Co-Founder & Former CEO, Whole Foods Market
John Mackey is an entrepreneur and the co-founder and visionary of Whole Foods Market. In his 44 years of service as CEO, the natural and organic grocer grew from a single store in Austin, Texas, to 540 stores in the U.S., U.K., and Canada with annual sales exceeding $22 billion and more than 105,000 Team Members.
A pioneer of natural and organic foods and a passionate advocate for capitalism as a force for good, Mackey has focused on building a more conscious way of doing business. His vision inspired the Whole Planet Foundation to help end poverty in developing nations, the Local Producer Loan Program to help local food producers expand their businesses, the Global Animal Partnership’s rating scale for humane farm animal treatment, and the Total Health Immersion program to promote health and wellness with Whole Foods Market Team Members.
A strong believer in free market principles, Mackey co-founded the Conscious Capitalism Movement and co-authored a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling book entitled Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business to boldly defend and reimagine capitalism and encourage a way of doing business that is grounded in ethical consciousness. In his follow-up, Conscious Leadership: Elevating Humanity through Business, Mackey provides a roadmap for innovative, values-based leadership.
Mackey has been recognized as one of Fortune’s "World's 50 Greatest Leaders," Ernst & Young’s “Entrepreneur of the Year Overall Winner for the United States,” Institutional Investor’s “Best CEO in America,” Barron’s “World’s Best CEO,” MarketWatch’s “CEO of the Year,” and Esquire’s “Most Inspiring CEO,” while Whole Foods Market was named to Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work for” list for 20 consecutive years.
A mission-driven entrepreneur, Mackey is deeply passionate about the connection between food and health. His business venture, Love.Life, unites the power of nourishing food, holistic medical care, and precision wellness therapies to make optimal, lasting health and vitality achievable.
Mackey currently serves on the board of directors for Conscious Capitalism, The Motley Fool, The Cato Institute, Institute for Cultural Evolution, and Students for Liberty. His book, The Whole Story: Adventures in Love, Life, and Capitalism, invites readers on the adventure of building Whole Foods Market: the colorful cast of idealists and foodies who formed the company’s DNA, the many breakthroughs and missteps, the camaraderie and the conflict, and the narrowly avoided disasters.
Conscious Capitalism movement pioneer John Mackey explores how business can be a force for good and why purpose-driven leadership is the future of sustained success. Drawing on decades of experience building one of the world’s most admired companies, John reveals how a higher purpose can elevate every part of an organization: integrating the needs of all stakeholders, inspiring leaders to grow personally and professionally, and shaping a culture that fuels both innovation and performance.
Through vivid examples from leading “Conscious Capitalism” companies, John demonstrates the four key tenets that create lasting value for customers, employees, investors, suppliers, communities, and the environment: higher purpose, stakeholder integration, conscious leadership, and conscious culture. Attendees will discover practical strategies for evolving their own leadership approach, engaging employees at a deeper level, and creating organizational cultures that thrive in the 21st-century economy.
This session is both a bold reimagining of capitalism and a pragmatic blueprint for leaders who want to unlock business’s highest potential, advancing not only profitability, but also human flourishing and the greater good.
In this captivating conversation, Whole Foods Market cofounder and longtime CEO John Mackey takes audiences inside the four-decade journey of building one of the most influential and beloved brands in the world. Beginning with a scrappy natural foods store in 1978, John recounts the pivotal moments, unexpected twists, and bold decisions that shaped Whole Foods’ rise, which culminated in its landmark merger with Amazon. Along the way, he offers candid reflections on both triumphs and missteps.
More than a business success story, this is the tale of a cultural and dietary revolution that redefined how America shops, eats, and thinks about food. John also reveals the 17 Leadership Principles that have guided Whole Foods from its earliest days and explores the groundbreaking Healthy Eating program the company developed to reverse obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions among their own workforce while dramatically reducing corporate healthcare costs. With warmth, honesty, and hard-earned wisdom, John weaves together the entrepreneurial, philosophical, and human sides of the Whole Foods journey: from the idealism and grit of the early years to the spiritual awakenings, ethical convictions, and leadership insights that have shaped his life and business.
After revolutionizing the way the world eats with Whole Foods Market, John Mackey is taking on his most personal and ambitious mission yet: transforming the way we experience health care and longevity. In this inspiring and practical talk, John shares the vision behind his venture, Love.Life, an integrated health and wellness company designed to help people live longer, healthier, and more vibrant lives.
John reveals how Love.Life’s model flips the current healthcare paradigm, moving away from reactive, symptom-focused care toward prevention, root-cause treatment, and proactive health optimization. Under one roof, members have access to a multidisciplinary care team that blends advanced diagnostics, functional medicine, holistic therapies, fitness, and recovery services with nutrition and lifestyle support. This seamless, data-driven, and highly personalized approach empowers individuals to reverse chronic disease, extend healthy lifespan, and reach their full health potential.
With insights drawn from his decades of building mission-driven businesses, John also explores how the Love.Life philosophy can be integrated into organizations — improving employee health, reducing healthcare costs, and creating cultures of well-being and performance. Attendees will leave with a compelling vision for the future of healthcare, along with practical ideas for applying longevity and wellness principles to both their personal lives and their leadership.