The Presence Shift Masterclass
Science-based training to live with more presence through 5 Inner Steps that become second nature.
Welcome, friend.
The Presence Shift Masterclass is a year-long, science-based training in living with more presence using 5 Inner Steps that become second nature. You can begin your Year of Presence anytime.
At the heart of everything here is one simple ritual:
Answer → Intend → Focus → Flow → Begin
Answer – What kind of day (or moment) is this for me right now?
Intend – Breathe into a clear intention to become fully present in the next few minutes.
Focus – Bring 100% of your attention into the present moment, on purpose.
Flow – Let that presence move into the next hour of your day.
Begin – Actually begin the next step of your life from that state.
When you walk yourself through these 5 Inner Steps in a real moment of your life, I call that a Presence Shift. The more often you presence shift in real situations, the more your nervous system recognizes these 5 Inner Steps as a reliable path back to presence.
You begin your Year of Presence by moving through Presence Shift 1 – Foundation and the Three Introductory Presence Shifts (See One, Do One, Live One). From there, you keep repeating the same 5 Inner Steps in many different contexts until “coming back to yourself” starts to feel like something you can do on purpose anytime.
Want the research side of this?
Read The Science of Presence Shifting for a simple overview of the nervous-system science behind the 5 Inner Steps.
What you’ll find here
As a subscriber, you’ll move through a small set of core pillars:
1. The Presence Shift Masterclass (book & audio)
A downloadable PDF book, The Presence Shift Masterclass: How I Found the 5 Inner Steps, plus a lived-audiobook version with guided Presence Shifts.
2. The Presence Shift Masterclass Movie (film)
A 2-hour cinematic adaptation of the book. You’ll see short clips in posts and social media; the full movie will be available to paid subscribers later in 2026.
3. Weekly Presence Shifts (10 / 5 / 2 minutes)
Most weeks, paid subscribers receive a new Presence Shift built around a real-life pattern—morning dread, night-time anxiety, conflict spirals, numbness, grief waves, performance pressure, and more—in 10-, 5-, and 2-minute versions. You can watch them as video or treat them as audio, depending on what fits your life.
4. The Presence Shift Companion (app)
A small, calm Companion app (launching in 2026) that guides you through 2–5 minute interactive Presence Shiftsbetween your Masterclass sessions—always using the same 5 Inner Steps.
Underneath all of this is one simple promise:
To give you a repeatable, science-based way to shift your state and actually begin the next step of your day from presence—and eventually to teach that skill to the people you love.
How this connects to therapy & coaching
I’m Sean Sullivan, PsyD, a clinical psychologist and creator of The Presence Shift. For the past two decades I’ve worked with college students, high-performing professionals, founders and executives, and people navigating anxiety, grief, and major life transitions.
Again and again, I saw the same pattern: people didn’t need more “life hacks” — they needed a simple, repeatable way to come back to presence in the moments that mattered most.
The protocol we use here is the same 5-step presence shifting ritual I give to many of my therapy patients and coaching clients between sessions:
We use Presence Shifts as structured between-session practice to deepen their mastery of shifting into presence.
Over time, these 5 Inner Steps become familiar in their nervous system, so they can shift into presence on demand — before hard conversations, during anxiety spirals, after conflict, in grief waves, and in everyday moments.
Free vs. paid
As a free subscriber, you’ll receive:
The official trailer for The Presence Shift Masterclass Movie
A 10-minute introduction to the Masterclass
Presence Shift 1 – Foundation (your first Weekly Presence Shift)
The See One Presence Shift (the first Introductory Presence Shift)
Select essays on the psychology and neuroscience behind presence shifting
Occasional free Presence Shifts and “taster” practices at the tops of paid posts
As a paid subscriber, you’ll receive everything above, plus:
Full access to all Three Introductory Presence Shifts – See One, Do One, Live One
Weekly Presence Shifts most weeks in 10 / 5 / 2-minute formats
Full access to the archive of Weekly Presence Shifts
Rolling access to the book (PDF), audio Masterclass, and the full movie as they release
Access to new experiments, prompts, and any live presence labs I host
A way to directly support the long-term growth and evolution of this work
You don’t have to do everything perfectly or every week; you can begin anytime and treat the next 12 months as your own Year of Presence, returning to the 5 Inner Steps whenever you feel off your game.
I’m honored to be your guide and walk this Year of Presence with you.
Stay present,
Sean
About Dr. Sean Sullivan
Sean Sullivan, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist and creator of The Presence Shift®. Over the past two decades, he has worked with college students, founders, executives, and people navigating anxiety, grief, and major life transitions.
He began studying psychology and mindfulness as an undergraduate at Harvard University, then interned in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, founded by Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD.
Dr. Sullivan completed his clinical psychology residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio and post-doctoral health psychology training based at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
His work now focuses on practical, science-based ways to help people live with more presence in real life—through psychotherapy, writing, interactive programs, and The Presence Shift ecosystem.
What people say about The Presence Shift
“I presence shifted a lot this week. My marriage is having less conflict because I’m not rapidly reacting the old way — getting angry so fast.”
“For the first time in my life, I’ve been working out in the morning consistently. I wake up at 6am and spend about one minute presence shifting while lying in bed — to obliterate my old excuses. Then I’m present and connected to my intentions so I get up and go to the gym. I’ve never been able to do this before. It’s actually working when I keep it that simple.”
These reflections are from early patients and viewers of The Presence Shift Masterclass Movie. They describe individual experiences and are not guarantees of any specific outcome. The Presence Shift is not a replacement for professional medical or mental health treatment.
Emotional Safety Notice & Warning
The statements on The Presence Shift® have not been reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration. This project is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The Presence Shift® is not intended as medical advice or as a replacement for professional health or mental health services.
Some content may be emotionally provocative, including references to abuse, trauma, grief, and other difficult experiences. If you are not feeling comfortable, please stop until you feel safe again. You can explore getting emotional support anytime at wannatalkaboutit.com — or by calling 988 in the United States or your local crisis line.
Do you know someone who could benefit from feeling more present?
You can forward this page or share this subscribe link so they can begin their own Year of Presence.
If you or someone you know can’t afford a paid subscription and wants to complete a Year of Presence, you can reply to any subscriber email with a short note requesting a free upgrade. A few times each year, I review those requests and quietly convert a batch of free subscriptions to paid access so more people can complete a Year of Presence regardless of finances.
