Sharon Salzberg is a meditation pioneer, world-renowned teacher, and New York Times
bestselling author. She is among the first to bring mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation to
mainstream American culture over fifty years ago, inspiring generations of meditation teachers
and wellness influencers. A co-founder of The Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, Sharon
is the author of fourteen books, including the New York Times bestseller Real Happiness, now
in its second edition, and her seminal work, Lovingkindness. Her popular podcast, The Metta
Hour, has amassed over eight million downloads and features interviews with thought leaders
from the mindfulness movement and beyond.
Born in New York City in 1952, Sharon experienced considerable loss and turmoil as a child.
She graduated summa cum laude from the State University of New York, Buffalo, with a
Bachelor of Arts in 1972. Sharon first encountered Buddhism in 1969 in an Asian philosophy
course at SUNY Buffalo. In 1970, she traveled to India for an independent study program,
motivated by "an intuition that the methods of meditation would bring me some clarity and
peace." By January 1971, she attended her first intensive meditation course in Bodh Gaya,
India, an experience that determined her life's direction. She spent the next years intensively
studying meditation and Buddhist philosophy with highly respected teachers in India and Burma.
By 1974, Sharon returned to America to begin a lifelong passion for teaching meditation. In
1976, alongside Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield, she co-founded the Insight Meditation
Society in Barre, Massachusetts, one of the West's most renowned meditation centers. This
vision expanded in 1989 with the co-founding of the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, and in
1998 with the Forest Refuge, a long-term retreat center on IMS property.
Outside of her work at IMS, Sharon has emerged as a featured speaker and teacher worldwide
from working with 9/11 first responders and domestic violence shelter workers, to speaking
on panels alongside H.H. the Dalai Lama and addressing audiences at the State of the World
Forum. She aims to empower people with the tools to navigate life in an engaged and
connected way, offering non-sectarian retreats and study opportunities for all, especially those
who face oppression and injustice.
Sharon is the author of fourteen books. Her published works include: Lovingkindness
(Shambhala, 1995); A Heart As Wide As The World (Shambhala, 1997); Faith (Riverhead,
2002); The Force of Kindness (Sounds True, 2005); Real Happiness (Workman, 2010 & 2019);
Love Your Enemies with Robert Thurman (Hay House, 2013 & 2023); Real Happiness at Work
(Workman, 2013); Real Love (Flatiron, 2017); Real Change (Flatiron, 2021); Real Life (Flatiron,
2023); Finding Your Way (Workman, 2023); and Kind Karl: A Little Crocodile with Big Feelings
with Jason Gruhl (Shambhala, 2025).
Sharon's writing has appeared in Time Magazine, The New York Times, Yoga Journal, O
Magazine, Lion's Roar, Tricycle, GQ, Forbes, NPR, Psychology Today, and many others. She
was a weekly columnist for On Being from 2015 to 2018 and a contributing editor of Oprah's O
Magazine for several years.
The Metta Hour podcast features hundreds of conversations with thought leaders including H.H.
the Dalai Lama, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ram Dass, Gabor Maté, Parker Palmer, bell hooks, Yung
Pueblo, Tara Brach, and Jack Kornfield. Sharon has also appeared as a guest on The Moth
Radio Hour, On Being, Tim Ferriss, Ten Percent Happier, and many others.
Today, Sharon resides in Barre, Massachusetts, and New York City. Her teachings are
available online through IMS Online, the Ten Percent Happier App, Insight Timer, Sounds True,
Maloka (VR), and Twill.
