Welcome, friend.
The Presence Shift® Masterclass is a year-long, science-based training to help you live with more presence using five Inner Steps that become second nature.
At the heart of everything here is one simple ritual:
Answer → Intend → Focus → Flow → Begin
Answer – What kind of day (or moment) is this?
Intend – Breathe into an intention to become fully present in the next few minutes.
Focus – Bring 100% of your attention into the present moment.
Flow – Let that presence flow into the next hour of your day.
Begin – Actually begin the next step of your life from that state.
These are the 5 Inner Steps that become second nature the more you repeat them in real situations.
Presence shifting is what we call the act of walking yourself through a Presence Shift using these 5 Inner Steps in a real moment of your life.
Over time, we’ll repeat the same 5 Inner Steps in many different situations until your nervous system recognizes them as a familiar path back to presence.
What you’ll find here
As a subscriber, you’ll move through four main pillars:
1. The Presence Shift Masterclass (book / PDF)
A downloadable PDF book, The Presence Shift Masterclass: How I Found the 5 Inner Steps by Sean Sullivan, PsyD. This is the full story and framework for presence shifting, written first and then adapted into film and audio.
2. The Presence Shift Masterclass (audio)
A four-chapter audio Masterclass—essentially a lived audiobook of the PDF book—with guided Presence Shifts at the end of each chapter.
3. The Presence Shift Masterclass Movie (film)
A 2-hour cinematic adaptation of the book. You’ll see short clips in Substack posts and public social media shorts that carry the same message. The full movie will be available to paid subscribers later in 2026.
4. Weekly Presence Shift videos (10 / 5 / 2 minutes)
Most weeks, paid subscribers receive:
A 10-minute Presence Shift video (with motion graphics and the 5 Inner Steps highlighted as we progress)
A 5-minute core ritual version
A 2-minute reset
You can watch these as videos or use them as audio, depending on what fits best into your life.
You’ll begin by moving through The Three Introductory Presence Shifts (See One, Do One, Live One) and Presence Shift 1 – Foundation, your first weekly Presence Shift that serves as a core ritual for your Year of Presence.
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 loss, anxiety, 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 Presence Shift grew out of that work. It’s a practical ritual built around 5 Inner Steps — Answer, Intend, Focus, Flow, Begin — that you can practice in real time, in real situations, until your nervous system recognizes them as a familiar path back to presence.
This Substack is where I share the core training: the Masterclass Movie, the Three Introductory Presence Shifts, and ongoing weekly Presence Shifts in 10 / 5 / 2-minute versions. My goal is simple: to give you a living, flexible practice you can return to whenever you need it — whether you’re facing morning dread, social anxiety, grief waves, or just the quiet ache that says, “I want to feel more alive in my own life.”
The protocol we use here is the same 5-step presence shifting ritual I give to my therapy patients and coaching clients:
Many begin therapy by starting this presence shifting ritual between sessions.
We use the weekly Presence Shifts as structured between-session practice to deepen their mastery of shifting into presence.
Over time, these 5 Inner Steps become second nature in their nervous system, so they can shift into presence on demand — before hard conversations, during anxiety spirals, after conflict, in grief waves, in numbness, and in everyday moments.
If you choose to walk this Year of Presence with me, I’m honored to be your guide.
What people say about The Presence Shift and the Masterclass Movie
“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.”
“When I asked myself what kind of a bad day I was having earlier this week, my answer came to me in a flurry of thoughts… I felt ashamed, then hopeless and restless, then trying to control outcomes I knew I couldn’t, which added anxiety, which made me yearn to feel loved and safe. I felt that in my chest, which finally triggered me to begin my Presence Shift by taking a long deep breath. Then I took the 5 steps and was fully present again within 60 seconds. It works.”
“I watched while on a long walk this weekend. It’s perfect. Instant cult classic. Thank you.”
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.
Free vs paid
As a free subscriber, you’ll receive:
The official trailer for The Presence Shift Masterclass Movie
A 10-minute introduction video
Select essays on the psychology, neuroscience, and spirituality behind presence shifting
Occasional free Presence Shifts
As a paid subscriber, you’ll receive:
The downloadable PDF book – The Presence Shift Masterclass: How I Found the 5 Inner Steps (as it’s rolled out)
The full audio Presence Shift Masterclass (4 long-form chapters)
Presence Shift 1 – Foundation (video + audio)
A new 10-minute Presence Shift most weeks (plus 5-minute and 2-minute versions)
Access to a growing library of themed Presence Shifts
Access to live online masterclasses on topics like purpose, loneliness, anxiety, anger, and more
Early and exclusive access to the full Presence Shift Masterclass Movie later in the year
The same weekly 5-step protocol I give my therapy patients and coaching clients between sessions
You don’t have to do everything perfectly or every week.
You can treat the next 12 months as your own Year of Presence, returning to the 5 Inner Steps whenever you notice you’re off your game.
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 world-renowned University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
A clinical psychologist, writer, and creator of The Presence Shift, he focuses on practical, science-based ways to help people live with more presence in real life. He loves being outside with human and non-human loved ones, treating patients in psychotherapy, writing psychology books and articles, creating interactive psychology programs and wellness events, and sharing presence shifting experiences through The Presence Shift archive and related projects.
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.
