Coaches Rising 287 - Charlie Awbery: Vajrayana, Developmental Psychology, and the Practice of Presence
May 7, 2026
Charlie Awbery, a developmental coach and contemplative teacher who blends adult development theory with Vajrayana meditation, guides leaders and AI researchers. They discuss moving from cerebral to somatic intelligence. They explore Vajrayana’s worldly orientation, how embodied presence loosens fixed goals, sensing patterns in the subtle body, and coaching that cultivates shared presence and mutual transformation.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Vajrayana Emphasizes Presence Over Renunciation
- Vajrayana orients practice toward being here and relating skillfully in the world rather than renouncing experience.
- Charlie contrasts sutric renunciation with Vajrayana's transformative connection and pragmatic focus on compassionate activity in everyday life.
Working With Meditating AI Researchers
- Charlie describes coaching clients who are mostly AI researchers and founders, many long-term meditators with deep curiosity about mind and consciousness.
- He notes they combine technical rigor with subjective inquiry, wanting phenomenological understanding of human-AI relationships.
Move From Models To Embodied Presence
- Charlie's core coaching move is to bring conversations from abstract models into embodied presence.
- He invites clients to notice bodily responses in the moment so decisions and design emerge from lived sensing, not just conceptual maps.