Welcome to my newsletter! I’m Ben.
WITHIN is a space for wisdom seekers, restless wanders, and spiritual misfits.
For leaders who are ready to migrate from achievement to authenticity, productivity to presence and purpose, and self-improvement to self-love.
For those who are stuck, lost, or at a crossroads and wondering what’s next.
For anyone who feels the pull to go deeper, but doesn’t know where to start.
I invite you to join me as I explore the inner journey, consciousness, spirituality, creativity, and—full disclosure—whatever else I’m in the mood to get into! As I delve into the wisdom of myths, mystics, and midlife, my hope is that you feel supported to wake up, live fully, and carry out your calling in our hurting world.
“Look within. Within is the fountain of good, and it will ever bubble up, if thou wilt ever dig.”
—Marcus Aurelius
About Me
Hi! I’ve been helping people experience deep transformation and access lives of greater joy, compassion, and purpose for the past twenty years. My work has always been at the intersection of inner life, belonging, and social healing, though it’s been expressed in many ways.
These days, I’m a coach, meditation teacher, and speaker. I’m the founder of the Within Prison Meditation Project, volunteer as a hospice companion, and serve as guest faculty at the Modern Elder Academy. I’m a certified advanced meditation teacher of the world-renowned 1 Giant Mind technique. My first book, The Way Home: Discovering the Hero’s Journey to Wholeness at Midlife (Macmillan), is a guidebook and memoir about the inner journey we all must embark on in order to live our fullest lives.
I hold a Master of Divinity degree and, previously I was an ordained minister for over a decade, worked at The On Being Project, and founded Aurora Commons in Seattle.
This all might sound like serious business… but don’t be fooled! I’m all about embracing levity amid the gravity of life. I’m into dad jokes, enjoy karaoke with friends and strangers, and have been co-writing a TV comedy pilot for two years—stay tuned!
I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with my wife Cherie, our three teenagers, and a bunny.
Thanks for being here.
“I'm a big fan of Ben Katt's wise perspective on the human journey. He's a secular saint who can translate any mystical message into a practical action plan.”
—Chip Conley, NY Times bestselling author and founder of MEA
Why WITHIN?
The word WITHIN has been consistently calling for my attention over the past few years.
It’s a word that sages across time and place have used again and again to describe the spiritual path.
A word that quietly invites us to the true source of happiness, in contrast to a world that constantly screams at us to look outward—toward achievement, productivity, external validation, and material things.
A word that captures the core philosophy of my writing, coaching, and meditation teaching.
It is the home of all wisdom. The wellspring of all creativity. The way to wholeness.
So I decided to call my Substack space WITHIN.
“There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within. Everything exists. Seek nothing outside of yourself.”
—Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
Why subscribe to WITHIN?
WITHIN is a space and a community to help you reclaim the ancient, innate art of going inward—whether you consider yourself spiritual or religious or not. And especially if you are a bit irreverent, somewhat leery about woo-woo things, and can appreciate the occasional pop culture callback.
Free subscribers receive:
A wisdom-filled weekly Sunday morning post in your inbox. Usually brief. Always deep. This your weekly invitation to be will generally include:
Paying subscribers receive:
The nourishing weekly posts mentioned above
The satisfaction of knowing your support is helping make my writing available.
The gift of supporting my prison meditation work through the Within Project.
Other awesome things TBD, such as occasional longer posts or exclusive access to work-in-progress writing from what might be my next book!
Founders receive:
All of the awesome aforementioned stuff above
A HUGE thank you
Something cool in the mail from me!
Where you can find me
Check out my website. Beyond writing, I help leaders who feel stuck, lost, or at a crossroads to reconnect with their inner wisdom, navigate transitions, and step into wholeness through coaching, meditation, and speaking. To learn more and see if we’re a good fit, click here to schedule a free one-on-one call.
Learn about my prison meditation work through the Within Project.
Listen to podcasts I’ve been a guest on.
Connect with me on Notes.
Sometimes I hang out on Instagram, LinkedIn, and sometimes even on TikTok.
