune 50 companies as Sony, Microsoft, Dreamworks, Medtronic, Apple and Northrop Grumman and as a high performance Tribe culture coach with game-changing organizations such as SpaceX, Virgin Galactic and the High Performance Department of RedBull, North America. He also facilitated programs for world changing non-profits such as The Red Cross and AmeriCorps government programs, as well as both military and police departments across the country.

Philip Folsom’s work is commonly referred to as “transformational”, “game-changing” and “the best investment we’ve ever made in our organization” (Fox Pictures) by his clients.  His reputation in the team development world is legendary, however it started as a means of personal healing.

Philip came from the backwoods of Washington State where he was raised in a house heated in the winter only by a wood stove and the bathroom was a crude outhouse.  Electricity was sporadic and came from a generator out in the woods.  He was raised by a single mom and joined the Army at age 17. 

By 23 Philip had experienced not only poverty and failure but also addiction and many violent deaths leading to a moment of clarity.  From rock-bottom it is fairly easy to be fearless and Philip made the fearless choice to literally rebuild his life from scratch and discover what made it work at a ferociously optimized level.   This relentless quest has led Philip to explore fringe industries and experiences such as equestrian therapy, Zen Archery, Wolf programs, high challenge ropes courses and Tibetan Death Meditations. 

Philip also spent several years as a professional ballet dancer to continue his journey.  He has taken all the treasure that he has found on his quests and brought it to his clients in his revolutionary Tribe, Final Stone, Wisdom of the Pack and Fight in the Shade programs.

Philip’s work has been featured in a host of industry publications, on podcasts and numerous national television programs including The Biggest Loser, The Letter, For Love or Money, Celebrity Fitcamp and Cholos Try where they refer to him as ‘The Dali Lama of the Woods.’

Philip is a jiu jitsu practitioner and has a love for high performance motorcycles, photography, skateboarding, reading and venturing into the outdoors.

He lives in Venice, California, with his wife Tanya, daughter Makai and their black labrador, Nikka.

RED BULL ESports - Learning with Wolves 

Away From Keyboard Season 1, Episode 5

The cholos join an adventure-based, corporate team building activity, partnering with a group of investment bankers in series of physical exercises. Will we see personal growth and leadership development?

BUILDING YOUR WOLFPACK - Philip Folsom

Autism Live

Shannon talks to Phillip Folsom about his wolfpack theory and how it applies to the autism community.